ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Plotkin bound

Imagine you have a secret message that you want to send to your friend, but you don't want anyone else to be able to read it. So, you use a code to turn the message into a bunch of numbers that only you and your friend can understand.

But what if someone else tries to break the code and figure out the secret message? Well, there's something called the Plotkin Bound that can help you estimate how good your code is at keeping your message safe.

The Plotkin Bound is like a fence around your code that tells you how many errors your code can handle before it becomes easy for someone to figure out the secret message. Think of the fence as a protection for your secret message.

Let's say your code turns every letter into a number between 1 and 10. If you want to send the word "HELLO" in your message, it would be turned into a string of numbers like this: 8, 5, 12, 12, 15.

But what if one of those numbers gets changed during transmission, either by accident or by a hacker? If someone changes the number 12 to 7, for example, then your friend might see the decoded message as "HESLO" instead of "HELLO".

The Plotkin Bound tells you how many errors your code can handle before mistakes like these become a problem. So, if your code has a Plotkin Bound of 2, that means it can handle two errors before the secret message becomes too distorted to be useful.

In conclusion, the Plotkin Bound is like a fence or barrier around your code that helps you estimate how many errors it can handle before your secret message becomes too distorted. It's an important concept for anyone who wants to keep their information safe and away from prying eyes.