ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Relaxation (approximation)

Relaxation or approximation is when we try to make something complicated or difficult easier to understand by simplifying it.

Like when you are trying to do a puzzle that has a lot of pieces, but you don't know where each piece goes. So, you start by looking at the colors and shapes of the pieces and try to match them with the other pieces on the board. You don't worry too much about getting every single piece right at first, but just try to find pieces that look similar and fit together. This makes it easier to figure out where all the other pieces go.

Similarly, when we have a complicated problem or equation in math, we can try to break it down into smaller, simpler parts that we can understand better. This might mean using simpler formulas or approximations that are not exact, but still give us a good idea of what the answer might be. For example, if we are trying to calculate the area of a circle but don't know the exact value of pi, we can use an approximation like 3.14 or 22/7 to get a close enough answer.

In summary, relaxation or approximation is a technique we use to simplify complex problems or equations by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable pieces that are easier to understand.