q_id
stringlengths
5
6
title
stringlengths
3
301
selftext
stringlengths
0
39.2k
document
stringclasses
1 value
subreddit
stringclasses
3 values
url
stringlengths
4
132
answers
dict
title_urls
list
selftext_urls
list
answers_urls
list
3uvtxs
How can a black hole be so much smaller than a neutron star? Aren't neutron stars already super dense and without orbitting electrons, so without any void between nucleons?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3uvtxs/how_can_a_black_hole_be_so_much_smaller_than_a/
{ "a_id": [ "cxi5ngr", "cxi7d68", "cxijnpp" ], "score": [ 2, 15, 6 ], "text": [ "black holes aren't actually compact objects built out of some form of matter. They are features or defects in the shape of spacetime. They don't have a massive nucleus, they are indeed empty throughout...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
109q4u
on a biological level, why do i feel compelled to check reddit or facebook whenever i sit down by a computer or walk into my room(where the computer is located.) bonus: how do i break this habit?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/109q4u/eli5_on_a_biological_level_why_do_i_feel/
{ "a_id": [ "c6blg1r", "c6blgww" ], "score": [ 2, 5 ], "text": [ "Maybe start by not posting any questions on Reddit? I feel your pain though...", "There isn't a biological aspect to that. You're talking about something that's purely behavioral.\n\nAnd you already answered your own que...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
2gtvhf
how does your ping, download speed, and upload speed come together to create your internet experience.
Currently I have 9 ping and 100 download/239 upload speeds. I don't understand why I still have to wait for some videos to buffer before watching them. My previous was set up was 1.5/14/5 yet it felt almost the same in terms of speed. Edit: I forgot the question mark in title
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2gtvhf/eli5how_does_your_ping_download_speed_and_upload/
{ "a_id": [ "ckmh4rz", "ckmhb7h", "ckmmmqs" ], "score": [ 4, 15, 11 ], "text": [ "Google limits the buffer length for videos, since a lot of people let videos buffer just to close the tab, which probably costs them a lot of money / bandwidth. On top of that, a lot of ISPs are throt...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
qyvre
What was the first time we were able to directly observe atoms?
(Asking you guys because you're much nicer than r/askscience :-)) Jean Baptiste Perrin was one of the first to observe atoms on some scale, by observing small gamboge particles random-walk movement. Still, however, I feel that Perrin wasn't really seeing atoms directly - just very small particles that were meant to re...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qyvre/what_was_the_first_time_we_were_able_to_directly/
{ "a_id": [ "c41k9l2", "c41l7xe", "c41sfms", "c41zabx" ], "score": [ 3, 5, 4, 3 ], "text": [ "It was in the early [1950s](_URL_0_). For a thorough explanation of the technique though you may need to locate a materials scientist.", "Well Perrin's work essentially proved...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_Probe" ], [], [], [] ]
2cqse6
What is the historical consensus on who was truly responsible for the Reichstag fire? Is there a consensus at all?
Specifically, I mean do is there a lot of disagreement and debate, or do historians largely agree on one particular interpretation of events? Is there anyone who argues that members of the Nazi party carried out setting the fire, either on Hitler's orders or of their own volition? Or is the narrative that the disgruntl...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2cqse6/what_is_the_historical_consensus_on_who_was_truly/
{ "a_id": [ "cjigzb3" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "The mainstream consensus is that van der Lubbe acted alone, but that it gave the Nazis a firmer pretext to move towards establishing a dictatorship; in other words, had the arson not happened, Hitler would still worked to establish a dictatorship...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n09/richard-j-evans/the-conspiracists" ] ]
200r8h
Our moon orbits around the Earth, the Earth around the Sun, and our Sun orbits the Milky Way. Is there a central object that our galaxy orbits around? If so, does that object orbit around anything else?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/200r8h/our_moon_orbits_around_the_earth_the_earth_around/
{ "a_id": [ "cfysca2", "cfyur0e" ], "score": [ 9, 2 ], "text": [ "The Milky Way is part of the Local Group of galaxies. Andromeda (aka M31) and the Milky Way are the two biggest galaxies in it and the center of mass lies in between them. We are not orbiting it per se, but are more on a col...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://online.kitp.ucsb.edu/download/milkyway08/vandermarel/pdf/VanderMarel_MilkyWay_KITP.pdf", "http://messier.seds.org/more/vir_loc.html" ], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barycentric_coordinates_%28astronomy%29" ] ]
3izku3
does having dark skin and/or a serious tan make the sun feel warmer?
Vegas
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3izku3/eli5_does_having_dark_skin_andor_a_serious_tan/
{ "a_id": [ "cul2atk" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Yes. The dark pigment absorbs light, meaning the energy stored in light is transformed into heat. " ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
aaxka7
Why do you have to remove the testicle when having testicular cancer?
Can they use radiation or the other kinds of treatment? Or do they fuck up the testicle anyways?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/aaxka7/why_do_you_have_to_remove_the_testicle_when/
{ "a_id": [ "ecwh88f", "ecxffwu" ], "score": [ 9, 2 ], "text": [ "So cancer cells spread and cause metastases. Once that has happened, the survival chances for the patient drop to abysmal figures. In cases where this hasn't happened yet, surgically removing the tumour is by far the best op...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
9zwqi5
What happens when I jump inside a space centrifuge?
Let's say it's a fairly low-acceleration centrifuge, so I'll be able to jump quite 'high'. I preserve angular momentum and velocity, but where do I land?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/9zwqi5/what_happens_when_i_jump_inside_a_space_centrifuge/
{ "a_id": [ "eacpy4f", "eacyho1" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "You would land most likely face first due to the rotation of the floor around your body as it floats during the jump. If you jump straight up head pointed at the center of rotation, your body still maintains its angular mome...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1d66ev
Does the 'ringing' in your ears actually produce sound?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1d66ev/does_the_ringing_in_your_ears_actually_produce/
{ "a_id": [ "c9neo13" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Actually, the above posters are sometimes wrong.\n\nThere are two types of tinnitus, subjective (most common) and objective.\n\nSubjective is usually caused by nerve damage, or trauma to the cochlea. But objective tinnitus on the other hand, is c...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://tinnitustreatment.org/objective-tinnitus-versus-subjective-tinnitus/" ] ]
17fnz0
Why do electrons orbit the nucleus? And why don't the molecules touch each other?
Why would electrons orbit around the atom's nucleus since they are oppositely charged, shouldn't the electrons move to nucleus? Also, when the molecules attract each other (van der waal) why don't they touch each other? What is the force that prevents them from touching? I think its the kinetic energy they have, so is...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/17fnz0/why_do_electrons_orbit_the_nucleus_and_why_dont/
{ "a_id": [ "c851kze", "c851mkp", "c851oqq", "c853ag6", "c853ega" ], "score": [ 20, 2, 2, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Electrons behave quantum-mechanically. In quantum mechanics, a particle has lower kinetic energy if it's more spread out in space. (and it cannot have exactl...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carver_Mead", "http://freespace.virgin.net/ch.thompson1/People/CarverMead.htm" ] ]
1rawdq
the way that credit works: from cards; to loans; to aprs
Please and thank you.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1rawdq/eli5_the_way_that_credit_works_from_cards_to/
{ "a_id": [ "cdlc02f" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "lets start with the basics.\n\na credit card is basically a standing agreement that you can be loaned X amount at any one time, and you can use it anywhere, and if you pay it off you can use it again. a loan is an agreement that you can borrow x...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
cxxa3p
How was coffee advertised to Europeans when they were first introduced to it? Were there any sensationalist/misleading claims about its effects?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cxxa3p/how_was_coffee_advertised_to_europeans_when_they/
{ "a_id": [ "eyr8239" ], "score": [ 13 ], "text": [ "The Europeans would have first learned about coffee from the texts of middle-eastern scholars who described the berries and their effects. In the beginning coffee was considered to be medicinal since the descriptions would be found in the works...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
78lnwg
why are so many diseases that were harmless to animals so dangerous when they first moved to people?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/78lnwg/eli5why_are_so_many_diseases_that_were_harmless/
{ "a_id": [ "doutvzy", "douu1fl", "dov7ekw" ], "score": [ 11, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "There are a many answers to this, and it varies by animal and disease-causing organism. I'll give a few basic ones, from which everything is derived:\n\n1. In many cases it can hurt them, but not as ba...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
1k2iob
how do teams qualify for the llws?
