ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Factor graph

Imagine you are trying to solve a puzzle. The puzzle has many pieces and to solve it, you must figure out which pieces fit together. Each piece has a different shape and color, and some pieces may fit together better than others.

A factor graph is like a puzzle solver. It helps you figure out which pieces of a puzzle fit together by representing the relationships among the pieces as nodes and edges.

The nodes in a factor graph represent different pieces of the puzzle. For example, if your puzzle is a picture of a flower, each node might represent a different petal.

The edges in a factor graph represent the relationships between the pieces. If two pieces fit together well, they will be connected by an edge. If they don't fit well or don't belong together, there won't be an edge connecting them.

To solve the puzzle using a factor graph, you start by connecting the nodes that fit together. Once you have all the nodes connected in the graph, you can look for patterns or groups of nodes that fit together well. By following these patterns, you can solve the puzzle and put all the pieces in their proper places.

Factor graphs are often used in computer science and engineering to solve complex problems involving many different pieces that must be fit together. By representing the problem as a factor graph, engineers and computer scientists can use algorithms and other tools to find the best solution to the puzzle.