ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Phase space formulation

Phase space is like a big imaginary box that shows all the possible states something can be in. Imagine a toy car - it can be in different positions and have different speeds. All of these different positions and speeds can be shown in the phase space diagram as different points.

We use phase space to track how things change over time. It's like a movie - we can see how the toy car moves from one point to another over time. We can also see how the toy car changes direction or speed.

The phase space diagram is really helpful for understanding how all kinds of things change over time, from tiny particles to the whole universe. It can get really complicated, but scientists use it to help them make predictions and understand how things work.