Huge baseball fan, currently watching the Little League World Series, can anyone give me a break down of how a club team qualifies to play at Williamsport? If you don't mind I'll make up a scenario, how would a club team from let's say Illinois make it to the LLWS?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1k2iob/eli5_how_do_teams_qualify_for_the_llws/
{ "a_id": [ "cbkp5zu" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Local little league affiliates (e.g. the Oak Park Little League Association) field an all-star team, who compete against local (I think it's called District) competition (say, Naperville, IL's team). If they win the district, they'd be invited to...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
3nwtxz
what exactly is "pure energy" as is often used in fiction/movies/comics/etc?
So often fiction references this ambiguous thing known as "pure energy". What exactly is its real world equivalent? Example: Marvel's The Avengers, the scene where they struggle to pierce the portal machine's force field with Loki's scepter. The pure energy referenced as what the force field is. Edit 1: Clarified th...
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3nwtxz/eli5_what_exactly_is_pure_energy_as_is_often_used/
{ "a_id": [ "cvryu9j", "cvs0ct6" ], "score": [ 4, 2 ], "text": [ "There is no real world equivalent. It's a made up concept that sounds exotic and powerful when they describe it in the movies, but doesn't actually mean anything.\n\nThe portal machine in Avengers acts as a type of wormhole ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
cezoth
Who decides who gets what frequencies on the radio? How far does someone “own” a certain frequency before another station can broadcast on it?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/cezoth/who_decides_who_gets_what_frequencies_on_the/
{ "a_id": [ "eu77ia9", "eu8xm32" ], "score": [ 9, 2 ], "text": [ "This isn't really a science question, but more a political one.\n\nRadio frequencies are controlled by the various national governments, typically through an agency focused on managing communications (in the US, this would b...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1cuo5c
How organized were the Barbarian societies of Antiquity? What advantages (other than numbers) did they have over the Romans?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1cuo5c/how_organized_were_the_barbarian_societies_of/
{ "a_id": [ "c9kbeeq" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "You really need to be more specific. The Romans (and Greeks) were pretty xenophobic (at least until late antiquity), and considered a great number of people to be \"barbarians.\" Are you talking about the North Africans? The Germans? The Britons?...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
5mnprp
why can phones make such a loud noise for an amber alert? why can't they normally go this loud?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5mnprp/eli5why_can_phones_make_such_a_loud_noise_for_an/
{ "a_id": [ "dc4xttn", "dc4zjhv", "dc4zm8c", "dc58mq4", "dc5cilv", "dc5e4xy", "dc5ewmp", "dc5ijbx", "dc5j5lr", "dc5j7m6", "dc5jdir", "dc5k1ab", "dc5upng" ], "score": [ 156, 204, 26, 53, 26, 32, 8, 11, 10, 11, 2, 6,...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
4c38dv
Demographics of the New Netherland colony in America: who went there and why?
So, in the "Apply for Flair" thread u/maxpowerer mentions he's an expert in these colonies. I've always been very interested in them, but don't actually know a thing about them. One thing I always wondered about: the Dutch Republic in the 17th century was not a very populous nation, but economically very prosperous w...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4c38dv/demographics_of_the_new_netherland_colony_in/
{ "a_id": [ "d1ikftw" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "In comparison to its English neighbors in Virginia and New England, the Dutch colony of New Netherland seemed to be a rather underpopulated stretch of the East Coast of North America. There certainly were far fewer Dutch settlers, and it was a re...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4bync2/new_netherlands_and_new_sweden_were/", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manor_of_Rensselaerswyck" ] ]
3h54st
D-Day: Axis Point of View
I am currently writing a research paper covering D-Day. As of now all of my information is coming from the Allied point of view. I would like to gather information on what the Axis forces were anticipating, and their actions during/immediately after the invasion to better understand the invasion as a whole. If you hav...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3h54st/dday_axis_point_of_view/
{ "a_id": [ "cu4brmf", "cu4d05f" ], "score": [ 10, 7 ], "text": [ "Hans von Luck's memoir *Panzer Commander* has some insight from his point of view as part of the forces trying to respond to D-Day. You have to be a little careful due to his desire to whitewash some things, but he is pret...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
5h72at
why does saying 'evening' or 'afternoon' to greet someone sound more formal than saying 'morning'?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5h72at/eli5_why_does_saying_evening_or_afternoon_to/
{ "a_id": [ "daxxcyg", "daxxhkw" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ "I think it's because \"morning\" is used almost always as a welcoming greeting rather than a departing greeting. Further to that, \"more\" in \"morning\" is an upward inflection rather than the downward inflections found in ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
7lxyuo
is "heat" basically just lower-frequency light?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7lxyuo/eli5_is_heat_basically_just_lowerfrequency_light/
{ "a_id": [ "drpv9we", "drpwhlv", "drpwl4m" ], "score": [ 12, 10, 53 ], "text": [ "Radiative heat, yes. For example, if you step out of the shadow into the sunlight and you immediately feel the warmth of the Sun, that's caused by radiative heat transfer in the form of light from th...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Wiens_law.svg/720px-Wiens_law.svg.png", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun" ], [ "https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=black+body+radiation&client=ms-android-hms-tef-gb&prmd=ivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahU...
92wx37
how does the rain censor on the windshield of a car work?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/92wx37/eli5_how_does_the_rain_censor_on_the_windshield/
{ "a_id": [ "e38z3zg" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It is a infrared led and a photo receptor angled so that the infrared light bounces from the windshield in a certain way, when a drop of water lands in the specific spot where both of them are it affects the way the light is reflected triggering ...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
bcvggg
if too much salt is considered bad for you, how do people in countries like japan and other asian countries stay so healthy when their food is so high in sodium?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bcvggg/eli5_if_too_much_salt_is_considered_bad_for_you/
{ "a_id": [ "ektrt0t", "ekts4or", "ektt96e", "ektvu2g", "ektvzuo", "eku8wab", "ekudhf8", "ekudree", "ekudsm0", "ekueoxj", "ekufw7x", "ekuil8j", "ekuiqps", "ekukday", "ekuksdl", "ekul0o5", "ekulhye", "ekum5rv", "ekumitk", "ekums96", "e...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180809202057.htm" ], [], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/c...
