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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
85z9dt | When exactly did the migration of free settlers to the Australian colonies begin to match or exceed the transportation of convicts? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/85z9dt/when_exactly_did_the_migration_of_free_settlers/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"The [first proper census of people in the New South Wales colony - i.e., Australia - was conducted in 1828](_URL_0_), and it counted 36,287 people. Of these, 5210 had came to Australia as free settlers, 8388 were born in the colony and the rest h... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.bda-online.org.au/files/MC1828_Muster.pdf"
]
] | ||
5ox3dv | why is it so hard for doctors to make breast implants look natural? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ox3dv/eli5_why_is_it_so_hard_for_doctors_to_make_breast/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"For starters, you're shoving non-biological material into biological material. You'll never match what was naturally grown. \n\nThat is kinda what you're going for in the first place anyway. A great reason to get implants... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
694gxx | What makes transition metals the densest elements? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/694gxx/what_makes_transition_metals_the_densest_elements/ | {
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"dh43xo6"
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"text": [
"Additionally to the high density, transition metals also have high melting and boiling points. From that you can already guess, it has to to with stronger bonding between the different atoms. \n\n > The IUPAC definition defines a transition metal... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/D_orbitals.svg/2000px-D_orbitals.svg.png"
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3zo4d1 | What was the 101st Airborne's role in the Battle of Normandy? | My great grandfather served in the 101st throughout the duration of the war and finding his old Airborne patch as well as name plate has made me more interested in learning more about it. | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3zo4d1/what_was_the_101st_airbornes_role_in_the_battle/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"The major purpose of airborne forces on D-Day was to protect the flanks of the invasion force by securing choke points, disrupting enemy forces and defending against counter attacks. [This image]( _URL_0_) shows the insertion of airborne forces,... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.military.com/pics/dday_6_12jun.jpg",
"http://screamingeagle.org/contact-us-2/"
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1vzpic | Why is silver anti-microbial? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1vzpic/why_is_silver_antimicrobial/ | {
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Medical Student who majored in Microbiology and Molecular Biology here:\nSilver has been known for hundreds ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Silver_as_an_Antimicrobial_Agent"
],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect"
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[
"http://uregina.ca/suhdaey/courses/BIOC%20430/reading/10R29%20AMPs%20Nature.pdf"
],
[],
[],
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w13yv | racism on 4chan | What's the reason? I'm mean really, is it a long running inside joke or what? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/w13yv/eli5_racism_on_4chan/ | {
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"text": [
"The most commonly cited reason is that when \"weak\" outsiders come in to check it out, they are scared off by the offensive content.... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1559"
],
[]
] | |
4q0kim | how do mres work? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4q0kim/eli5how_do_mres_work/ | {
"a_id": [
"d4p8cuv",
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"text": [
"They use a magnesium heater. It's a small, teabag-like, pouch of magnesium in a heat-resistant plastic bag. You pour a small amount of water into the bag, and it reacts with the magnesium to create heat. Then you put the ... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flameless_ration_heater"
],
[]
] | ||
h95vi | What exactly is the difference between carbon fiber and fiberglass? | I realize that carbon fiber is stronger than fiberglass, but what makes it so? They appear to be almost identical on the surface.
