ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dirichlet form

Dirichlet form is like a special math tool that helps people measure how smooth things are. Imagine you have a bumpy road that goes up and down. It's not very smooth, right? But if you could measure how bumpy it is at different points and figure out how those bumps relate to each other, you could get a better idea of how smooth it is overall.

That's kind of what Dirichlet form is like. It helps people measure how smooth things are by looking at the way things move around from one point to another. It's especially helpful when you're looking at things like how heat moves through objects or how electricity flows through circuits.

The way Dirichlet form works is kind of like a game. You start with a bunch of rules that tell you how things can move around. Then you make a bunch of guesses about how those things are likely to move. Finally, you see how those guesses match up with the rules you started with. If everything matches up nicely, then you know you've got a good idea of how smooth things are!

Overall, Dirichlet form is a really useful tool for people who want to understand how things move and change over time. It might seem complicated, but if you think of it like a game, it can be a lot of fun to explore!