3d9hjt
How much command and control do generals have before the telegram and radio? Would their role in battle mostly be inspirational and "leading from the front" due to the impracticality of changing battle plans mid-battle?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3d9hjt/how_much_command_and_control_do_generals_have/
{ "a_id": [ "ct30orm", "ct3cdky" ], "score": [ 5, 3 ], "text": [ "My knowledge is only off of the Carolingians/Franks but the answer is that generals generally did not lead from the front. The Franks inherited a military tradition from the Romans through texts such as Vegetius’ *De Rei Mil...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
17dbsl
Since sound travels at different speeds depending on the medium, what's the fastest speed it could possibly reach?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/17dbsl/since_sound_travels_at_different_speeds_depending/
{ "a_id": [ "c84fxvl", "c84g38v", "c84lfl9" ], "score": [ 8, 180, 2 ], "text": [ "It is not the sound that dictates the speed, but rather the medium as you pointed out.\n\nSound moving through air is slower than sound moving though water, which is in turn slower than moving through...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.elcometer.com/en/component/productmanager/productmanager?prod=657" ], [], [] ]
5lmiax
Can you ionize atoms/molecules with a magnetic field if they have a very high velocity?
Since the valence electrons are both charged and moving, they should be pushed on by the Lorentz force, right? Wouldn't that ionize the atom if they were going fast enough in a strong enough magnetic field? Thanks, Freekinggeese
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/5lmiax/can_you_ionize_atomsmolecules_with_a_magnetic/
{ "a_id": [ "dbxmbqo" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Yes. This is similar to the [Hall effect](_URL_0_), though that deals with metals or ionized gases, and a cursory search on Wikipedia doesn't turn up any results for using this to ionize neutral atoms. \n\nHowever, one of the results of special r...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect" ] ]
ce6f34
why is concrete stuck to the bone when bodies that have not decomposed yet and are encased in concrete are found?
There should be nothing on the bones as there was flesh and skin so how is there bones found with concrete stuck on the bones.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ce6f34/eli5_why_is_concrete_stuck_to_the_bone_when/
{ "a_id": [ "etzm3g3", "eu1kulw" ], "score": [ 23, 3 ], "text": [ "I have never heard of this happening (a skeleton being bonded to concrete), but I've never looked into it, either. If it has happened, I would suspect it is due in large part to the fact that wet [concrete is caustic and ca...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.poison.org/articles/2016-jun/cement" ], [] ]
18xc8e
What is the earliest known empire
What empire is the earliest that we have found and what was it like?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/18xc8e/what_is_the_earliest_known_empire/
{ "a_id": [ "c8ivk1y" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "I'm not good at making detailed and sourced Reddit posts and this all comes from some notes I made last year while I studied Sargon, so with that in mind...\n\nFirst you need to consider what you mean by Empire, what is an empire?\nWe use the wor...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
21gtn6
how does a new president get brought up to speed on the information that a president should know?
A new president has been elected. How does he obtain the knowledge that he wasn't privy to before (as a governor, senator, etc.)? Is there someone that crosses administrations showing him the ropes? Does this happen starting day 1 in office, or does it begin well before inauguration?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/21gtn6/eli5_how_does_a_new_president_get_brought_up_to/
{ "a_id": [ "cgcwd07", "cgcwdsn", "cgcwe0j", "cgcweku", "cgcy3yy", "cgd1725", "cgd1o09", "cgd1u2m", "cgd2v5w", "cgd33bi", "cgd3ctk", "cgd3f9z", "cgd3knq", "cgd3lfh", "cgd3sz1", "cgd3wm0", "cgd3z9o", "cgd40f8", "cgd4uen", "cgd56yw", "c...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/getting-to-know-the-president/index.ht...
3xp9rc
how do programmers port their programs to different systems as a standalone app?
I've watched a bunch of videos and did a bit of google searching and reading about coding. It seems i'm not the only one wondering how programs become the real full blown programs they are. People on coding forums ask all the time about how to make their compiled programs completely standalone and how they can port tho...
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3xp9rc/eli5_how_do_programmers_port_their_programs_to/
{ "a_id": [ "cy6k1qe", "cy6opo3" ], "score": [ 3, 7 ], "text": [ "Compile it for windows/OSX, bundle all the dlls and resources with the exe and you are set.\nFor C/C++ you'll always have to compile specifically for your target platform. Java runs on a VM so as long as there is one on the ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1z615z
Does a laser bouncing off a mirror interfere with itself or make fringe patterns?
Say you have a 1mm wide laser beam hitting a mirror at 45degrees to send it on a 90degree angle. In the small volume where the reflected beam intersects in the incoming beam, does it interfere with itself? Would there be a tiny fringe pattern in there?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1z615z/does_a_laser_bouncing_off_a_mirror_interfere_with/
{ "a_id": [ "cfqzo9f", "cfr4nua" ], "score": [ 5, 3 ], "text": [ "Generally, a reflected laser beam *will* interfere with itself. As to the interference fringes: That depends on the wavelength and probably the properties of the mirror as well. However, you will only be able to \"see\" (det...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
8hucoz
did japan sign the geneva convention during world war 2 or before ww2?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8hucoz/did_japan_sign_the_geneva_convention_during_world/
{ "a_id": [ "dyn2c3b" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "[In this answer](_URL_0_) I address the Geneva Convention regarding Japan and the USSR. The short answer is that they did sign the Convention, but didn't *ratify* it, for several reasons which I detail in the linked response." ] }
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7fy0q4/what_were_the_reasonings_behind_soviet_union_and/dqfuadw/" ] ]
3jus5y
Hammurabi's Code
What types of punishments are there in the Babylonian king Hammurabi's code? Death, for example, was one type of punishment. What are others?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3jus5y/hammurabis_code/
{ "a_id": [ "cusouih" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Hammurabi's Code is fairly concise, there are 282 laws, all of which are very short (certainly by today's standards).\n\nYou can read the whole thing in a few minutes [here.](_URL_0_)\n\nTo answer your question: Mostly death and financial or prop...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp" ] ]
2chmjm
why isn't murder by injecting someone with an empty syringe more common?
Since it would just lead to a heart attack (as far as I understand), wouldn't it be very difficult to get caught?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2chmjm/eli5_why_isnt_murder_by_injecting_someone_with_an/
{ "a_id": [ "cjfk6cq", "cjfk73f", "cjfn2zb" ], "score": [ 3, 7, 2 ], "text": [ "Because you need a lot of air.\n\nAs far as I remember, you need more than 100mL of air ([The second one from the left is a 60mL syringe](_URL_0_)) injected at over a 100mL per second for it to have a c...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/892194/8921963/0/1241593287/Syringe.jpg" ], [], [] ]
7ua3wr
How common are illnesses such as the cold or the flu in other animals? and if they aren't common, why?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/7ua3wr/how_common_are_illnesses_such_as_the_cold_or_the/
{ "a_id": [ "dtitqvo", "dtiu26j", "dtiur66", "dtiyjwf", "dtizmut", "dtj43r3", "dtj4okf", "dtj60mh", "dtj7lq9", "dtjal53", "dtjaxq5", "dtjb6sb", "dtjccrk", "dtjcrew", "dtjfcp5", "dtjjj5p", "dtjktol", "dtjpk54", "dtjubat", "dtjwa9e", "d...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/bats-really-do-harbor-more-dangerous-viruses-other-species", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza#In_domestic_animals" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
8d2y04
How did the first “lightyear” measurement get introduced and who introduced it?
