ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Real projective plane

Okay, imagine you have a very special kind of paper that can bend and twist in all sorts of ways. This paper is called the real projective plane.

Now, let's say you draw a shape, like a triangle, on this paper. But remember, this paper can bend and twist, so you could move the corners of the triangle around and it would still be the same triangle!

Here's where things get really cool: imagine you draw a line through two corners of the triangle. On regular paper, that line would go on forever in both directions. But on this projective paper, that line is actually a circle! And not just any circle, but one that goes all the way around the paper and ends up connecting with itself.

So, the real projective plane is a special type of space where shapes can twist and turn and lines can become circles that wrap around the whole space. It's like a magical paper that lets you do all sorts of fascinating math and geometry.