Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
Is the time a spiral or a line?	[ "The second law of thermodynamics says that enthropy always increases.\n\n\nI believe we model time based on said law, because there's a clear distinction between lower and higher enthropy (past and future).\n\n\nWhether time acts as a spiral or line depends on it's rate of change. Meaning if enthropy(time) increas...
When did a tax break ("we'll take less of your money") become synonymous with a subsidy ("we'll give you someone else's money")?	[ "I cannot answer the \"when\" part but can address the \"why\" part.\n\nPeople think of a subsidy as a deviation from the status quo, not from a baseline of zero. So if government has decided to tax everyone at 10% and this becomes the norm, and then government decides to cut a certain party's taxes, it can be ...
Why do I often wake up a few seconds or minutes before my alarm goes off?	[ "Your'e body recognizes patterns and acts accordingly. If you ever want to try to maximize your sleep schedule, try going to bed and waking up at the same time 7 days a week. I started around new years and haven't used an alarm since March. Humans are awesome.", "When I used a hammer and bell [alarm](_URL_0_) ...
What happens to truck drivers when they're transporting consumable goods and they wreck destroying all of the content transported?	[ "They have special insurance to cover the value of any goods being transported.\n\nMeaning if there is a truck hauling a tank of cement dust, and it breaks open and it loses it all, their insurance covers it, but then they pay higher premiums, like auto insurance." ]
The four-color-map problem and how it was proven mathematically that a flat map on a plane will never need more than four colors	[ "> [The use of a program to prove the 4-color theorem will not change mathematics - it merely demonstrates that the theorem, a challenge for a century, is probably not important to mathematics.](_URL_0_)" ]
Whats going on with the euro??	[ "The Euro is a shared currency. Basically, a bunch of countries all use the Euro as their currency. This means that when these countries borrow money, they borrow Euros, and repay it in Euros. Now, a bit about the value of money - it's all based on how much there is in the market, and how much people want that mone...
As a heavy alcoholic why my hands shake when I'm sober but don't shake when I drink.	[ "Alcohol works by altering the level of neurotransmitters, or making them work better or worse in your system. There are two kinds of neurotransmitters, inhibitory and excitatory. The inhibitiory kind are enhanced by the alcohol, and the excitatory are diminished.\n\nThese alterations cause the nerves that are fi...
What is DNS cache poisoning?	[ "So imagine you've got a massive phone book with everyone's names and phone numbers in. \n\nIf you think you might need a particular persons number often (say, your friend 'Bob'), you might write a copy of Bobs number down on a sticky note instead of going and taking the time to find their number in the phone book ...
how come some random people start singing the same song suddenly which iam humming inside my brain	[ "The song you have in your head may be a song you heard on an advert on the television - and many people watch TV, so they might have seen the same advert as you. \nIt's the same radio and even some television shows. If there's a song on any of them that's catchy; it will have more than likely gotten stuck in some...
What's the Easter bunny got to do with Easter, they don't even lay eggs?	[ "There isn't a known direct link there are ideas behind both and some theories why exactly they were linked.\n\nThe bunny was originally a hare. Early medieval people believed that hares were hermaphrodites and that they reproduced without having sex. Naturally the church jumped on this and loved the idea of hares ...
How does the martian surface have pebbles?	[ "Weathering still takes place on Mars, it just does so much more slowly than it does on Earth. That said, water is believed to have been active fairly recently (in geological terms) in Gale Crater (Curiosity's site), and those pebbles may very well be water-deposited (some are believed to have been, though I don't ...
Why do most of African countries are still dirt poor despite having massive natural resources.?	[ "* Corruption \n* Neo colonialism (especially on the \"strategic ressources\")\n* Instability\n* Countries region vs ethnic region\n* Not so much arable land (dryness, concentration in some places) and generally global harsh conditions.\n\n\nYou could check this [out.](_URL_0_)", "Bad resource distribution, mism...
