ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Parametric equation

A parametric equation is like a recipe for making shapes or lines. You know how when we make a cake we need a recipe with instructions like how much flour, sugar, eggs, and milk to use? That's what a parametric equation does for shapes!

Let's say we want to draw a circle. Instead of saying x^2 + y^2 = r^2 (which is the algebraic equation for a circle), we use a parametric equation like this:
x = r * cos(t)
y = r * sin(t)
where t is the time or the angle we want to draw the circle at.

So, parametric equations give us a way to describe how shapes move and change, it's like giving instructions to draw different things like a circle, a square, or even a spiral. And, just like how a recipe can be adjusted to make a bigger or smaller cake, you can adjust the numbers in a parametric equation to make the shape bigger or smaller, faster or slower, or move in a different direction.