ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Shooting method

Okay kiddo, shooting method is a way to solve math problems called boundary value problems. These are problems where you know how something starts at one point and ends up at another point, but you don't know what happens in between.

So, imagine you're trying to shoot a basketball into a hoop from far away. You know where you start (where you're standing) and where you want the ball to end up (in the hoop), but you're not sure what angle or force you need to use to make the ball go into the hoop.

In the same way, with boundary value problems, you know the values of a function (like the height of the basketball) at two points, but you don't know what the function looks like in between.

The shooting method uses an initial guess (an estimated angle and force for the basketball shot) and then refines that guess until it gets closer and closer to the correct answer.

So, with the basketball example, you might start by guessing that you need to shoot the ball at a 30-degree angle with a certain amount of force. If the ball misses, you adjust your guess and try again until you eventually make the shot.

With boundary value problems, the process is similar. You use an initial guess for the function between the two known points and then use a system of equations to adjust that guess until it becomes the correct solution.

And that, my little one, is the shooting method – a way to solve math problems by refining your initial guess until you get the right answer.