ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Programming complexity

Programming complexity refers to how hard it is for a computer programmer to write instructions that tell a computer what to do. Just like how building something with blocks can be simple or complicated, programming can be easy or hard. Imagine you are building a block tower. If you want to build a very simple tower, it may only require a few blocks and be easy to complete. But, if you want to build a big and complicated tower with lots of twists and turns, it will require many more blocks and be much harder to complete.

In programming, complexity works the same way. If a programmer wants to create a program that does something simple like adding two numbers together, it won't be very complex. However, if they want to make a program that can recognize different people's faces and emotions, it will be much more complex.

Complexity can come from many factors, such as the number of different things the program needs to do, the number of different situations it needs to handle, or how well it needs to perform. A program can also become more complex if it needs to work on many different types of devices or operating systems. Therefore, the more things the programmer wants to make the program do, the more complex the program becomes.

Simplifying programming complexity is important because it helps computers to work faster and more efficiently. Programmers try to write instructions that are easy for a computer to execute, but also produce the desired result. The goal is to find the right balance between making a program that is complex enough to do what it needs to do, but not so complicated that it becomes difficult to manage.
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