eli5, While I would like a general answer, the concept that brought this question up was drywall compound, specifically “hot mud”. “five minute hot mud” sets in five minutes but takes longer to dry. What is the difference?
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Set = how long until the material is no longer workable. You need to have any mixing, molding, shaping, and positioning of things complete prior to this time.
Dry = How long it takes the material to dry out. Normally refers to compounds containing water. Prior to being dry, the material may be set and appear solid on the surface, but will have portions that are still wet. For dry wall, wet filler compound will gunk up your sand paper and not result in a smooth surface. It can also result in chunks breaking off while you sand.
Cured = How long it takes the material to reach its full strength. I’ve normally seen this in regards to compounds that involve chemical reactions such as epoxies. An epoxy can set pretty quickly, but the material is still very weak until the chemical reaction has had time to complete and the compound cures to its full strength.
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