Every time I google carbon fiber vs fiberglass, I end up with 1x10^14 hits for custom-made carbon fiber hoods for 1989 Honda Civics. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/h95vi/what_exactly_is_the_difference_between_carbon/ | {
"a_id": [
"c1tkugx"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"Try the other way of spelling fibre, you get better [results](_URL_0_). You can also do things in Google like subtract words that you don't want to see in your search. For example, searching for \"carbon fibre vs fibreglass -car\" returns much ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://stormdancer.huntress.org/crpfaq.htm"
]
] | |
6okt01 | how is there always a relevant xkcd? how!? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6okt01/eli5_how_is_there_always_a_relevant_xkcd_how/ | {
"a_id": [
"dki49rf"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"I imagine it functions along the same lines as Quantum Fetish Mechanics. By the time you think of it, it already exisists on the internet. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
cjqrdv | ; why are tattoos such taboo in some religions? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cjqrdv/eli5_why_are_tattoos_such_taboo_in_some_religions/ | {
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"text": [
"Some religions believe your body is the physical property of God. You are just borrowing it for your time on Earth and at the end when you die he gets it back... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
2wr7dk | Why don't we wear fancy clothes as much anymore? | In the West it seems that there has been a gradual degeneration of day-to-day clothing. Even as late as the 1960s, men attended baseball games in suits an ties, and women got "dressed up" to go shopping. How is it that old people today, who lived through this change didn't object to this massively visible cultural shif... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2wr7dk/why_dont_we_wear_fancy_clothes_as_much_anymore/ | {
"a_id": [
"coto431"
],
"score": [
9
],
"text": [
"I can't speak to the cyclical nature of clothing, but I think your first question has a rather simple answer - baby boomers. The Baby Boom generation that was born in the 40s and 50s, came of age as \"hippies\" in the 60s and 70s. Suits and hats ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
akaykf | Source of metals in Antiquity | Hello! I am reading into metalworking and how it developed and where the source materials came from. But I am a bit unsure how to I have to understand it. I was reading that iron can be found at a surface level as a part of other materials. Is the amount of those sources enough to have a culture using it for daily life... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/akaykf/source_of_metals_in_antiquity/ | {
"a_id": [
"ef3g8pn",
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"score": [
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"text": [
"The common sources of iron ore that are easily accessible without mining are bog iron and iron sand. Bog iron, as the name suggests, is found in bogs and similar moist environments (e.g., along streams); the deposits of ore... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8y6u5g/how_iron_mining_differed_from_bog_iron_harvesting/"
],
[
"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B4ou7O2v_Jk/RXG2Q5UspaI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Mtyb1bkLlEc/s1600-h/hede6.JPG"
]
] | |
5c21ec | When and what marked the transition between "Old West" towns just becoming known as regular towns? | We often hear about the "Old West" however I've always wondered what the transitional period between the "Old West" and just the "West" was. When did the western "cowboy" lifestyle fade out and become more modern? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5c21ec/when_and_what_marked_the_transition_between_old/ | {
"a_id": [
"d9yv2ct"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"The influential contemporary historian Frederick Turner famously declared that the frontier (akin to 'Old West') in 1890 whereby the Native American population, harshness of the landscape and much of the mystery and intrigue of lands to be explor... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
5andrx | what are graphics apis such as directx or vulkan and what do they do? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5andrx/eli5_what_are_graphics_apis_such_as_directx_or/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
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"text": [
"(Technical note, DirectX actually covers a bunch of things like sound and input, we'll assume we are talking about the Direct3D portion of DirectX which is what Vulkan does)\n\nThey both provide an abstraction layer, a language or set of commands... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
3jrsto | why don't snakes choke when they devour large prey whole / is it ever possible for a snake to choke ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3jrsto/eli5_why_dont_snakes_choke_when_they_devour_large/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Yes, snakes can choke. Sometimes they start to swallow a prey, and when startled or find that it is too big, they reverse the swallowing process. It's usually not healthy for the snake to do repeatedly, and can hurt the snake.\n\nAlso, snakes hav... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
9uz5pj | What determines which areas of the brain are damaged during hypoxia? | When the blood and oxygen supply is cut off to the brain what determines which regions of the brain are damaged? Does the motor cortex tend to be more susceptible to damage because in states of hypoxia the body is trying to move? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/9uz5pj/what_determines_which_areas_of_the_brain_are/ | {
"a_id": [
"e986y6u",
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Generally the areas damanaged depened on two factors\n\n* metabolic demand\n* blood supply\n\nThe first factor should be obvious. Neurons that have high resting metabolic demand are going to run out of energy first. Note th... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/3-540-27660-2_3.pdf"
]
] | |
4mprbp | why are basements (even finished ones!) still a smooth 10-15 degrees cooler than the rest of a house? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4mprbp/eli5_why_are_basements_even_finished_ones_still_a/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Because basement floors are made of a small cement pad over dirt which is usually a good 8+ ft below grade. This is far enough down to not really be subjected to much seasonal te... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