Those websites that don't let you navigate away from, close, or go to a different page.	[ "Web browsers have a few features that allow webmasters to program things to happen when someone tries to leave. They are intended to be used for good; for example, you have an online word processor, and if you leave before saving your work, it can warn you that it will be lost.\n\nBut they can also be used fo...
Can someone explain this effect where a camera picks up the "reflection" of the eclipse, but not the eclipse itself? (Video and images inside)	[ "It's lens flare.\n\nLens flare happens when you point a camera at a very bright light source, usually the sun. Some of the light from that source bounces around the lens, creating multiple images of the source along with rings, starbursts and other effects. A movie camera has a very complicated lens made up of man...
Why do fans cool us down if they're just moving the hot air around?	[ "you make air hotter and wetter. Yes you, you stinky human. You're sweating. you're producing heat. These things move from you to the air. But they move slower, the closer you are to the heat and moisture of the air. \n\nHeat and moisture transmit more readily to the air the greater the difference.\n\nSo the advant...
Why does my brain prefer songs that rhyme to ones that don't?	[ "It's probably a lot more to do with how you identify rhythm in song. You like the once that rhyme because that adds to the rhythm of the song, and is easier for you to identify. The language center in your brain might be slightly larger than the music one" ]
Why are eating disorders only classified as psychological?	[ "An eating disorder--one of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder--is a psychiatric diagnosis. Food in an eating disorder is only the tip of the iceberg. It really centres on thoughts and feelings about control, self-worth, comfort, etc. The eating part is the result of the psychological part."...
Why are dried spaghetti strands the length they are?	[ "I always snap mine in half and so does eveybody i know. Why not make a half size version if many are doing this. Unless it really is just us" ]
How come China population is so huge if Mao's Great Leap Forward killed 45 Million just less than 60 years ago?	[ "China's population had been in the hundreds of millions for [centuries](_URL_1_) before that. A lot of people died under Mao, but eventually they got things like food production under control, the [birth rate](_URL_0_) spiked and people didn't die of famine, so you had huge population increases. \n\nIn the end, ...
How come playing a game in split screen doesn't destroy performance?	[ "Yes, and a lot of games that used to offer split screen don't anymore such as call of duty and Halo. \n\nWhen splitting screens each display only is half the resolution as usual, which is easier to render. Also, many games actually cap the framerate when playing split screen resulting in a much less smooth g...
When you eat animal fat, how does your body turn it into human fat?	[ "It's not initially human fat. Everything we eat is broken down by enzymes into smaller bits. Proteins become amino acids, and fats become glycerol and fatty acids (sugars just become another kind of sugar).\n\nAny of those can be used by cells to make energy. The thing about fatty acids is that if they're not u...
Image Files	[ "The main difference is the compression method: lossless or lossy.\n\nlossless: you don't lose information. PNG and GIF are lossless. These are usually used to save text, icons and geometric drawings. (Why has already been discussed [here](_URL_0_)).\nGIF supports only 256 colors (out of 16.8 millions).\n\nlossy: y...
Why are John and Jane Doe used as names for unknown people?	[ "Origin[edit]\nThe name \"John Doe\", often spelled \"Doo,\" along with \"Richard Roe\" or \"Roo\" were regularly invoked in English legal instruments to satisfy technical requirements governing standing and jurisdiction, beginning perhaps as early as the reign of England's King Edward III (1312–1377).[8]\n\nOther ...
Trapwire	[ "supposedly it can recognize faces and people from all kinds of camera feeds. once identified they can track people through the country, this is then linked to a database so it knows where people are in space/time. \n\nif it's really as centrally connected as they say intel can be cross-referenced with for example ...
Why would people prefer life in prison without the possibility of parole, over the death penalty?	[ "Everyone says, they would prefer dying over doing something. However, most people change their minds once death is an option", "_URL_0_\n\nNasrudin was caught in the act and sentenced to die. Hauled up before the king, he was asked by the Royal Presence: \"Is there any reason at all why I shouldn't have your hea...
