ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Total quotient ring

Okay kiddo, let's talk about rings! No, not the ones you put on your finger. In math, a "ring" is a special type of structure that lets you add, subtract, and multiply things. Now, imagine you have a special type of ring called a "quotient ring". This ring is made by taking another ring and "cutting it up" into smaller pieces.

But wait, there's more! We also have something called the "total quotient ring". This is like the ultimate quotient ring, because it takes all the possible ways you could cut up a ring and combines them into one big ring. It's kind of like putting all the puzzle pieces back together, but in a different way than before.

The reason we might use a total quotient ring is because it can help us understand things better. It's like taking a big problem and breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts. And because we're only looking at certain parts of the ring, it can help us find patterns and connections that we might not have seen otherwise.

So there you have it, kiddo! The total quotient ring is a special kind of ring that's made by combining all the possible ways to "cut up" another ring. It can help us understand things better by breaking them down into smaller parts.