About ELI5Base

What is this website?

ELI5Base is the internet's premier ELI5 dictionary. Instead of a normal dictionary or encyclopedia, where entries (such as for "cows" or "toenails") are hard to understand, ELI5Base breaks them down into easily digestible explanations that even you can understand. That's right, you!

What is ELI5?

ELI5 is an acronym for "Explain like I'm 5." In order to use this protocol, humans first ask a question, then add "ELI5" ("Why is the sky blue? ELI5"). Virtuous smart people and insufferable know-it-alls alike then attempt to pose an answer to said question in a similar manner to how they might explain it to their little niece or nephew. This is a useful way for people to better understand difficult concepts, as 5-year-olds typically do not have all the cognitive capabilities as most adults. You might then tousle their hair and tell them how smart they are for asking such good questions, though this step is not necessary.

Wow! How do I get in on the fun?

Whoa there, easy now, buckaroo. Before you just jump right in elbows first, we implore that you take a second and really get in the spirit of a 5-year-old. That means immediately asking whatever questions come to mind without restraint, refusing to accept "because" as an explanation, seeing the world as your proverbial oyster, and not eating your vegetables. Also, if you really want candy, your parents should give it to you, because you are their child and how dare they withhold its sweet goodness.

Okay, but really, how does it work and what do I do?

It seems to me you already have the asking questions thing down, but just for the sake of thoroughness... ELI5Base is organized into 3 major sections: asking, answering, and the reference. If you have a question, it's as easy as clicking the ask button on the navigation bar. Questions get displayed on the answer page and are ranked by how interesting the community—including you—finds them. If you (smarty pants) think you have an answer to an ELI5 request, you can submit your explanation to be voted on by the community. When you'd like to learn more about a topic, a search in the searchbar should point you to appropriate topics, ranked by relevancy according to the community's feedback. Simple!

If you still need a bit of help, check out the how to page.

Who made this website and how can I worship them and/or send them copious amounts of money?

Now, now, let's remember that even the developer of ELI5Base isn't some kind of living god, even if they did create this unbelievably useful and awesome website. In fact, they try to stay relatively under the radar, knowing wisely that fame doesn't get you everything. Money though, money is appreciated. If on the highly likely chance you'd like to support the development of this website and send several million dollars worth of Bitcoin, you can send it to this address: 36WrsgygLtUiT6x2wzH9NThgXGXjWSDTXL

Brought to you by the same developer of the educational sites Experimonkey and XPMonkey.