What it is: A list of numbers that represents something (text, image, product, etc.) in mathematical space.
Example:
Text: "red sports car" → Vector: [0.2, 0.8, 0.1, 0.9, 0.3, ...]
Image: photo of a cat → Vector: [0.1, 0.4, 0.7, 0.2, 0.9, ...]
Why it matters: Converts real-world objects into math that computers can compare and find similarities.
Key insight: Similar things get similar vectors. Two photos of cats will have vectors that are “close” to each other in mathematical space.