Inverse problem

Okay kiddo, have you ever played a puzzle where you had to figure out what the picture looked like based on the pieces you had? It’s kinda like that, but with science!

Scientists have a tricky puzzle called an “inverse problem”. They use this puzzle to figure out what something looks like or how it works, even if they can't see it directly. They get clues from other things they can see or measure.

For example, let's say you're trying to find out how a toy car moves even though it's hidden under a blanket. You might give the car a little push and measure how far it moves. You could then use that information to figure out how the car works, even though you can’t directly see it under the blanket. That’s called solving the inverse problem.

Scientists have to solve much harder inverse problems, like figuring out what's happening in our brains when we think, or what's going on inside the earth. They might use things like X-rays or sound waves to collect data, and then use that data to make a picture of what’s happening.

But just like a puzzle, sometimes it takes a lot of pieces to put together before you can solve the whole puzzle.

So, an inverse problem is like a science puzzle where scientists have to figure out what's happening or working inside something, even if they can’t see it directly. They use other information they gather to piece together the answer.