ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gadget (machine instruction sequence)

Imagine a gadget is like a recipe for a machine to follow. When you want a machine to do something, like add two numbers together, you have to give it specific instructions. These instructions tell the machine which buttons to press and how to move its parts in order to get the right answer.

A gadget is a special type of instruction sequence that can be used in many different situations. It's like having a really good recipe that you can use for a lot of different dishes.

For example, let's say you have a machine that needs to sort a big pile of numbers. You could write a whole bunch of individual instructions for the machine to follow, but that would take a long time and be difficult to keep track of. Instead, you could use a gadget that is specifically designed to sort numbers. This gadget would have all the instructions built in, so all you have to do is tell the machine to use the gadget.

Now imagine you have a different machine that needs to find the average of a bunch of numbers. You could write a new set of instructions for this machine, but that would be a waste of time and effort. Instead, you could use the same gadget that you used to sort numbers. Even though the task is different, the gadget still works because it has all the necessary instructions built in.

So, to summarize: a gadget is like a recipe for a machine to follow. It's a set of instructions that can be used for many different tasks, like sorting numbers or finding averages. Using a gadget saves time and effort because all the necessary instructions are already written out.