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Distinguish like I'm 5 years old — Dot vs. Pixel

What is the difference between dot and pixel?

I've read many explanations, but either they all are too abstruse or they gainsay each other.
[Why Dots Per Inch Isn't Pixels Per Inch](https://tedium.co/2018/01/18/dots-per-inch-pixels-per-inch/)
> A dot refers to ink density, effectively; a pixel refers to image density on a screen.
Well what does "density" mean?
[A quick PSA on "dots" versus "pixels" in LCDs | TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2010/07/21/a-quick-psa-on-dots-versus-pixels-in-lcds/)
> It’s actually pretty simple: LCDs are made up of pixels, and pixels are made up of dots.
[joojaa's answer](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/77745) is similar.
>No, each pixel is represented by multiple dots*.
But [Scott](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/77746) gainsaid all this.
>There is absolutely *zero* correlation between pixels and dots. None.
Then I tried [Alan Gilbertson's answer.](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/6080/what-is-the-difference-between-dpi-dots-per-inch-and-ppi-pixels-per-inch)
> A **pixel** (the word was originally coined, iirc, by IBM and derives from "picture element") is the smallest indivisible unit of information in a digital image. Pixels may be displayed, or they may be printed, but you can't divide pixels into smaller pieces to get more information. `How many channels and bits per channel make up one pixel` is the measure of how subtle the information in a pixel may be, but the basic fact is that 1 pixel the smallest increment of information in an image. If you do video, you know that pixels don't have to be square -- they are non-square in all older video formats. Square or not, a pixel is still the smallest unit of a picture.
The sentence colored in gray addled me. What are "channels" and "bits per channel"?
> An **inch** (okay, so you know this already -- bear with me) is a unit of linear measurement on a surface, which could be a screen or a piece of paper.
>
> A **dot** is, well, a dot. It can be a dot on a screen, or it can be a dot produced by a printhead. Like pixels, dots are atomic. They're either there, or they're not. How much fine detail a screen can display depends on how close the dots are (what they used to call "dot pitch" in the old CRT days). How small the dots are from an inkjet, a laser printer or an imagesetter determines how much fine detail it can reproduce.
What does "atomic" mean? I feel I need to know some physics to understand this answer!
[Rafael's answer](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/102900) is the least abstruse, but it still refers to recondite terms like "the bit depth".

I've read many explanations, but either they all are too abstruse or they gainsay each other.
[Why Dots Per Inch Isn't Pixels Per Inch](https://tedium.co/2018/01/18/dots-per-inch-pixels-per-inch/)
> A dot refers to ink density, effectively; a pixel refers to image density on a screen.
Well what does "density" mean?
[A quick PSA on "dots" versus "pixels" in LCDs | TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2010/07/21/a-quick-psa-on-dots-versus-pixels-in-lcds/)
> It’s actually pretty simple: LCDs are made up of pixels, and pixels are made up of dots.
[joojaa's answer](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/77745) is similar.
>No, each pixel is represented by multiple dots*.
But [Scott](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/77746) gainsaid all this.
>There is absolutely *zero* correlation between pixels and dots. None.
Then I tried [Alan Gilbertson's answer.](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/6080/what-is-the-difference-between-dpi-dots-per-inch-and-ppi-pixels-per-inch)
> A **pixel** (the word was originally coined, iirc, by IBM and derives from "picture element") is the smallest indivisible unit of information in a digital image. Pixels may be displayed, or they may be printed, but you can't divide pixels into smaller pieces to get more information. `How many channels and bits per channel make up one pixel` is the measure of how subtle the information in a pixel may be, but the basic fact is that 1 pixel is the smallest increment of information in an image. If you do video, you know that pixels don't have to be square -- they are non-square in all older video formats. Square or not, a pixel is still the smallest unit of a picture.
The sentence colored in gray addled me. What are "channels" and "bits per channel"?
> An **inch** (okay, so you know this already -- bear with me) is a unit of linear measurement on a surface, which could be a screen or a piece of paper.
>
> A **dot** is, well, a dot. It can be a dot on a screen, or it can be a dot produced by a printhead. Like pixels, dots are atomic. They're either there, or they're not. How much fine detail a screen can display depends on how close the dots are (what they used to call "dot pitch" in the old CRT days). How small the dots are from an inkjet, a laser printer or an imagesetter determines how much fine detail it can reproduce.
What does "atomic" mean? I feel I need to know some physics to understand this answer!
[Rafael's answer](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/102900) is the least abstruse, but it still refers to recondite terms like "the bit depth".

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