ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

P-adic quantum mechanics

Okay little one, let me explain p-adic quantum mechanics to you in a way that you can understand it easily.

Do you know what numbers are? Numbers are like little symbols that we use to count things. They are very important in math and science. There are different kinds of numbers, like whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and more!

P-adic numbers are a special kind of numbers that are used in quantum mechanics. They were first introduced by a mathematician named Kurt Hensel. P-adic numbers are strange because they don't always work the same way as other numbers.

Let me give you an example. If you have two numbers, say 5 and 7, and you add them together, you get 12. But in p-adic numbers, adding 5 and 7 might give you a different answer. This is because p-adic numbers are based on a different idea of distance.

Think of distance like how far apart two things are. Normally, we measure distance using a ruler. But in p-adic numbers, we measure distance using prime numbers.

Does that sound familiar? We've talked about prime numbers before, remember? Those are numbers that can only be divided by themselves and 1. So, if we use prime numbers to measure distance in p-adic numbers, things start to get really interesting!

In p-adic quantum mechanics, we use these strange p-adic numbers to help us understand how things move and interact in the quantum world. Quantum mechanics is a type of physics that deals with really, really small things like atoms and particles.

Using p-adic numbers in quantum mechanics can help us make better predictions about how these tiny things will behave. It's like having a special tool that helps us see things that we can't see with our eyes.

In summary, p-adic numbers are a special kind of numbers that use prime numbers to measure distance. We use them in quantum mechanics to help us make better predictions about really small things. It may seem strange, but math and science can be full of surprises and new discoveries!