Okay kiddo, have you ever played with building blocks or Lego blocks before? They come in different colors and sizes, right? Now imagine that each block has its own energy level, like how bouncy it is. Some blocks are really bouncy and some are not so bouncy. That's kind of like how a crystal works.
Crystals are like a special kind of building block that scientists study. Each crystal has its own energy level too, just like the building blocks. That energy level is called the "Urbach energy."
But why do scientists care about Urbach energy, you ask? Well, it can tell them a lot about the crystal and how it works. For example, scientists can use the Urbach energy to figure out how light interacts with the crystal. That's because light also has energy, so when it hits the crystal it can cause the Urbach energy to change.
Understanding Urbach energy is important for lots of things, like making better solar cells, designing new kinds of electronics, and even figuring out how certain kinds of diseases work in our bodies. So you see, even playing with building blocks can help you understand some big ideas!