[deleted]
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8d2y04/how_did_the_first_lightyear_measurement_get/
{ "a_id": [ "dxkmnbz" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "As defined by the IAU, the light-year is the product of the Julian year (365.25 days as opposed to the 365.2425-day Gregorian year) and the speed of light (299792458 m/s). Both these values are included in the IAU (1976) System of Astronomical Co...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
8tstg0
what keeps earth from falling into the sun?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8tstg0/eli5_what_keeps_earth_from_falling_into_the_sun/
{ "a_id": [ "e19wxiw" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Earth is being attracted more and more to the Sun! We're constantly accelerating towards the Sun at a rate of 5.9mm/s^2 (according to google), causing tides half as strong as the ones caused by the Moon, and we actually do get a bit closer during...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
1y3aqc
Salt is used to melt snow on roads. But in the Olympics in Sochi right now they are using salt to harden snow and keep it from melting. How is this contradiction possible?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1y3aqc/salt_is_used_to_melt_snow_on_roads_but_in_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cfh2eht", "cfh7zyu", "cfh8la2", "cfhadq9", "cfhb1yx", "cfhbiwu", "cfhca6o", "cfhd8z2", "cfhevms", "cfhf0jv", "cfhgbxq", "cfiaccg" ], "score": [ 269, 29, 806, 10, 5, 2, 25, 9, 3, 4, 3, 2 ], "text": [ ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/sports/olympics/emergency-shipment-of-salt-averts-olympic-crisis.html?hp&_r=0" ], [], [], [], [], [] ]
l7eh9
2 x Tesla: 1) How feasible and safe are Tesla's ideas for wireless electricity? 2) How much truth is into that particle beam weapon?
I already knew a lot of stuff about Tesla but I just watched a documentary about him and I got interested in his work again. Halfway through the "documentary" I saw that it was mostly conspiracy stuff about HAARP and particle beam satellites, concealed as part of Tesla's mysterious life story. Now seriously, regardi...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/l7eh9/2_x_tesla_1_how_feasible_and_safe_are_teslas/
{ "a_id": [ "c2qdpmm", "c2qdwqi", "c2qesgu", "c2qfy6t", "c2qg5si", "c2qg86f", "c2qdpmm", "c2qdwqi", "c2qesgu", "c2qfy6t", "c2qg5si", "c2qg86f" ], "score": [ 9, 14, 2, 4, 8, 2, 9, 14, 2, 4, 8, 2 ], "text": [ "To...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.danicar.org/2007/05/09/the-power-of-the-future-top-5-inventions-of-nikola-tesla/" ], [ "http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1920-02.jpg.html" ], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgBYQh4zC2Y" ], [], []...
2ct2l0
what are 4 dimensional stars?
Saw this article _URL_0_, but I have no idea what a 4 dimensional star actually is.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2ct2l0/eli5_what_are_4_dimensional_stars/
{ "a_id": [ "cjipsq2" ], "score": [ 28 ], "text": [ "The 4D star is a star in another dimensional plain. When our stars collapse, they create a blackhole. They are saying the collapsing of 4D star may have developed our universe, instead of the Big Bang.\n\nThe best way to explain 4D is through th...
[]
[ "http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/physics/collapsing-4-d-star-could-have-spawned-universe/" ]
[ [] ]
5nxyra
the chronology of the universe
More specifically all the (or the most important) events starting from the big bang leading up to today.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5nxyra/eli5_the_chronology_of_the_universe/
{ "a_id": [ "dcf442q" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "13.8 Billions years ago : Big Bang\n\n12.8 Billiosn years ago : First galaxies formed\n\n11 Billions years ago : Milky Way formed\n\n4.5 Billions years ago : Solar System formed (earth formed not long after that)\n\n4.1 Billions years ago : Oldes...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
3j5bgh
if banning guns in the u.s. would create a huge black market for guns, why doesn't the uk seem to have this problem?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3j5bgh/eli5_if_banning_guns_in_the_us_would_create_a/
{ "a_id": [ "cumegnj" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "The UK didn't have more guns than people when they banned guns. There's too many guns currently owned by private citizens and not registered with the government for a ban to be effective." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
f78t66
what is difference between the pressure under water and air pressure? what is more dangerous?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/f78t66/eli5_what_is_difference_between_the_pressure/
{ "a_id": [ "fi9r4tf", "fi9rjmz", "fi9rp3s" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "I think you'd have to elaborate on that. What do you mean by dangerous?\n\nWater pressure is about 1 bar per 10 m or 33feet. On the surface at 0 m you have 1 bar surface/air pressure which will decrease...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
5a07vz
what is the pal sun nyo, the recently unveiled korean conspiracy?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5a07vz/eli5what_is_the_pal_sun_nyo_the_recently_unveiled/
{ "a_id": [ "d9cpdjz" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Pal Sun Nyo started as a group of 15 or so individuals early 19th century Korea. They were mostly farmers and herders establishing a social conservative club. In those days Korea, was under heavy influence from chi-gon lee, who's grasp land owne...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
2p354k
how can the grand canyon be 18 miles wide in some areas when it was only carved up by water?
Does this mean the Colorado River was once 18 miles wide in parts?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2p354k/eli5_how_can_the_grand_canyon_be_18_miles_wide_in/
{ "a_id": [ "cmswaet" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "It's like this, It starts off with the small 10 foot river, slowly over time that gets deeper. The deeper that goes the more potential wind erosion.\n\nThink of it like dragging your finger through the sand. At first you make a fine line, then as...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
8bh3g0
what weather patterns are causing the us midwest to have such cold weather lately?
Literally feels like Spring will never come. Trees have no leaves, lots of stuff seems way behind schedule due to the cold. It snows weekly still. I'm in Ohio and this feels abnormal. Just wondering what's causing it.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8bh3g0/eli5_what_weather_patterns_are_causing_the_us/
{ "a_id": [ "dx6lzfr" ], "score": [ 20 ], "text": [ "Global warming causing the polar vortex to split and spread south. The North Pole is getting rushed with warm air causing the cold air to move South. We have satellite imagery to prove this." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
1yzu4x
can you use a vacuum in space?
Can one use a vacuum in space? If so what components would be captured in it?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1yzu4x/eli5_can_you_use_a_vacuum_in_space/
{ "a_id": [ "cfp7k61", "cfpukqz" ], "score": [ 16, 2 ], "text": [ "I'm assuming you mean a vacuum cleaner? If that's what you mean, then no, you can't. Or rather, you can, but it won't work. \nA vacuum cleaner works by creating a pressure difference in the air great enough to suck that ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
35f8qf
Can anyone recommend a good documentary about the norse mythology?
I'm not really interested in the life/history of vikings, I'm searching for a comprehensive overview of their mythology. Thx!
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/35f8qf/can_anyone_recommend_a_good_documentary_about_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cr44e9i", "cr45e03" ], "score": [ 5, 11 ], "text": [ "Not answering your question per se -- I unfortunately know of no good documentaries about the Vikings -- but Jackson Crawford, a PhD in Scandinavian Studies who recently published a translation of the Poetic Edda, was on Re...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/32603s/iama_vikings_expert_who_just_published_a_new/" ], [ "http://www.cornell.edu/video/playlist/the-viking-mind", "http://www.arkeologi.uu.se/Forskning/Forskningspresentationer/neil-price" ] ]
4govvd
why does a microwave cook things unevenly?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4govvd/eli5_why_does_a_microwave_cook_things_unevenly/
{ "a_id": [ "d2je9k0", "d2jjts9" ], "score": [ 18, 2 ], "text": [ "The waves bounce around inside the machine and this makes a pattern. Places where the waves overlap get more heat, places where they don't get less. \n\nYou can visualize the pattern by placing certain foods inside _URL_0_...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/microwave-oven-diagnostics-with-indian-snack-food/" ], [] ]
2sr10s
why do we perceive light sources to have lines sticking out of them?
