ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Weyl–Brauer matrices

Okay, imagine you have a bunch of numbers arranged in a square shape, called a matrix. Each number represents something called a "linear transformation," which is just a fancy way of saying "a way to change things in a certain way."

Now, these Weyl-Brauer matrices are a special kind of matrix that tell you about a type of linear transformation called a "symmetry operation." These are transformations that don't change the overall shape of something - think of rotating a wheel or flipping a coin.

The Weyl-Brauer matrices are named after mathematicians Hermann Weyl and Richard Brauer, who figured out how to use them to understand certain structures in math, like groups and fields. Basically, they found patterns in the ways these matrices work that help us understand how things organize themselves in certain mathematical systems.

So, in short, Weyl-Brauer matrices are special matrices that tell us about how symmetry operations work and help us understand how certain mathematical structures are built.