Multiplicative distance
Imagine you have two groups of people standing on opposite ends of a field. They have to walk towards each other until they meet in the middle. The distance they have to travel to meet in the middle can be measured using different methods.
One method is called "additive distance," which means you just add up the distance each group has to travel to get to the middle. For example, if one group is 5 steps away and the other is 10 steps away, the additive distance would be 15 steps (5 + 10).
Another method is called "multiplicative distance," which is a little trickier. This method takes into account the fact that the two groups are moving towards each other at the same time. So, the distance each group has to travel is not just added together, but multiplied.
To understand how this works, imagine the first group takes one step towards the middle. At the same time, the second group also takes one step towards the middle. Now they are both one step closer to each other. If they continue doing this, each taking one step at a time, they will eventually meet in the middle.
So, to calculate the multiplicative distance, you would multiply the distances together. In our example, 5 x 10 = 50. So, the multiplicative distance is 50 steps.
In short, additive distance is when you add up distances, and multiplicative distance is when you multiply them together to take into account how two objects are moving towards each other.
One method is called "additive distance," which means you just add up the distance each group has to travel to get to the middle. For example, if one group is 5 steps away and the other is 10 steps away, the additive distance would be 15 steps (5 + 10).
Another method is called "multiplicative distance," which is a little trickier. This method takes into account the fact that the two groups are moving towards each other at the same time. So, the distance each group has to travel is not just added together, but multiplied.
To understand how this works, imagine the first group takes one step towards the middle. At the same time, the second group also takes one step towards the middle. Now they are both one step closer to each other. If they continue doing this, each taking one step at a time, they will eventually meet in the middle.
So, to calculate the multiplicative distance, you would multiply the distances together. In our example, 5 x 10 = 50. So, the multiplicative distance is 50 steps.
In short, additive distance is when you add up distances, and multiplicative distance is when you multiply them together to take into account how two objects are moving towards each other.
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