ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Don't-care condition

Okay kiddo, imagine you're playing a guessing game with your friend. Your friend tells you to guess a random number between 1 and 10, but if you don't know the answer or you don't care about the number, you can just say "I don't know" or "I don't care" and your friend would give you a hint to help you guess better.

In computer programming, there's something called a "don't-care condition" which means that a certain input or output of a program doesn't matter. It's like when you're playing a game but there are some parts that you don't need to worry about or pay attention to.

For example, let's say you want to make a program that helps you choose what to wear based on the weather. If the temperature is above 80°F, you might want to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but if it's below 60°F, you might want to wear a jacket and pants. But what if the temperature is between 60°F and 80°F? That's where the don't-care condition comes in. You might not have a specific outfit in mind for that temperature range, so you could say "I don't care" and the program would still give you a suggestion based on the other conditions.

So basically, a don't-care condition is like an "I don't know" or "I don't care" answer to a specific part of a program, and it helps the program work even when there are uncertain or undefined inputs or outputs.