ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Value function

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a piggy bank and you keep saving up money to buy your favorite toy. You know how much money you have in your piggy bank, right? Now imagine that you have a big list of different toys you can buy with different prices. This list is like a game, and every time you save more money in your piggy bank, you get closer to buy one of those toys.

Now, how do you decide which toy to buy? This is where the value function comes in. It's like a helper that tells you which toy is the best for you to buy based on how much money you have saved up. It's like a calculator that helps you make the best decision.

The value function looks at all the toys you can buy and how much money you have. It then calculates how much "value" you will get from each toy based on its price and how much you like it. It then tells you which toy will give you the most value for your money.

This way, you can make sure you're making the best decision and getting the most out of your money. So, in other words, the value function helps you make the best choice based on how much you can afford and how much you want something. Sounds cool, right?