ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ring of adeles

A ring of adeles is like a special number house where all the numbers that are important to us (like whole numbers, decimals, and fractions) go to live together. They are all friends and like to hang out with each other.

But not only do they hang out with each other, they also like to hang out with their friends from other number houses like the prime numbers, and the numbers with funny patterns. So, they build a big house where all of them can live together, play together, and mix with their friends.

This big house is called a ring of adeles. Each number has its own little space in the house called an adele, and they all work together to solve problems and make math easier for us. It’s like a big community where each member has a special skill, and they all help each other out.