7425vb | 2nd Time: Why did the Nazis appropriate so much ancient Mediterranean culture if they were trying to recreate a Germanic state? | If they thought that "Alpine" and "Mediterranean" whites were inferior why have such a raging hard on for Rome and Greece? Wouldn't German and Scandinavian culture be the only appropriate template for the kind of "lost purity" they were looking for? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7425vb/2nd_time_why_did_the_nazis_appropriate_so_much/ | {
"a_id": [
"dnvef0l"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"Well first, Nazi beliefs were not a coherent and logical whole philosophy and aesthetic by any standard, and different Nazis believed very different things. Some of the artists the Nazis denounced as 'degenerate art' had themselves been long-time... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Adolf_Hitler_in_Paris_1940.jpg",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraktur",
"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bi15CzneDxI/V2R6d9gdpHI/AAAAAAAAKYk/zNUX_bX0GHIzuAnLWaE2HztCAw-l6AisgCLcB/s1600/The%2Bheadquarters%2Bof%2B... | |
1ka71d | why can't you get prosecuted for posting videos/picture of yourself doing drugs while you can for posting a murder you've committed? | I know murder is far worse than smoking a joint but I've always wondered what stops law enforcement, for example, from prosecuting people showing their illegal grows and smoking on camera. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ka71d/why_cant_you_get_prosecuted_for_posting/ | {
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Typically the picture is a starting point for an investigation. \n\nIf you post a picture of you doing drugs, th... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
2jcos2 | the effectiveness of "traditional" advertising? | At this point in my life, I can't help but feel instantly turned off when I see advertisements for items in places like TV commercials, radio ads, advertisement boxes on websites, billboards, etc. In fact, personally, I feel as if I'm less likely to buy a product if I have to experience its advertising through those tr... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2jcos2/eli5_the_effectiveness_of_traditional_advertising/ | {
"a_id": [
"clagikj"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Companies have often wondered the same, and several have tried cutting the ad budget over the years. Usually they see sales drop by more than the budget is worth. So yeah, it makes a difference. \n\nAsk yourself this - you need to get some random... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
7vygh9 | why do things sound significantly different when you listen to them with one ear vs both ears? for example when only using one out of a pair of headphones, even when listening to things recorded in mono. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7vygh9/eli5_why_do_things_sound_significantly_different/ | {
"a_id": [
"dtw7spc"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"For the same reason things look different when you look at them with one eye versus with two eyes (or at least, they should!). Just like we humans have binocular (bi-n-ocular, two eyes) vision, we have binaural (bi-n-aural, two ears) hearing. Whe... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
49p76h | What was the highest rank awarded to a U.S. black soldier/officer in WW2? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/49p76h/what_was_the_highest_rank_awarded_to_a_us_black/ | {
"a_id": [
"d0trrft",
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"score": [
4,
4
],
"text": [
"**EDIT**- I misconstrued the title and saw it as rank/award...which is why I chimed in with what I wrote below. While not directly answering the question, I'm sure followup questions would have asked this. \n\n\nWell, First... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
1hx419 | genetically modified organisms | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1hx419/eli5_genetically_modified_organisms/ | {
"a_id": [
"cayth13"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"Every organism has within it a set of instructions for how that organism is made and what it does. This is DNA.\n\nDNA is like an alphabet with only four letters. By spelling out different 'words' using these 'letters', we get the 'instructions' ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
1avzye | Prior to gunpowder what was the most effective military deployment? | Two armies deployed in an open plain what what be the most effective deployment from the stone age until the age of gunpowder? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1avzye/prior_to_gunpowder_what_was_the_most_effective/ | {
"a_id": [
"c918o73"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"I think you must mean 'development.' \"What was the most effective military development?\""
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
346xej | How did the stereotype of African Americans being lazy come about? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/346xej/how_did_the_stereotype_of_african_americans_being/ | {
"a_id": [
"cqrv7uo"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Ooh I question I might be able to answer since some of my research is dealing with this. Unfortunately I'm on my phone so this will have to be a bit brief before I can come back and edit it. \n\nA lot of it has do with how slaves were portrayed i... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
bcy83q | Can marine animals taste salt? Would they know if the concentration changes? | Would the marine animals such as fishes and whales know the saltiness of the sea water? Would they try to swim away from a "more salty" place to a "less salty" place? Will the change in concentration affect them? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/bcy83q/can_marine_animals_taste_salt_would_they_know_if/ | {
"a_id": [
"ekx1yeu"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"As far as \"taste\" I'm unsure, as for concentration their bodies certainly can tell! Salt (NaCl) is incredibly important in animal bodies, it helps power many of the important cellular processes of the body. But too much salt can also be detrime... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
46vdgc | What did the Family of Queen Victoria do for entertainment? | Also what did other families do for entertainment in the time Queen Victoria reigned the UK?
| AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/46vdgc/what_did_the_family_of_queen_victoria_do_for/ | {
"a_id": [
"d088i9e"
],
"score": [
10
],
"text": [
"Let's use family in this context to mean immediate family, as in her husband and children. \n\nAs a child, heir to the throne Prince Edward really did not have too much of a childhood. He was caged inside an intensive education system which did ... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/princess-victorias-paper-dolls-c-1830",
"https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/victoria-albert-art-love",
"http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/cou.2013.18.2.004",
"http://royalcentral.co.uk/blogs/death-of-an-artist-princess-louise-duchess-of-... | |
62xg3y | How is the power of nuclear weapons increased? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/62xg3y/how_is_the_power_of_nuclear_weapons_increased/ | {
"a_id": [
"dfpwfev",
"dfqnf0g"
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"score": [
23,
2
],
"text": [
"So most nuclear warheads in the current stockpile are of the Teller-Ulam design. You have a small(ish) fission primary, which initiates the whole thing. This creates the conditions necessary for fusion in the secondary. The... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://books.google.ca/books?id=NO3626AOL9oC&pg=PA644&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false"
],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W88#/media/File:W-88_warhead_detail.png",
"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/LGM-118A_Peacekeeper_MIRV.jpg"
]
] | ||
p6vlp | Why am i supposed to skip a dosage of my daily
medication if I'm too late to take it by a few hours? | This isn't for a medical advice, I'm not on medication anymore. But I don't understand why I was sometimes told to skip a dose for certain medication if I remembered to take the pill too late. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/p6vlp/why_am_i_supposed_to_skip_a_dosage_of_my_daily/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3n01ty",
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"score": [
3,
2,
4
],
"text": [
"AFAIK, you're *supposed* to take a missed dose, so long as it's not too close to your *next* dose. For example, if you're on a \"twice daily\" medication (12 hours-ish apart from each other) and you for... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/prescribing/topics/TDM/fig3.gif"
]
] | |
n422h | why do some people still think that homosexuals shouldn't be allowed to serve in the military? | After watching the Rick Perry video that is gracing the front page, I was surprised to see that some people still hold this view. Why is it that this view is actually held in a 21st Century society? Is it because they don't trust them being in enclosed situations with the military's future, or is that a naive thought o... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/n422h/eli5_why_do_some_people_still_think_that/ | {
"a_id": [
"c363kzn",
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"c363kzn",
"c364a0o"
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"score": [
8,
4,
8,
4
],
"text": [
"Not really LY5 but here goes:\n\nSome straight men project their own sexual appetite onto gays and then make predictions about the behavior of gays in an overwhelmingly male enviro... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
7svehy | how does the reusable gel heating pads work? | You know, the ones with a clicky metal thing inside? I'm sick with flu and cooking my pads, and I need some answers. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7svehy/eli5_how_does_the_reusable_gel_heating_pads_work/ | {
"a_id": [
"dt7uy9i"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"There is a chemical mixture inside, that when excited (by the metallic disk being clicked) produces a self-sustaining exothermic reaction. What this means in layman speak is that the reaction, once started, will continue on its own until it runs ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3fxjy2 | If you cover one eye, how does your brain know to somewhat prioritise what the uncovered eye is seeing? | To clarify, I would like to know why (I assume its the same for all humans) its physically difficult to try to see the blackness that your other eye is seeing when covered. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3fxjy2/if_you_cover_one_eye_how_does_your_brain_know_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"ctv07lb"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"the simple answer is that what you see is a nonlinear sum of the inputs from the two eyes - in terms of apparent contrasts (brightnesses and darknesses), what you see is approximately equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of the phys... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0042698984900646"