Pizza question	[ "No it is not more pizza per dollar. The combined area of pizza for the 2 9-inch pizzas is 40.5pi inches squared (A=rrpi, 4.54.5pi*2) and you would pay $13.50, where as the 13-inch you would be getting an area of 42.25pi inches squared for $12.50", "Calculate area inches per dollar.\n\nArea = pi times radius ...
When a orchestra conductor is waving around his stick while the orchestra is playing, why does he do that and Is there a method as to how he does it.	[ "There is a precise reason. It's to keep time for the musicians as well as give cues to perform certain actions. While it is possible to have everybody keep time on their own, having a conductor to maintain pace, give cues, etc is helpful. At least it's how I see it when I would conduct.", "Singer, gradually deve...
Why don't police officers use rubber bullets?	[ "Rubber bullets hurt, but they don't stop people who don't want to be stopped.\n\nLead bullets do.", "Weeelll rubber bullets require very careful placement to be unlethal, and sometimes they end up killing people anyway. In addition, to the best of my knowledge, there are no rubber bullets in handgun calibers, a...
the point of changing your network's password if it can be hacked anyway.	[ "What's the point of locking your door at night if someone can break it down or enter through the window anyways?\n\nWhy not leave your keys in the car if someone can break in and hotwire it anyways?\n\nIt's a deterrent. There's no point in a hacker to spend hours and hours trying to get into your home network when...
What do the two guys in the middle of the bobsled do?	[ "They contribute to the initial acceleration of the bobsled, and help steer by leaning.", "I realize this is late, but figured I'd elaborate for you all.\n\nThere are 2 major categories for bobsled brakemen. Strong guys and fast guys. Granted, all of the world class ones are both, but depending on their sports ...
Are the chewing sounds you hear while you're chewing magnified or what you actually sound like chewing?	[ "Not really amplified, but directly routed into your ears by your jawbone. While in contrast to third parties they get dampened by the meat around your mouth (i.e. cheeks and lips) ... so keep your pie hole shut while chewing.\n\nEDIT: also obviously the volume gets greatly reduced simply by distance, considering s...
Why are Japanese periods ( 。) different than English periods (.) --	[ "People are correct as to it being from Chinese. However, no one has really mentioned why. Chinese and Japanese were both originally written with brushes, not pens or quills. Thus, a circle was a more effective method of writing a full stop, since a period as we know of it could simply be an ink drop in the wrong p...
Do the eyes have a shutter speed?	[ "Imagine a spinning wheel getting faster and faster. At some point, it looks like it's suddenly reversed direction, spinning backwards, right? And then as it keeps on accelerating, it looks like the wheel is stopped. (Of course, the wheel is blurry, since it's going fast -- your brain interprets this as a spinning ...
Why is being anti-immigration considered racism	[ "Being anti-immigration, in and of itself, is not racist. \n\nHowever... there tends to be overlap. You don't hear a lot of people saying \"We should limit immigration because our infrastructure can't handle it,\" for example... but you get a lot of \"Those People are coming over to take our jobs\" and \"Those Peop...
What is "Cultural Marxism"?	[ "Understanding any Marxist idea through its definition is tricky. What it means in practice is that any social concept or policy is focused on issues emulating two of the core concepts of original Marxist thought i.e. (1)class struggle and (2)exploitation. Also very importantly in Marxist thought the solutio...
I understand "heat" but what creates "coldness"? What makes up the cold waves that I feel when I put my hand near an ice block?	[ "The temperature of the ice block affects the air around it.\n\nIt cools the air immediately around it, which makes it more dense, and thus heavier, and it falls to ground. When it does this, it displaces other air.\n\nMeanwhile, more hot air has taken the place of the cold air, which becomes cold and falls.\n\nThi...
How is a dead body disfigured after being submerged in water for a long period of time?	[ "Typically, bacteria in the water rots in the body and emits gases. The gases usually bloat the body quite large, making it disfigured and smelly.", "Any word picture we can give you is going to be a lot worse than if you just looked a photo or even read a report on a drowning. \r\rGenerally after a very long per...
