ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Integrodifference equation

An integrodifference equation is a kind of math problem where we try to figure out what something will be like in the future based on what it was like in the past.

Imagine you have a pet hamster named Hammy. Every day, you give Hammy some food and water, and he runs on his spinning wheel. You want to know how much weight Hammy will gain in the next week, based on how much he's been eating and running for the past few days.

To figure this out, you might use an integrodifference equation. This equation would help you predict Hammy's weight gain based on how much he ate and exercised on previous days.

Integrodifference equations can also be used in other situations, like predicting how a population of animals will grow or decline over time. For example, if you're studying a group of rabbits in a forest, you might use an integrodifference equation to predict how many baby rabbits will be born in the next month, based on how many adult rabbits there are now and how many babies were born in the previous month.

Overall, integrodifference equations are just a fancy math tool for predicting what will happen in the future based on what's happened in the past. Whether you're trying to figure out how much your pet hamster will weigh or how many baby rabbits there will be in a forest, an integrodifference equation can help you make a good guess.