ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Disk covering problem

Imagine you have a bunch of different colored circles (or disks) of different sizes. Your job is to cover an entire area with these circles without overlapping them. Sounds easy, right?

However, this is a tricky issue known as the disk covering problem. Mathematicians have been trying to solve this problem for many years. It's not so simple to puzzle out. There are many ways to position the disks and it's hard to know which ones work best.

The disk covering problem is very important in computer science and engineering because it can help to solve many different types of problems such as in robotics and sensor networks. Scientists and engineers have to find ways to cover an area using the fewest possible number of disks.

The disk covering problem, like many math problems, is a puzzle that has a clear goal. The solution requires careful thinking and creative planning.