ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Variational principle

A variational principle is like a puzzle where you want to find the best answer. Imagine you have many numbers and you want to add them together to get the smallest possible answer. But if you just add them all up, you might not get the best answer.

So, what you do is try different ways of adding the numbers together and see which one gives you the smallest answer. This is called a variational principle.

It's like trying different ways to put puzzle pieces together until you find the best way. In science, we use the variational principle to find the best solution to a problem. For example, we might use it to find the best way to move a rocket through space or to find the best shape for a bridge.

We try different ways of solving the problem and see which one gives us the best answer. Just like finding the best way to solve a puzzle.