Like in this picture: _URL_0_
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2sr10s/eli5_why_do_we_perceive_light_sources_to_have/
{ "a_id": [ "cns2dcr", "cns2g01" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "It is because when light passes through our eyes it is distorted around little cracks called suture lines. These cracks are slightly different for every eye, so you see the \"sticks\" coming out of light sources a little dif...
[]
[ "http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/potw1452a.jpg" ]
[ [], [ "http://www.dragndropbuilder.com/uploads/2/7/3/8/2738448/2456839.jpg?505", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVAKFJ8VVp4" ] ]
dqtss9
How do tablets get dispersed into our body?
So tablets that require oral ingestion. We swallow, they hit our stomach and dissolve and go into the blood stream but actually how? Surely our stomach acid would melt everything down before it can be useful especially in such tiny pills etc so how does it actually work?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/dqtss9/how_do_tablets_get_dispersed_into_our_body/
{ "a_id": [ "f6cm10y", "f6dsqar" ], "score": [ 4, 9 ], "text": [ "I'll tell you what I know.Most of the times,these tablets are coated with a gastric acid resistant coating which breaks down more commonly in the small intestine.The drugs are usually not absorbed in the stomach to that exte...
[]
[]
[ [ "guess.It" ], [] ]
4cixxs
Do nerve endings spread further apart when a the surface area is increased (weight gain), or are new endings created to cover the voids?
After an interesting discussion on nipples with some friends, we discovered that one of us was on the understanding that as our body grows, nerve endings spread out. so for example, the bigger the nipple is, the less sensitive that it would become. This has brought a conversation forward where we are curious to know...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/4cixxs/do_nerve_endings_spread_further_apart_when_a_the/
{ "a_id": [ "d1iy9qb", "d1jwvus" ], "score": [ 4, 2 ], "text": [ "From what I understand, you always have the same amount of nerve endings, and two different women usually have roughly the same amount of nerve endings in their breasts.\n\nApparently women with smaller breasts have signific...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_receptor" ] ]
1mokox
how does nearly every new automobile advertised wins some type of award or fantastic rating?
every car advertised has a best in class or some award/rating/stars/blah blah why is this does every 2013 car made this year have some type of award whats the point
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1mokox/eli5_how_does_nearly_every_new_automobile/
{ "a_id": [ "ccb58zn", "ccbhhut" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "*Ratings* are easy to get (relatively speaking). All you have to do is meet a certain list of criteria (e.g.: safety features, crush resistance, etc) and *every* car could get a 5-Star rating. There is no cap on the number o...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
cl0cqx
One of the most interesting subjects of the immediate Post-WWII world is Operation Unthinkable which was the Allied battle plan to invade Soviet Occupied Eastern Europe, but did the USSR have a similar plan at all to invade Allied occupied Western Europe?
If so, how much support did it have within the Red Army? Is there any info on Stalin's thoughts on such a plan?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cl0cqx/one_of_the_most_interesting_subjects_of_the/
{ "a_id": [ "evsko11" ], "score": [ 199 ], "text": [ "In so far as we know today, the answer is no. The Warsaw Pact did not have a plan for the invasion of Western Europe in the years immediately following WW2. There is of course a possibility that such a plan existed and might still exist in some...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.nato.int/cps/fr/natohq/declassified\\_138256.htm", "https://www.nato.int/cps/fr/natohq/declassified_138256.htm" ] ]
3mntgh
can north korea be converted from a totalitarian state into a democratic state by any means? and how?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3mntgh/eli5_can_north_korea_be_converted_from_a/
{ "a_id": [ "cvgl24i", "cvglgvl", "cvgmyqr" ], "score": [ 7, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Yes. But it won't happen overnight. Parts of the former DDR are still not economically recovered . Berlin has gone bankrupt 2 or 3 times trying to fix infrastructure issues. If tomorrow Korea was un...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
1qupiv
What, if any, vestigial elements from the Hippie/ Summer of Love movement are still prevalent in modern society today?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1qupiv/what_if_any_vestigial_elements_from_the_hippie/
{ "a_id": [ "cdgrni8" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "This may be better suited for /r/AskSocialScience, as discussing current events is not permitted here. \n > To discourage off-topic discussions of current events, questions, answers and all other comments must be confined to events that happened...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
2qm2sj
What are the most important history books published in 2014?
I hope this sort of question is allowed. Apologies if it isn't.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2qm2sj/what_are_the_most_important_history_books/
{ "a_id": [ "cn7clpi", "cn7d2bd", "cn7fpso", "cn7kx4x", "cn7pgv6", "cn7wfki" ], "score": [ 41, 68, 33, 9, 9, 6 ], "text": [ "Hi! I'm allowing this thread, as it falls under the rubric of historiography. I would ask anyone replying to post a real bibliographi...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/shortlist-2014-cundill-prize-historical-literature-239200" ], [ "http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/kennewick-man-finally-freed-share-his-secrets-180952462/?no-ist", "https://books.google.com/books?id=spmOBAAAQBAJ&dq=books+kenne...
258b5u
why do my cock and balls seem to be acquiring an increasingly healthy tan as i get older, despite their very limited exposure to daylight?
I tried the search bar and found no answer. It is generally held that a mans manhood gets darker as he ages. Why?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/258b5u/eli5_why_do_my_cock_and_balls_seem_to_be/
{ "a_id": [ "cheo1o1", "cheoo8e", "cheqzqn", "cher8kk", "chescuk", "chf3pyu" ], "score": [ 5, 9, 2, 6, 5, 2 ], "text": [ "Vaginas must be tanning beds.", "No seriously. \nSomeone smart please answer this. \nWhy is my genital skin darker than most all of ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v109/n4/abs/5610049a.html" ], [], [] ]
dfz9q6
Theoretically, would it be possible to get 'behind' a black hole?
I was thinking about this last night, but in the movie Interstellar, the black hole Gargantua is portrayed with an accretion disk that is pulled into the black hole, but apparently only in the front, as the disk is warped and sucked into what almost seemed like a degrading orbit as the light and matter is pulled in. Th...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/dfz9q6/theoretically_would_it_be_possible_to_get_behind/
{ "a_id": [ "f37aefv", "f37p93h", "f37sgrz", "f39xh0q" ], "score": [ 34, 19, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "There's no \"front\" or \"back\" (in the absence of movie cameras). The black hole looks the same from either direction.", "This is like saying \n\n\"If you're in space, can...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
1rbqek
When and why did the popular depictions of the Devil and Hell change?
I am specifically referring to the depiction of Hell as cold and the Devil as blue, such as in Dante's Inferno and Codex Gigas, and the more modern depiction of a red Devil ruling a fiery domain.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1rbqek/when_and_why_did_the_popular_depictions_of_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cdlp0gf", "cdlsshk" ], "score": [ 9, 3 ], "text": [ "Though I can't answer the whole question, I'd like to point out that the Inferno doesn't depict Hell itself as cold -- only the lake in which traitors are submerged. Satan's in this area because his crime was betraying God. ...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209:43;&version=NIV" ] ]
czyoa0
how do the gears on a bicycle allow me to go faster than if i was expending the same amount of energy running?
I've gathered that they’re generating more force and not energy (from a few google searches), but I still can’t get my head around it and need it explained like I’m a small child. Thanks.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/czyoa0/eli5_how_do_the_gears_on_a_bicycle_allow_me_to_go/
{ "a_id": [ "ez3zi0p", "ez3zx2k", "ez41gdj", "ez4eemu" ], "score": [ 77, 5, 17, 3 ], "text": [ "You ever try just *throwing* a tennis ball for the dog as hard as you can, and it goes pretty far? But then you buy one of those ball yeeters and you throttle that sombitch and i...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
w6ikr
Does the Higgs Field explain why objects become more massive as they approach the speed of light, a la relativity?
