ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Presburger arithmetic

Presburger arithmetic is a simple way of doing math with whole numbers (also known as integers) without using multiplication or division. It was invented by a mathematician named Mojżesz Presburger in the early 20th century.

To understand Presburger arithmetic, imagine you have a pile of blocks. You can count the number of blocks in the pile, and you can also add or take away blocks from the pile. That is what Presburger arithmetic allows you to do.

In Presburger arithmetic, you can use symbols like "+" (plus) and "-" (minus) to add or subtract numbers. For example, if you have 3 blocks and you add another 2 blocks, you can write 3+2=5. You can also write 5-1=4, which means you took away one block from the pile of 5.

However, in Presburger arithmetic, you cannot use symbols like "x" (multiply) or "/" (divide) to combine numbers. For example, you cannot write 3x2=6 or 10/2=5. Instead, you have to use addition and subtraction to get to the answer. For example, 3x2 would be the same as 3+3, because you are adding 3 to itself 2 times. And 10/2 would be the same as 5, because you are taking away 2 blocks from a pile of 10 until you have 5 left.

Presburger arithmetic also has some rules for working with numbers. For example, you always start with the number 0, and you can only add or subtract whole numbers. You cannot add or subtract decimals or fractions.

Overall, Presburger arithmetic is a simple way of doing math with whole numbers that does not use multiplication or division, but instead relies on addition and subtraction to get to the answer.
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