]
] | |
2qh3ut | What are the origins of modern day Balkland peoples? E.g Albanian, Serbs, Croats etc... | I have quite the gap of knowledge between the ancient peoples of the region such as the Dacians and Thracians and the groups that now inhabit the area. Where did they originate from? Was it a similar story to Hungary and the Magyar nomads? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2qh3ut/what_are_the_origins_of_modern_day_balkland/ | {
"a_id": [
"cn6hgup"
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"score": [
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],
"text": [
"For Albanians the most accepted theory is either illyrian origin or thracian-dacian origin. All 3 were native balkan people. For slavs like the croats serbs etc most likely extended out from lands near belarus and north ukraine"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
4a7olb | if we know so much about the human body, why is there so much conflicting information on topics like weight loss and muscle gain? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4a7olb/eli5_if_we_know_so_much_about_the_human_body_why/ | {
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"text": [
"Basically, because the weight loss and fitness industries are huge, and people want to make money. Really the basics always boil down to \"eat less calories, exercise more\", but plenty of folks like to dress that up in ord... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
2r5t9x | Why did eukaryotes develop linear chromosomes if it gives us problems with telomeres? Wouldn't it have been evolutionarily advantageous for all organisms to keep circular chromosomes? | I ask this because having linear chromosomes entails the problem of telomere reduction/degradation whereas that doesn't seem to be a problem in circular chromosomes. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2r5t9x/why_did_eukaryotes_develop_linear_chromosomes_if/ | {
"a_id": [
"cndby5l",
"cndfqg9"
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"score": [
8,
8
],
"text": [
"There is greater genetic availability with linear duplex chromosomes due to cross over. Also, there is less problem with frameshift reading killing the organism with linear vs. circular chromosomes...",
"I fully agree w... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
fo33o | I have a science degree but I'm not yet prepared to study some areas of physics. What math should I review, and what math should I study to understand the meaning behind quantum equations? | I've taken engineering math in college, however I didn't end up using it in any of my senior classes. I've taken three semesters of calculus and even differential equations, but I've forgotten nearly everything since I haven't used it. I want to review, starting even with basic calculus, then try to learn differential ... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/fo33o/i_have_a_science_degree_but_im_not_yet_prepared/ | {
"a_id": [
"c1hcrxk"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"What areas of physics are you interested in?\n\nFor undergrad physics (until special relativity and quantum mechanics), linear algebra and differential equations are everywhere. You should also know at least the cool results from multivariable an... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1mfydz | Is it a coincidence that most of the major powers of the world are in the northern hemisphere? | Just wondering if weather or some other geographic feature has made it easier for countries in the northern hemisphere to succeed seemingly more than countries in the southern hemisphere. | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1mfydz/is_it_a_coincidence_that_most_of_the_major_powers/ | {
"a_id": [
"cc8uy7r"
],
"score": [
53
],
"text": [
"Well, 67% of the land and 90% of the human population is in the northern hemisphere. A quick look at geography shows that a significant proportion of this southern land is desert. The hemispheres didn't really have a level playing field to start... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
6wzotu | how did french, german and italian speaking (and some other) people decide to become switzerland together, instead of the germans becoming german, the french becoming french, etc. ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6wzotu/eli5_how_did_french_german_and_italian_speaking/ | {
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"dmby42e",
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11,
3
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"text": [
"Switzerland was formed when a group of Principalities decided to band together and form a loose confederation in 1291. The various 'states', called Cantons, were allowed to maintain their own language.... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
