ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Expansion scalar

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a party balloon. When you blow the balloon, it gets bigger and bigger, right? That's called expansion. Now imagine the air inside the balloon is like the universe, and the edges of the balloon are like the boundaries of the universe.

Expansion scalar is a way of measuring how much the universe is expanding. It tells us if the universe is getting bigger or smaller, or if it's staying the same size. Kind of like how you can measure how big your balloon is by using a ruler.

Scientists use math to figure out the expansion scalar, but the important thing to know is that it helps them understand how the universe is changing over time. Just like how you can see your balloon getting bigger the more you blow it up.

So, the expansion scalar is just a tool that helps scientists study the universe and how it's changing. It's like a ruler for the whole universe!