How can you "feel" someone behind or near you?	[ "There's no special ability to detect people outside of your line of sight other than your normal senses. These may not always be immediately apparent to you, for instance you might hear a disturbance and turn to look and see a human. \n\nIt's also reasonable there's a degree of confirmation bias at work. If you th...
Were there more serial killers in the 20th century or did the media just pay more attention to them?	[ "Short answer is Yes.\n\nLonger answer is, not, really:\n\nWe're only 15 Years into the 21th Century, so, yes of course there were more Serial Killers in the entire 20th Centuryas opposed to the (Beginning of the) 21th. But that doesn't mean that there will be less serial killers coming in the next 85 Years." ]
How did people get their hands on the terrain we live on?	[ "Land used to be a free resource, just like air or sun light. When the first humans started traveling and settling around the world, they would pick grounds usually near rivers and settled there. Those grounds wouldn't belong to anybody as they would be the first ones there. After they've settled in and changed the...
How come smoking weed for me intensifies my pain rather than masks it like it does for other people?	[ "First off : you might simply be using the wrong strain. Different strains have (somewhat) different effects. It doesn't seem to be terribly clear cut - the genetics of sativa and indica strains have huge levels of crossovers, and are rarely exactly what they're claimed to be. But as a general rule look for an Indi...
Are there any disorders that involve an altered perception of the rate of time?	[ "[This might interest you.](_URL_0_)\n\nI know at the least some disorders cause you to \"lose\" time in the sense that you blacked out and can't remember what you did.\n\nI'm just adding useless text to my comment here because for some reason this sub thinks you cannot give a concise and meaningful answer. Must ha...
Why do some people like a certain taste/smell while others don't like it (or even hate it)?	[ "That's a product of education, upbringing, customs, flavors and food you are familiar with... Also perseverance. Have you hear that \"tonic water is an acquired taste\"? You have to keep drinking it until you taste other things that the initial bitterness and end up liking it.\n\nAnd there are certain tastes that ...
Body Parts falling asleep; lack of oxygen or blood pressure too high?	[ "> lack of oxygen or blood pressure too high?\n\nNeither.\n\nIt's caused by compression of nerves to/from the affected limb, effectively cutting off communication between the limb and the brain. The \"pins and needles\" feeling is caused by the sensory neurons restoring their electrochemical gradients once the pre...
I just had a full length dream about an insignificant person from school I talked to maybe once. Why is this? It's been 12 years	[ "I'm not an expert in Psychology, but this can be answered with basic fundamentals. We believe dreams are your brains way of catagorizing and storing memories. This could be anything throughout your life. Think of your dreams as a collage of memories. Take someone you met 20 years ago, add that to a volcano documen...
Why does the combination of cigarettes and coffee seem to be a natural laxative?	[ "Coffee (caffeine, specifically) is both a laxative and a diuretic, it doesn't just 'seem to be'.", "Because both on their own are natural laxatives. So.... Together they're extra powerful." ]
Why do we drop so much ordinance on targets? I know this sounds inhuman, but the ROI seems absurd after looking through combat footage. Shouldn't targets be eliminated in a more cost effective manner?	[ "Its cheaper to shoot twice and make sure they're gone than to shoot once and find out a week later that you have to send somebody else to go shoot them again.\n\nBombs and missiles are expensive, but they're not the only cost to be factored into such decisions. Launching another sortie because the first one was in...
Why is it so hard to find a free toilet in most European cities?	[ "I would guess probably to keep homeless people from sleeping inside or druggies from shooting up in the bathroom or trashing it. I'm not super knowledgable about this but to me it seems like they charge a small amount of money to ensure proper care for the facility because who would pay money to trash a bathroom."...
the emotion 'annoyed'	[ "It is a subtler form of anger, which is founded out of the desire for reality to be different from what it is (probably more complicated but thats the vernacular Ive heard)." ]
how does remembering a dream work? How does that fit with long term and short term memories?	[ "There is a part of your brain that tests reality. You are walking down the street and see a man with three arms, and that part says, \"whoa, that can't be right, let's take a closer look and figure that out.\" You do, it turns out to be two people standing at a funny angle, and all is well.\n\nWhen you dream, th...
