ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Elliptic partial differential equation

Elliptic partial differential equations are like really complicated math problems for grown-ups. They help us understand how things change in space and time, like when we watch stuff move or measure how things change in different places.

Imagine you are playing with a ball, and you want to see how fast it's moving at different points in time. This math problem can be an elliptic partial differential equation. It's called elliptic because it has a curved shape, like the curved surface of a ball.

Elliptic partial differential equations help us understand the way things change and interact with each other. They are used in many different fields, like physics, engineering, and even in finance!

Solving these equations can be really tricky and takes some serious math skills, but when scientists or engineers solve these problems, they can make predictions about what will happen in the world around us. Scientists also use these equations to create mathematical models of all kinds of things, from the flow of air in a tornado to the way diseases spread among a population.