ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Restricted isometry property

Have you ever tried to put together a puzzle and noticed that sometimes pieces look very similar? But eventually you find out that they are a little bit different and it makes the whole picture look complete. That's kind of how the restricted isometry property works.

When mathematicians try to solve problems, they use something called linear equations. Linear equations help us understand how things relate to each other in a straight line, kind of like connecting the dots on a graph.

But sometimes, equations can be a bit tricky because they involve a lot of different variables that can make the problem hard to solve. That's where the restricted isometry property comes in.

The restricted isometry property helps us solve equations by making sure that the different variables in the equation are all a little bit different from each other. This is kind of like the puzzle pieces we talked about earlier. If all the puzzle pieces were exactly the same, you would never be able to put them together to make a complete picture.

So, basically, the restricted isometry property helps us solve equations by making sure that all the different pieces of the problem are a little bit different from each other. This allows us to put all the pieces together to get the right answer.

Overall, the restricted isometry property is a really helpful tool for mathematicians that helps us put together the puzzle pieces of complicated equations.