ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Simplicial manifold

Alright kiddo, imagine a jigsaw puzzle with lots of different pieces. Each of these pieces represents a small part of something bigger, like a picture or a landscape. In a similar way, a simplicial manifold is made up of lots of smaller pieces that fit together perfectly to make something much larger.

But what are these small pieces that make up a simplicial manifold? They are called simplices, which are essentially triangles (in 2D) or tetrahedrons (in 3D) with little or no curvature. These simple shapes fit together like puzzle pieces to form a larger, more complex structure.

A simplicial manifold is a special kind of manifold that is made up of these simplices. Manifolds are abstract mathematical objects that look like regular space when you zoom in enough. Think of the sensation when you zoom in on a map of a city, starting from the entire city and zooming in to see the blocks and streets. Similarly, when you look at a manifold closely enough, it looks flat and smooth like regular space.

So, a simplicial manifold is a way of building up this smooth structure out of small, simple parts called simplices. By fitting together all these pieces, we can create a complicated shape or a smooth surface, just like how we can make a picture by fitting together different pieces of a puzzle.