ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ehresmann connection

Okay, let's imagine that you are playing with a toy car that can move forward, backward, and turn left or right. Imagine that the car is moving on a bumpy road, and sometimes it slips or turns accidentally. This can be quite confusing and frustrating for you, right?

Just like the toy car, when we imagine drawing some lines or shapes on a surface, these lines can also slip or move unintentionally, especially if we try to draw them on a curved or distorted surface like a sphere or a twisted piece of paper.

Here comes the idea of an Ehresmann connection - it's like a guide or a special trick that helps us draw the lines smoothly and consistently on any kind of surface. To create an Ehresmann connection, we need some extra tools, but conceptually, we can understand it as a simple idea.

Now imagine that you have a piece of cloth that you want to draw a straight line on, and you don't want it to slip or move away. So you use some pins on both sides of the line to hold it in place. This is similar to Ehresmann connection, where we use some additional structures that help us draw the lines or paths more accurately and smoothly.

In mathematics, an Ehresmann connection is a way to connect two points on a curved or distorted surface through a path that follows the surface's shape consistently. It is like creating a path on the surface that sticks to it and doesn't slip or turn away unintentionally.

Ehresmann connections are essential in geometry and topology, where we study various kinds of surfaces and their properties. By using Ehresmann connections, we can analyze these surfaces and understand their shape and behavior much better.

In summation, an Ehresmann connection is a helpful tool for creating smooth paths on curved surfaces that stick to the surface's shape and don't slip or get lost unintentionally.