ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Reissner–Nordström metric

Okay kiddo, let me try to explain the Reissner-Nordström metric in a way that is easy for you to understand.

First, do you know what a metric is? It's like a rulebook that tells us how to measure things like distance, time, and angles. Scientists use metrics to describe the shape of the universe and the way objects move in it.

The Reissner-Nordström metric is a specific kind of metric that describes the space-time around a charged black hole. A black hole is a really big mass that is so dense that nothing, not even light, can escape it. This means that black holes are invisible, and we can only see their effects on other objects around them.

Now, this metric is named after two scientists, Hans Reissner and Gunnar Nordström, who first discovered it. The Reissner-Nordström metric tells us how space and time are affected by the presence of a black hole that has an electric charge.

So imagine this - you have a big ball that weighs a ton, but it's not charged in any way. If you throw something towards the ball, it will be attracted to it by its gravity. But now imagine that the ball has an electric charge. It will still have gravity, but it will also have an electrical force that will attract or repel other charged objects.

The Reissner-Nordström metric takes into account both gravity and electric force around a charged black hole. It tells us how space is curved by the mass and charge of the black hole and how time slows down near it. It also tells us how electrically charged particles will be attracted to or repelled by the black hole.

To sum it up, the Reissner-Nordström metric is a way for scientists to understand how space and time are warped by charged black holes, which are invisible but have a big impact on the universe.