ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

K-energy functional

K-energy functional is a way to figure out how much energy is stored in something that you can stretch or deform. Imagine you have some silly putty in your hand. If you squeeze and stretch it, it takes energy to do that. The K-energy functional tells you how much energy was required to stretch or deform the silly putty.

But what does "functional" mean? A functional is just a special way to describe something that takes input (like how much you stretched the silly putty) and gives output (like how much energy was used).

The K-energy functional is used a lot in math and physics to figure out how much energy is in things that can stretch or deform, like rubber bands, springs, or even the earth's crust. It helps scientists understand how much energy is stored in these things and how they might behave under different conditions.