What is the speed of electricity?	[ "The speed of a signal(charge) through the wire is extremely fast - between 60% and 99% of the speed of light, depending on the material the wire is made out of and its construction.\n\nThe physical speed of the electrons themselves is very slow - in range of milimaters per hour for DC. For AC, the electrons don't ...
In finance, what does it mean when an investment group "bets" on an outcome?	[ "A source would help, but I think I can be fairly certain that \"bet\" in this sense was just a euphemism.\n\nThat's all investing is, really. When you invest in something, you're taking a calculated risk that it will pay off. Nothing is certain. It isn't exactly gambling in the sense that the payouts are not up to...
How come when I sing along with a song I sound awesome but when you take away the vocal track I sound ridiculously horrible?	[ "I think your ears are blending the two voices. It also might be that you feel more confident in singing it with the vocals. Two things I do to tell how well I'm really doing: first, gradually decrease the volume of the song, but keep your singing voice the same. Second, take a finger and plug one ear while singing...
Bridge, Pinocle, Hearts, and other "bidding" type card games	[ "I've maybe played bridge or pinocle a couple times. I played Hearts and Spades quite a bit in college, however. The strategies of the two games are fundamentally opposite. In Hearts you want to lose \"tricks\" and in Spades you want to win \"tricks\". \n\nA trick is where everyone throws one card from their ha...
what does a military or terrorist organisation gain by shooting down a civilian plane and then denying it?	[ "Because they didn't intend to shoot down a civilian airliner. They thought they were shooting down a Ukrainian military transport aircraft.\n\nNo one has anything to gain from shooting down a bunch of civilians. That's why they are attempting to deny it.", "Imagine you are playing baseball in your backyard with ...
Whats the point in war?	[ "You have something I want. I shoot you and take it. That's robbery.\n\nYou and your 99 friends have something me and my 99 friends want. We shoot you and take it. That's war.", "To quote von Clausewitz, \"War is the continuation of politics by other means.\"\n\nIt's quite a broad stroke, but it does open the eye...
why is a lieutenant general Senior to a major general? It seems backwards because a major his senior to a lieutenant.	[ "The rank of Major General is a shortened title. Historically it was Sergeant-Major General. Somewhere along the way in the 18th century, the sergeant part of the name was dropped. It could easily have been the major part that was dropped and that would have made more sense.\n\nSergeant-Major means \"sergeant-leade...
Why do people in war movies always not seem to notice their excessive sweating	[ "Well I'd imagine there are greater worries than how much you are sweating such as surviving. And since many of these movies take place in hot climates they just got used to sweating heavily all the time.", "Also after living in 100+ degree heat and working in it for months at a time you get used to sweating. \nH...
In US TV and film why do people always seems to chew tablets	[ "It's cinema short hand for someone being a bad ass, or an addict depending on the situation. An addict may chew time release pills in order to get all of the high at once, and a bad ass might chew pills because they're too cool to suffer visibly but they're in severe pain and want the medicine to kick in now. Ad...
Why do different car engines need a different oil viscosity?	[ "Because oil need to penetrate very small niches inside engine. But size of these niches varies between different engines. Viscosity needs to be low enough to penetrate niche (not to stop at the edge) but high enough to stay inside and lubricate instead of just going through without much effect.", "The most commo...
How does a paint roller hold so much paint?	[ "It's literally a sponge, but for paint. The paint roller is full of tons of little holes (most you can't see) that the paint goes into. This is why most sponges (and paint rollers) are very squishy, they're mostly air." ]
Why Does Plucking My Eyebrows Make Me Sneeze?	[ "Plucking my eyebrows doesn't make me sneeze, but pulling out nose hairs does. I'm purely speculating, but I would imagine your body thinks there is a foreign object causing pain, and so your reflex is to get it out. A sneeze can be measured at 100mph/160kmh. So, a sneeze is pretty effective at removing what the bo...
