ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Quartic equation

A quartic equation is like a puzzle. Imagine you are trying to figure out how many stickers you can put on your notebook. You want to know how many stickers you can use in total, but you also want to know how many of each type of sticker you can use.

In a quartic equation, you are trying to figure out what number or numbers you can use to make a certain equation work. The equation has four different parts, or "terms", that look like this: a^4 + b^3 + c^2 + d.

Like with the sticker puzzle, you need to figure out what numbers you can use to make all four parts of the equation equal the same thing. This isn't always easy, but there are special formulas and techniques you can use to help you solve the quartic equation puzzle.

Once you figure out what numbers work for the equation, you can use the solution to help you solve all sorts of real-world problems. It's like having the key to unlocking all sorts of puzzles and challenges!