I was just thinking that since the Higgs Boson is an excitation of the Higgs Field, which particles interact with by moving through, it may be possible to explain the increase in mass of moving objects, as described by relativity, as the objects "exciting" more Higgs Bosons out of the field and gaining mass as a result...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/w6ikr/does_the_higgs_field_explain_why_objects_become/
{ "a_id": [ "c5aora9" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "No, things don't actually increase in mass as they approach the speed of light. That's an old and incorrect way of teaching things. What actually happens is they gain more momentum than one would naively expect.\n\nBut it doesn't have anything to...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
c8i3az
why is it lightbulbs have to be replaced every so often but seemingly small lights (like those that indicate a tv is off/on) can last for 10 years or more?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c8i3az/eli5_why_is_it_lightbulbs_have_to_be_replaced/
{ "a_id": [ "esmz5lg", "esmz9dh", "esmzkd1" ], "score": [ 12, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Older light bulbs are incandescent lights. They make light by heating a small metal filament with electricity. Over time that filament wears out and eventually breaks.\n\nSmall lights like the power li...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
5qwfhb
How were carnivorous plants able to evolve as they did?
Let me preface this question by saying I have always been a firm believer of evolution. However, I've puzzled over many strange results of evolution and how they got to be where they are. Carnivorous plants are one example. How can a plant GRADUALLY evolve the ability to trap insects and absorb them without use of its ...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/5qwfhb/how_were_carnivorous_plants_able_to_evolve_as/
{ "a_id": [ "dd2p0a2", "dd2vofj", "dd346k9", "dd38kn6", "dd3cjqw", "dd3cvb9", "dd3e162", "dd3i0s0", "dd3i886", "dd3qbkw", "dd3sdzi" ], "score": [ 1481, 189, 57, 7, 14, 2, 5, 2, 4, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "These plants are us...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica" ], [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIeYPHCJ1B8" ], [ "http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/05/how-venus-flytrap-got-its-taste-meat", "http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=3937" ], [], [ "http://da...
q31yh
Can energy exist without matter?
Is energy just a measurement that we constructed to view how matter interacts, or is it something else?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/q31yh/can_energy_exist_without_matter/
{ "a_id": [ "c3ucd25", "c3ucuvx", "c3udnz7" ], "score": [ 5, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Energy is a conserved quantity analogous to charge or momentum. Think about it as compared to charge. Some particles, like electrons and protons, carry charge, and in a closed system the total amount ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_energy" ] ]
j38c0
can someone explain how a asteroid or a large rock generates the equivalent of a bomb when it hits earth ?
Thanks for the answers everyone, it was very informative !
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j38c0/can_someone_explain_how_a_asteroid_or_a_large/
{ "a_id": [ "c28ra51" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "Take a fist and slam it into a sandbox. Feel how the motion of your hand is quickly stopped and sand flies everywhere?\n\nYou moving hand has Kinetic energy (think of Kinetic to mean 'moving'). When your fist hits the sand, the energy doesn't j...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
88k65h
how do our pupils know when to dilate?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/88k65h/eli5_how_do_our_pupils_know_when_to_dilate/
{ "a_id": [ "dwl6mh0" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Our pupils are fed information by a light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eyeballs which is referred to as the \"retina\". When there is little light striking the retina the pupils are allowed to relax to let in more light." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
5slhjc
As Francisco Franco's successor, what were the reasons that Juan Carlos I chose to move Spain down the path of democratic reform, instead of continuing authoritarian Francoist policies?
In restoring Juan Carlos I to the monarchy instead of his father Juan de Borbon, Franco must have had some reason to believe that Juan Carlos would continue his legacy. Why did that not end up being the case?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5slhjc/as_francisco_francos_successor_what_were_the/
{ "a_id": [ "ddgkt3q", "ddirxh8" ], "score": [ 24, 2 ], "text": [ "Franco led an uninterrupted run of nasty (technical historian's term) until his death (November, 1975). After his death, there was a long, bloody struggle between remnants of fascism, the military, and pro-democracy advoca...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.princeton.edu/~pcwcr/reports/spain1978.html", "https://www.historytoday.com/helen-graham/coming-terms-past-spain%E2%80%99s-memory-wars" ], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4tdpth/why_didnt_spain_keep_its_republic_like_portugal/" ] ]
4t678i
how do heat resistant gloves work? (ex: ove glove)
I just bought an Ove Glove knock-off and I can't figure out why it works. I'm pretty sure it is not the thin silicone texture on the outer surface, so I'm guessing the technology is in the fabric. Can some one explain this?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4t678i/eli5_how_do_heat_resistant_gloves_work_ex_ove/
{ "a_id": [ "d5evwzv" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "It's made of a heat resistant fabric called Nomex, with Kevlar woven in. The silicone is primarily for grippiness." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
e57h4n
What is fascism?
I hear people describe things they don't like as "fascist" a lot. But I feel like it's often used as a general insult against people, ideas, or organizations the user dislikes, rather than actually making an informed comparison to historical governments. I know that, historically, Mussolini's Italy, Nazi Germany, and...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/e57h4n/what_is_fascism/
{ "a_id": [ "f9iesv5", "f9indce", "f9jruv6", "f9pbeuk" ], "score": [ 931, 181, 617, 64 ], "text": [ "There is always something more to be said, but this [wonderful answer](_URL_0_) from 2014 by /u/depanneur could be of use. Of course, not all of your subquestions are addres...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/22ox1w/what_is_fascism/cgoz902/" ], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/e5gyeq/how_useful_is_leon_trotksys_analysis_of_the_class/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf", "https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/...
lb27x
Why can't I remember anything before age 5, but my 3 year old kid can remember things from last year?
A local farm has a "fall festival" every year with a corn maze. We went last year, when she was two. This year, we went again. When I suggested going through the corn maze, my daughter systematically recalled some of the sights along the maze, including giant playing cards and a dark room full of disorienting spinning ...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/lb27x/why_cant_i_remember_anything_before_age_5_but_my/
{ "a_id": [ "c2r821z", "c2r86lc", "c2r821z", "c2r86lc" ], "score": [ 4, 6, 4, 6 ], "text": [ "I'll have to find the source, but I do remember an article that somewhat dealt with this. (Might have been a Radiolab episode though.) The major changes the occur in us that allo...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_amnesia" ], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_amnesia" ] ]
18acos
what were marx and engels' thoughts on women's rights?
I'm reading *The Communist Manifesto* and I'm picking up that these two are not a fan of the bourgeois establishment of marriage, but can anyone give me a clearer idea of where women stood in their evaluation of society?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/18acos/eli5_what_were_marx_and_engels_thoughts_on_womens/
{ "a_id": [ "c8d13ut" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Marx and Engels thought that women's rights were really just part of the same struggle against capitalism. That is, they thought that all the *violations* of women's rights were caused by greedy people only trying to make more money. In their hyp...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
b23vwk
If the strong nuclear force only acts at an extremely close range, what's preventing the electromagnetic force from repelling everything away from us?