The current fracturing of the Republican Party.	[ "The GOP currently has two main factions: the Tea Party and the Establishment. The Tea Party is a minority, but also represents a fairly large and well-funded faction. And they are large enough that the establishment Republicans can't simply ignore them.\n\nThere's also a lot of Establishment Republicans who are sy...
When getting a tattoo, how come the ink from the stencil or pen doesn't contaminate the skin?	[ "I have 6 tattoos from 4 different artists and have never seen anyone freehand with a sharpie on a person and tattoo on that." ]
Why does it seem like I have to change my deodorant brand every year or so to avoid body odor?	[ "The smell that emanates from your armpits is largely caused by the bacteria that makes its home there. Deodorants, in addition to smelling pleasant, discourage bacterial growth.\n\nOver time bacteria may grow resistant to some extent if you always use the same type of deodorant. Occasionally switching can help c...
What is the technology and strategies involved in developing and marketing a triple A game?	[ "Hop over to r/gamedev for a better answer. Almost everything can be found in their guides.\n\nOn the development side, there are 3 types of developers, Artists, Programmers and Designers. There are more roles(writers, Audio Engineers, etc) but lets focus on the main ones.\n\nStrategy wise: Artists develop what you...
How did we come to the conclusion about the number of days in the calendar? Why are some 30 and some 31? Why did they choose February as 29 or 28?	[ "It's an endless rabbit hole of a question, but the basic root is that the rate of rotation of the earth has nothing to do with the time it takes to go around the sun. So a year is not a nice round number of days (it is 365.2425 days long) and can't be neatly divided into a calendar. Some system is needed to correc...
What are differences between RAR vs. RAR5?	[ "Basically an added better encryption method and better compression but only for very large files" ]
Why can't I just eat gummy vitamins, protein supplements, iron supplements, etc. and survive?	[ "Apart from the supplements lacking many vital components that are found in actual food, the rate at which you absorb the vitamins and the rate at which the actual solids pass through your body do not allow for adequate intake of the nutrients. Eating just supplements and not any solid food will just give you very ...
How do boats like this stay afloat?	[ "Pretty sure the have hydrofoils on the fins, wich work like an airplane wing only with water. Essentially creating lift and allowing them to glide above the waves. It probably helps that the entire boat is made of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials.", "It's not witchcraft, but it's not really floating ...
Why in the United States, with the exception of soccer, are there not sponsors or advertisements on professional sports team's uniforms?	[ "Soccer is played without any breaks during either half. Because the clock never stops running, there is rarely an opportunity for television broadcasters to play commercials. Jersey sponsors are a way to earn revenue in spite of this constraint. \n\nAmerican Football, baseball, and basketball by contrast have many...
How come when I punch in my dreams, it feels like I am punching underwater?	[ "As answered [here](_URL_0_), \n\n > It's because punching (like running) is a highly-coordinated activity that relies on proprioceptive feedback throughout the motion to work. Since the thalamus clamps down both on the transmission of the motor signals you'd need to effectively complete the motion and the percept...
As an Australian, what do the words "middle class" v. "working class" mean in America?	[ "Kind of. There are really thee kinds of middle class: lower middle, middle, and upper middle. Lower middle is probably what you would call \"the working class.\" The middle class is a household with bachelor's degrees and what not (typically). They are the \"American dream\" families: the white-picket fence, 2 kid...
Why Japanese culture is really unique? (read : weird)	[ "Alright, so first of all, most of the things you see as weird about Japanese culture don't really occur too often.\n\nYou can reply to this with specific things if you like, and I will try my best to explain it. (Reference, I lived in Japan for a while).\n\nSome things people say are weird about Japan is stuff li...
Why are some instruments (presumably) harder to synthesize than others? Why do, say, MIDI pianos usually sound better than MIDI horns?	[ "Pianos make noise one way- by hitting a string with a hammer. You can control how hard or soft you press the key, but you can't change anything besides that. Brass instruments derive their sound from the vibrations of your lips, which have far more minute detail and control which is extremely complicated for a com...
