Piecewise

Piecewise is just a fancy word for putting different rules together to make one big rule. Imagine you have a magic box that can do different things depending on what you put into it. If you put in an apple, the box will give you a sticker. If you put in a banana, the box will give you a high five. If you put in a watermelon, the box will give you a hug.

Now let's say you want to make a rule that tells you what you will get if you put in any kind of fruit. You could use piecewise to combine all the different rules the box has. For example, you could say:

If the fruit is an apple, you get a sticker.
If the fruit is a banana, you get a high five.
If the fruit is a watermelon, you get a hug.

So now you have one big rule that can handle any kind of fruit. This is what piecewise is all about: combining different rules to make one rule that works for many different situations.