Hello i am pretty new to CSS and i ran onto this tutorial

http://azadcreative.com/2012/01/bull...vigation-menu/

and it talks about

micro clearfix hack

here >> http://nicolasgallagher.com/micro-clearfix-hack/

and i am trying to understand what this micro clearfix hack is but i can put my head around it something about floats? i believe i understand what a float is. but im confused what the point of a micro clearfix hack is and why is it called that?

if any knowledgeable people could help me understand this concept i would really appreciate it.

Thank,
C