If bruising is the body's way of protecting itself, why do we try to reduce swelling when treating an injured person?	[ "Bruising is not the body's way of protecting itself. A bruise is the result of a trauma that ruptures capillaries/blood vessels. The resulting swelling is blood \"leaking\" into the surrounding tissue.\n\nThe treatment for swelling is applying something cold to the bruised area. The cold causes blood vessels to...
What is UKIP and why is their victory so controversial?	[ "Basically they want withdrawal from the European Union, membership of which they say costs the UK £120bn per year.\n\nAlong with that they would remove EU fishing quotas, withdraw from the Common Agricultural Policy and enforce much tighter controls on immigration. \n\nBasically UKIP is seen as an isolationist and...
grand unified theory	[ "With things such as General and Special Relatively we can get really good explanations of macroscopic things. How a rock moves when you throw it, clouds of dust in space, planets and stars, giant superclusters of galaxies, we can all predict how they'll act with a very high degree of accuracy.\n\nWith the Standard...
What is the white foamy stuff when you put Hydrogen Peroxide on an infection and why does it become foamy?	[ "There are enzymes in your blood that attack the peroxide and turn it into water and oxygen. The bubbles are what that looks like. \n\nAs a sidenote, though, you should not put peroxide on wounds. It kills germs, but it kills everything else it touches, too, including healthy tissue. And since you have a cut yo...
Why wind speed on land is measured in mph while wind speed on the ocean is measured in kn(ots)	[ "Using knots as a measurement makes sense on the ocean. 1 knot is 1 nautical mile per hour. \n\n1 nautical mile also represents one minute of longitude at the equator. When sailing was easier to use knots to determine distance traveled when using a chart. One degree of longitude is 60 nautical miles at the equa...
why isn't inflation in America based on bread/sugar (past) and why is it based on things like price of iPad (present)?	[ "Well, it's based on all of those things. It's based on what the average consumer buys and then it's the percentage difference in price between each good. However each good has a weighting on how important they are, bread and sugar being more important than iPads. A rise in the price of bread and sugar leads to a g...
Why would someone want to buy a manual car over an automatic car other than for then reason of it "being fun" or feeling "like a race car"?	[ "A manual transmission is a ton of fun, there's no doubt about it. \n\nBut a very real, core reason for owning one is that you can better control the vehicle's speed and power to suit the sort of driving you are trying to do, in a way that computers haven't yet been designed to fully master.\n\nManuals also give ...
How do dogs smell/sense a persons they know without seeing them?	[ "Dogs also have really good hearing it could be anything from the particular sound of their car to the rustling of keys. Dogs are very good at recognizing certain patterns." ]
the OJ Simpson trial and why it was a big deal	[ "1. It involved a celebrity\n2. It involved a black man who was accused of murdering a white woman, lots of racial tension\n3. Despite overwhelming evidence, a team of very expensive lawyers were able manipulate a less competent prosecutor and judge, and allow their client to get away with murder\n4. Both before an...
What does it mean to 'take the 5th'?	[ "The American constitution codifies what rights the citizens of the country are entitled to. Written up in 1789, the Fifth Amendment of this constitution consists of the following:\n\n > No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand J...
Why are humans unable to consume raw meat such as poultry and beef without becoming sick but many animals are able to?	[ "* Humans can eat all food types raw - there is nothing \"wrong\" with our digestive system. You can eat veggies, meat, and fish raw but it carries the risk of you contracting a [foodborne illness](_URL_0_) (e.g. bacteria, parasite, or fungal contamination of food). The issue isn't the raw-ness per se, but rather t...
How do I set the office thermostats to make the most number of people happy?	[ "Set it cool to keep the men happy, hand out sweaters to the females.", "It's better to be too cold than too hot, since you can just put on another layer. Also, heat makes people sleepy." ]
What is the technical difference between home video, reality TV, TV drama, sitcoms and movie film?	[ "Home video is made by people showing other people they know or their own activities (like vacations), and is generally to be shown to only people they know.\n\nReality TV shows are TV shows that show people who aren't paid actors and who are not told what to say.\n\nTV drama shows people who aren't real. They are ...
