ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Illustration of the central limit theorem

The Central Limit Theorem is a really important idea in Maths and Science. It helps us understand how to compare different sets of numbers and gives us a way to predict what these numbers might look like.

Think about it like this: Imagine you have a handful of different colored marbles. Some are red, some are blue and some are green. We can take a guess at what the average color of those marbles would be. But, if each time we took out a marble, we got the same color, it wouldn't be a very good guess!

The Central Limit Theorem tells us that if you repeat this process enough times, then you'll get an average (or "mean") that's closer to the actual average color of the marbles - even if you don't get the exact same color every time. For example, the more red marbles you take out, the closer to red your average will be. The more blue marbles you take out, the closer to blue your average will be.

The Central Limit Theorem is helpful because it helps us compare different sets of numbers - like the colors of marbles - even if every time you do it you don't get exactly the same numbers (like getting exactly the same color every time). It shows us that if we repeat the process enough times, then we can get a good estimate of what the average will be.