Might not understand enough on this but what I know so far, is that until you manage to move a particle fast enough to breach the energy barrier, the electro-magnetic force will be greater than the strong nuclear force. If this is the case, than how aren't most things (if not everything) being repelled from myself and ...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b23vwk/if_the_strong_nuclear_force_only_acts_at_an/
{ "a_id": [ "eiq497t", "eiqwbf3" ], "score": [ 26, 2 ], "text": [ "Why would they be? The electromagnetic force is not purely repulsive. If you have two atoms interacting, each atom is neutrally charged, but because they’re made of charged particles, they can have dipole moments induced in...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
c03tpv
why is it easier to eat more food if it is delicious?
I’m eating chicken biryani right now and I ate twice the amount of rice than my mother usually gives me. Why does appetite depend on taste?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c03tpv/eli5_why_is_it_easier_to_eat_more_food_if_it_is/
{ "a_id": [ "er0o4m7" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "Your brain decides non-tasty food is not food so it tries to get you to not eat it. It’s a survival mechanism." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
686h4y
Was the veil - for women - invented by early Muslims in Muhammed's time and region, or was it already popular, and merely adopted by Islam?
I know there is some scripture indicating that Mohammed's wives began wearing some kind of veil during his lifetime, but I wonder if that is apocryphal. Seems possible women were already wearing some form of veil in that time and place.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/686h4y/was_the_veil_for_women_invented_by_early_muslims/
{ "a_id": [ "dgw5sbg" ], "score": [ 13 ], "text": [ "Hey! Leila Ahmed wrote a great book, *Women and Gender in Islam*, and dedicates quite a lot of it to the subject of the veil. This is the primary reference that I'll be referring to for this post. I'll try and give a rough overview of how the ...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://quran.com/33/59", "https://quran.com/33/54" ] ]
59xtea
why are totalitarian regimes like china and saudi arabia admitted seat on the human rights council?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/59xtea/eli5_why_are_totalitarian_regimes_like_china_and/
{ "a_id": [ "d9c7wc6", "d9c8t7o", "d9co07f" ], "score": [ 14, 5, 4 ], "text": [ "The member states are elected. There are 47 member states. Enough of them voted for Saudi Arabia and China for them to be elected. China is one of the most powerful countries in the world and has ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
4tljug
Were there classical musicians/composers that were considered too musically progressive for their time?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4tljug/were_there_classical_musicianscomposers_that_were/
{ "a_id": [ "d5ibw5q" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "I'll consider classical to mean \"Western Concert Music\" and not exclusively 1740-1820ish, but the answer is the same for the so called Classical period: Yes, certainly. \n\nSome examples:\n\nIn the early 17th century Giovanni Artusi was complai...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qWPCoayhjY" ] ]
5l86ri
what makes ivory different than normal bone and why is it so valuable?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5l86ri/eli5_what_makes_ivory_different_than_normal_bone/
{ "a_id": [ "dbtozv4" ], "score": [ 18 ], "text": [ "Ivory is mammal tooth. It is primarily made of dentine.\n\nElephants have very large tusks (teeth) so were one of the only sources of very large pieces of ivory, since most teeth are quite small and even large tusks on many animals still are bas...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
2er99w
Why and when did the book become more popular than the scroll in Europe?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2er99w/why_and_when_did_the_book_become_more_popular/
{ "a_id": [ "ck2bf2i" ], "score": [ 14 ], "text": [ "The switchover was in the 2nd to the 4th centuries. It was a double switchover: scroll to codex, but also papyrus to parchment. The Romans had been using wooden notebooks for a long time previously, which they called *codices*, and there are ref...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
1dsaer
Are there any places in the world that were hospitable to humans (in terms of terrain, climate, etc.) but were uninhabited at the time of the Age of Exploration?
The Age of Exploration is thought of as this time when humanity discovered all sorts of newfound places, but of course all of these places (Americas, Australia, East Asia) already by that point had their own populations that were just separate from the European powers that supposedly "discovered" them. Are there any pl...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1dsaer/are_there_any_places_in_the_world_that_were/
{ "a_id": [ "c9td3it", "c9te20g", "c9tgbem", "c9tnj5n" ], "score": [ 2, 19, 12, 4 ], "text": [ "the problem is that by the \"age of exploration\", nearly all places that were good for our people were inhabited. The last pacific islands had been settled shortly before 1500, ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
18443w
why is it that after i peel a 'post it' sticky note off of the block, the one below it doesn't seem to have any sticky residue left on it?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/18443w/eli5_why_is_it_that_after_i_peel_a_post_it_sticky/
{ "a_id": [ "c8bg2sy", "c8bi9ex" ], "score": [ 15, 2 ], "text": [ "The adhesive used on Post-it notes was discovered by a chemist at 3M, who initially thought it was too weak to use for anything practical. Eventually, they changed their minds, and commercialized the Post-it note.\n\nAltho...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
8qzeui
how do fast food restaurants manage to handle higher volumes faster than normal restaurants?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8qzeui/eli5_how_do_fast_food_restaurants_manage_to/
{ "a_id": [ "e0n9mu7", "e0n9uw7" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Lower quality food. It’s easy to dunk some chicken nuggets than to cook a steak that’s made to order.", "At McDonalds we kept cooked patties, nuggets, etc. in a heated tray. They were thrown out after a certain amount of...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
23wfhb
why do i see "stars" or sparks when i get up quickly, or a big stretch?
I have gotten up really fast and boom, ill get a few sparkles or stars in my sight or when I do a long hard stretch.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23wfhb/eli5why_do_i_see_stars_or_sparks_when_i_get_up/
{ "a_id": [ "ch182v7" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "There isn't enough blood getting to your brain. You're on the verge of passing out." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
6havuz
how to temperature guns work in order to get the temperature of a surface?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6havuz/eli5_how_to_temperature_guns_work_in_order_to_get/
{ "a_id": [ "diww71p" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Next time you turn on your stove, you might notice that the burner turns red as it heats up.\n\nThat's because increasing the temperature of an object causes it to radiate energy.\n\nNow, for most objects, increasing the temperature of an object ...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
2fgn64
what is stephen harper doing, or what has he done, that negatively affects canada and me as a canadian?
I am not super into politics but have a general idea. I get that people really hate Stephen Harper. I'd like to educate myself more on the subject so I'm not ignorantly following any crowd.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2fgn64/eli5_what_is_stephen_harper_doing_or_what_has_he/
{ "a_id": [ "ck92xuc", "ck931uh" ], "score": [ 6, 3 ], "text": [ "To put it briefly, Harper's sucked the red out of the Canadian flag.\n\nNot even a joke, really; look at the logo for [Canada's Economic Action Plan.](_URL_0_)\n\nMr. Harper used underhanded political maneuvers to dodge seri...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://canadianimmigrant.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/canada-action-plan.jpg" ], [] ]
kz10o
What, if any, are the "health benefits" of salt lamps?
My parents just bought a Persian salt lamp, claiming it releases negative ions into the air and neutralizes airborne viruses and promotes healthy breathing. Naturally, I'm skeptical about my moms multiple attempts at psuedoscience. I've tried to explain that basic chemistry shows it wont happen (balance between negativ...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/kz10o/what_if_any_are_the_health_benefits_of_salt_lamps/
{ "a_id": [ "c2of1r3", "c2of1r3" ], "score": [ 4, 4 ], "text": [ " > Persian salt lamp, claiming it releases negative ions into the air and neutralizes airborne viruses and promotes healthy breathing.\n\nTell you what, having read NOTHING about what a salt lamp is, I can already tell you t...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
5pgy6e
Why did Florida's population skyrocketted during the XX century?