Why power buttons on power strips say "off" and "reset" instead of "off" and "on"	[ "That is a surge protector, not just a power strip. Reset means \"reset the breaker\", like if too much power goes through it it'll turn off but if you flip it on and off again after fixing the power issue it'll come back on, instead of being just a fuse that breaks once and is dead." ]
Why doesn't the world have a global currency?	[ "This gets asked an awful lot - [please use the search function for a complete answer](_URL_0_).\n\nThe short version is it would involve relinquishing sovereignty, and we can't really get the entire world to agree on anything." ]
Why do certain foods like pancakes or cake icing taste amazing at first but quickly become disgusting after I've had a certain amount?	[ "Food scientists have found there is a \"bliss point\" at which food tastes the best. It's a particular amount of sugar and fat. If you consume it for a certain amount of time, then you'll become sated and not want any more. This is not good from the perspective of food companies, who want you to keep eating more ...
ELI'veonlyexperienced1season: How does the 4 seasons feel like?	[ "In New Jersey, our summers can get up to around 37C, and our winters can get to -17C. \n\nSpring and fall are basically the perfect temperatures (fall is a little chillier) but you're really only missing out on one season: winter. And you're not missing out.", "Winter is like taking the coldest shower of your ...
What's the difference between singing and speaking and are you actually producing a note when you speak?	[ "There is no difference. Singing is just speaking in a different pitch. If you look at languages where the pitch of the pronounciation affects the meaning (e.g. Chinese), the music in these languages have lyrics written in a way so that the spoken lyrics follows the song's progression. If you read these lyrics out ...
Why do my balls (crotch area) have a distinct smell to them?	[ "Bacteria multiplying with moisture retention, said bacteria creating odor as its trapped in hair follicles And friction from movement continuing to keep the conditions favorable for bacteria to thrive/ maintain comfortable existence. (Very oversimplified explanation though)." ]
Is it possible to become physically addicted to weed?	[ "No. Marijuana is not physically addictive, but it is possible to become psychologically addicted to it.", "Just to elaborate on /u/99999999999999999989 's answer, physical addiction means you will suffer noticeable physical symptoms when you withdraw, such as the tremors for alcohol addiction, or immense physic...
How can 0's and 1's tell different pieces of hardware in a computer to do certain things?	[ "1 and 0 correspond to \"voltage\" and \"no voltage\" on a hardware level. So, for example, when \"1001\" is stored in RAM, it's put in a bank of four capacitors, which go\n\n(voltage) (no voltage) (no voltage) (voltage)\n\nThe voltage (or lack thereof) can then be used to control transistors, which act like little...
Does an ad blocker prevent your bandwidth from being wasted on the ads?	[ "Normally, an ad blocker works by blacklisting certain domains, so that stuff embedded from them isn't even loaded. So yes, they do save bandwidth.", "Depends on the adblocker. As the other Redditor posted, many block the appropriate domains entirely, preventing anything from those sites loading in the first plac...
How in the fuck does manual driving work, and why is it considered better than automatic?	[ "* Good things about manual transmission:\n\nA manual transmission allows you to have more control.\n\n* Bad things about manual transmission:\n\nA manual transmission requires you to have more control.\n\nMore control is usually a good thing if you're driving a sports car. It can be a hassle if you're just driv...
How does a micro chip, which is seemingly just a bunch of metal and plastic, actually remember things and perform tasks?	[ "What all that metal and plastic make are a huge amount of transistors which are then used to make what are called logic gates. A logic gate takes two inputs (electrical currents) and produces one output. The two most basic logic gates are the \"and gate\" and the \"or gate\". With \"and\" if both inputs are tru...
What is happening in California that is causing such a lack of water?	[ "Basically: California gets its rainfall from the ocean. The ocean has been giving less, just as there is escalating demand for water from cities and agriculture. The ocean is providing less rain because of a persistent high pressure \"bar\" off the coast of California preventing rain clouds from forming. This high...

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