1m5kd5 | The ability to curl one's tongue is a common example used to explain phenotypes and genotypes. What actually causes this phenotype when the appropriate genotype is present? | What does the genotype do that allows a person to curl their tongue? What's the physical difference between someone who can curl their tongue and someone who cannot? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1m5kd5/the_ability_to_curl_ones_tongue_is_a_common/ | {
"a_id": [
"cc63evj"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"Hey GoonCommaThe,\n\nAs far as I recall, it's currently a myth that the ability to curl one's tongue is regulated genetically. \n\nHere's an article that can shed more light; _URL_0_\n\nIt's possible that some individuals just have better ability... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythtongueroll.html"
]
] | |
6210g3 | Do any painkillers block the burn of spicy food? | In the lastest video of a popular web series featuring celebrities eating hot wings, the celebrity seems to be barely affected. He later admits he's wearing a fentanyl patch. Would this block the "pain" of the capsaicin?
Would any other drugs (either medical or recreational) block the effect of capsaicin?
| askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/6210g3/do_any_painkillers_block_the_burn_of_spicy_food/ | {
"a_id": [
"dfiy5m0"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Yes. Nociception (pain) is blocked by acting on mu- receptors in the brain or periphery (also the gut which is often the cause of opioids induced constipation). This is high in the pathway, so even though capsaicin receptors (TRPV-1's) are sepa... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866037/"
]
] | |
22cbwk | how (in) effective is the "pull out" method as a form of birth control? | Weird conversation to be having with a 5 year old, I know. But statistically what are the odds of a "pull out" resulting in a pregnancy? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/22cbwk/eli5_how_in_effective_is_the_pull_out_method_as_a/ | {
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"T... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coitus_interruptus"
],
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUGvxiNTjDU"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
8qc4h0 | The Taliban and the USA? | A constant criticism of the US seems to be its incessant meddling in the affairs of other countries. I was talking to a friend about this and he brought up the Taliban, referring to the US backed Mujahideen as the source of it. While, it could be argued that Al-Qaeda (in particular Osama bin Laden) were linked to previ... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8qc4h0/the_taliban_and_the_usa/ | {
"a_id": [
"e0i1lt6"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"More of course can be said, but [this old response](_URL_0_) will likely be of interest for you."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2h7p0v/some_question_on_afghanistan_are_the_taleban_and/ckq97cn/"
]
] | |
1stkhy | why do we keep discovering ancient artifacts and why are they so rare? wouldn't the world have accumulated mass amounts of stuff over 1000s of years and be common to find? | Have they all been destroyed over time? Or have we already found most of them? With so many civilizations dating all the way back it's not like they could just disappear. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1stkhy/why_do_we_keep_discovering_ancient_artifacts_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"ce13agu"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Things break down and more importantly tend to be reused by descendants. While that piece of Roman armor might be precious *today*, in the ancient world it was just Grandpa Flavius' old helmet, and we really needed to make a new plow, so we'd sme... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
55zffi | Siberia is vast. Prior to the railroad and telegraph, how did Imperial Russia govern such a large area? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/55zffi/siberia_is_vast_prior_to_the_railroad_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"d8f58z6"
],
"score": [
128
],
"text": [
"Well, they didn't. As you intimate, it required the railroad to govern effectively. They controlled pockets all the way to the Pacific by the mid-1600s or so, but they didn't establish direct control over the majority of Siberia until the estab... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
ob30q | What is happening in your body when you are recovering from a cold? | I am of course talking about the common cold (Rhinovirus) - When you get a cold, is your body working to build immunity to that particular strain of the virus? what processes are going on that make your body more immune to it? