ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lions–Lax–Milgram theorem

Okay, imagine you and your friends are playing a game. In this game, some of your friends are lions and some are gazelles. The lions try to catch the gazelles, but the gazelles can avoid getting caught by running away or hiding. This is your game.

Now, let's say someone came along and asked you how often the lions win the game. How would you find out?

You could keep track of each game you play and record how many times the lions win and how many times the gazelles win. But that would take a very long time and you might not end up with a good sample size.

That's where the Lax-Milgram theorem comes in. It helps you figure out who's going to win the game without actually playing the game over and over again.

The theorem is named after two mathematicians, Peter Lax and Arthur Milgram. They came up with a way to use math to solve problems like the one with the lions and gazelles.

Basically, the Lax-Milgram theorem says that if you can write down an equation that describes the game you're playing, then you can use that equation to predict who will win.

So, if you can write down an equation that describes the behavior of the lions and the gazelles during the game, you can use the Lax-Milgram theorem to figure out which team is more likely to win.

This might sound complicated, but it's actually a really useful tool that helps mathematicians solve all kinds of problems. And it's all thanks to Peter Lax and Arthur Milgram!