What are emergent properties in layman's terms?

Question

It's kind of difficult to understand for me. Can someone clarify?

Answer 1

"Emergence" means that a few, simple rules for behavior can interact to give a complex behavior.

An excellent example is an ant's nest.

Ants themselves are simple things, with only a few "rules" for how to behave (follow pheromone trails, collect food, remove waste, etc.) - but somehow the interactions of all these ants, with their identical rules, gives a large colony which can exhibit complex behavior.

Your brain is another good example. It is composed of individual neurons which have a few "rules" (fire or don't fire) - but somehow they all add-up to the enormous complexity which is your mind (conscious and subconscious), plus controlling your body, etc.