ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Finite-difference time-domain method

The finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD) is a way of describing things like light, sound, and electricity using mathematics. It works by taking what we know about the present and using math to figure out what might happen in the future. Think of it like a game of 'what if?' that physicists use to find out how the world around us works!