ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Octant (plane geometry)

Alright kiddo, let me explain the octant in plane geometry to you! Imagine a big puzzle made up of squares, and each square has a coordinate assigned to it. These coordinates tell us exactly where each square is located in the puzzle. Now, when we divide this big puzzle into 8 equal parts, each part is called an octant.

So, basically an octant is just like a slice of pizza, except we’re using squares instead of triangles. Each octant contains a specific set of coordinates, that can tell us where any point in that octant is.

Think of it like this: when we split an apple into 8 parts and hand one to each person, they're all getting the same amount of apple, but they each have their own slice. Similarly, all 8 octants have the same amount of space, but they each have their own set of coordinates that tell us where everything is located within that particular octant.

In summary, an octant is just a fancy word for one of the 8 equal parts that a puzzle or coordinate system can be divided into. Each octant contains its own set of coordinates, that help us locate specific points within that octant. I hope that helps you understand what an octant is!