ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Numbers game

A numbers game is like a big puzzle where we try to find the answer by using different numbers and rules. Imagine playing with building blocks, but instead of building something, we're trying to figure out how the blocks fit together in a certain way to get the answer we want.

Numbers are like those building blocks - we can play with them, change them and combine them in different ways to get new numbers. For example, if we have the numbers 2 and 3, we can combine them to make 5 by adding them together (2+3=5).

But it's not just about adding numbers together - we can also use some rules to change the numbers. For example, there's a rule called multiplication that allows us to make bigger numbers by adding the same number many times. For instance, if we want to find out what 3x4 is, we can reframe it as "3 groups of 4". By doing so, we can count how many building blocks we would need to make three groups of four (3x4=12).

There are many other rules that we can use, and each one helps us to use our building blocks in a different way to solve a different part of the puzzle.

Ultimately, playing the numbers game is all about using our imagination and problem-solving skills to figure out how to put the pieces together in a smart way. And when we solve a particularly tricky puzzle, it feels like we've accomplished something really special, just like when we finish building a big Lego castle or create a beautiful painting.