Back in 1920 Florida had smaller population than West Virginia. Nowadays it's the third most populous state in the US (ahead of New York)
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5pgy6e/why_did_floridas_population_skyrocketted_during/
{ "a_id": [ "dcr51by" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "At least part of the reason can directly be attributes to Henry Flagler. He was so instrumental to the fortune of Florida that people sometimes joke that the abbreviation for Florida ( Fla.) stands for Flagler. Flagler used to be a part of Standa...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
1u68g8
why won't companies ship to p.o boxes?
Just overall, I am wondering, I tried to google it, and could not find a easy answer, but why won't most companies ship things to P.O Boxes?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1u68g8/eli5why_wont_companies_ship_to_po_boxes/
{ "a_id": [ "ceewigb", "ceexpt0", "ceexv8s", "ceeyyxn", "cef2fne" ], "score": [ 14, 2, 6, 2, 5 ], "text": [ "The law says only the United States Postal Service may deliver to post office boxes. Also, if the package needs to be signed for, a PO box cannot do this.\n...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [] ]
17vaw0
how do sellers on etsy and elsewhere get away with selling art based on trademarked characters?
Here's a scenario: Molly makes Pikachu keychains out of clay and sells them on Etsy. She makes a mold for the Pikachus all by herself, and hand-paints each one. The keychains look exactly like the character. She markets them as "Pikachu Keychain," and uses Pokemon, Pikachu, Poke ball, etc. (all trademarked words, I ima...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/17vaw0/eli5_how_do_sellers_on_etsy_and_elsewhere_get/
{ "a_id": [ "c895ydh", "c896le1", "c8970kg", "c8975in", "c897hg9", "c897qgj", "c898nen", "c898q69", "c8990sv", "c899duf", "c89an52", "c89bsx2", "c89bvz4", "c89cb35", "c89fzqp", "c89gpli" ], "score": [ 212, 7, 38, 17, 9, 19, ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.regretsy.com" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www2.kusports.com/news/2009/sep/28/joe-collegecom-ordered-pay-kansas-athletics-more-6/" ], [] ]
1q4fzj
what defenses does the white house have? is it particularly well-guarded compared to any other valuable government building?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1q4fzj/eli5_what_defenses_does_the_white_house_have_is/
{ "a_id": [ "cd91zgg", "cd926u2" ], "score": [ 4, 4 ], "text": [ "nice try terrorist ", "I remember reading in Newsweek (way back there, like during the Clinton administration) about the various defense features of the WH, and they're pretty robust. The WH absolutely has a fallout shel...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
83qnci
Henry Ford is probably responsible for 21st century Americans having heard of 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion', as he had 500000 copies given away free to people who worked for him. Was he recognized as a crackpot in his lifetime? Were there repercussions for his opposition to entering WWII?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/83qnci/henry_ford_is_probably_responsible_for_21st/
{ "a_id": [ "dvn3g42" ], "score": [ 54 ], "text": [ "I am not aware of Ford actually handing out copies of the *Protocols* to his employees, couldn't verify it easily. But it may be someone is thinking of the *Dearborne Independent*. It was a newspaper Ford acquired in 1919, and it quickly beca...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
vgrnl
What is the science behind poison ivy?
I currently have poison ivy, and I remember something about it being cause by urishol or something of the like. How does this fluid cause sores on your skin.
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/vgrnl/what_is_the_science_behind_poison_ivy/
{ "a_id": [ "c54cqym" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "As far as I know, poison ivy produces an allergen called [urishiol](_URL_0_). Urishiol is a skin irritant, which means that it will cause a minor reaction in almost everyone. However, many people, on top of that minor reaction, are actually all...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol" ] ]
2i00m0
When were the first instances of modern 'gangs'? And what lead to their creation
Did they grow out of historical gangs, such as mafias and mobs?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2i00m0/when_were_the_first_instances_of_modern_gangs_and/
{ "a_id": [ "ckxu7t8" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "I think the distinction between modern \"gangs\" and traditional \"mafias\" and \"mobs\" is a false one.\n\nGroups of poverty stricken, young people adopting similar cultural identifiers and supporting themselves through crime has almost certainl...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=5wJEo3YSSHQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=gangs+in+america%27s+communities&source=bl&ots=xdjOWhPnYM&sig=DrqKZDpUaPylKa4Au9GGIKYPzlI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=C28hULC2IaWO2QWtkoGQDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=gangs%20in%20america%27s%20communities&f=f...
1bione
How much do we know about Central Americcan religions?
I realised in my world religions class that we didn't touch any of the central american religions, which led me to wonder what kind of span of beliefs they had- were there conservative traditionalists, more progressive sects, and things like that, or was it more unified? How did their beliefs differ between sects or ge...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1bione/how_much_do_we_know_about_central_americcan/
{ "a_id": [ "c970pv8" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "I've only read one book on the subject titled [*Religions of Mesoamerica* by David Carrasco](_URL_0_). It was fairly detailed in its understanding of the religion though it is an introductory text. I don't think he really talks about if there wer...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.amazon.com/Religions-Mesoamerica-Cosmovision-Ceremonial-Traditions/dp/1577660064" ] ]
4wqhx9
People talk a lot about the Romans...where they in any way "special" ? or is western bias to blame?
I know it's a broad question, i'm just curios about the Romans from a broader perspective. What would an alien looking at rome think in reference to other empires/cultures etc ?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4wqhx9/people_talk_a_lot_about_the_romanswhere_they_in/
{ "a_id": [ "d69tee9" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "I feel like this is a very difficult question to answer- purely because I can only consider it from the Western perspective. As I don’t know the relationship other cultures have with their history, it is difficult to make a judgement on even if w...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
49vyxe
Had any cultures proposed that stars were other Suns further away before it was scientifically verifiable?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/49vyxe/had_any_cultures_proposed_that_stars_were_other/
{ "a_id": [ "d0vhv5n", "d0vu1p4" ], "score": [ 11, 5 ], "text": [ "If you don't get an answer here, try /r/askhistorians, /r/askanthropology, or /r/historyofscience", "Ancient Greek philosophers already debated the possibility of many worlds and suns, and Giordano Bruno certainly made ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
3lajbo
Did detective fiction like Sherlock Holmes and Poirot influence contemporary investigative and judicial procedure similarly to how the CSI franchise caused the CSI effect?
The [CSI Effect](_URL_0_), for reference.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3lajbo/did_detective_fiction_like_sherlock_holmes_and/
{ "a_id": [ "cv58npo" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "I can't vouch for its quality, since I haven't yet had the chance to watch it, but you might enjoy the show [*How Sherlock Changed the World*](_URL_0_), which provides examples of Doyle's and his fans' influence on criminal investigation.\n\nMore...
[]
[ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect" ]
[ [ "http://www.pbs.org/program/sherlock-changed-world/", "http://www.wcl.american.edu/journal/lawrev/40/graham.pdf?rd=1" ] ]
ssj8n
Do the laws of physics allow something to come from nothing?
I remember watching a documentary and one theoretical astrophysicist briefly mentioned that it is in fact possible. But he didn't go into further detail.
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ssj8n/do_the_laws_of_physics_allow_something_to_come/
{ "a_id": [ "c4glw9z", "c4glyj5", "c4glzvg" ], "score": [ 4, 10, 5 ], "text": [ "Some physicists claim this is how the universe came in to being (Larry Suskind's \"A Universe From Nothing\") where he argues that there's a \"negative\" contribution of energy to the universe from gra...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ImvlS8PLIo" ], [] ]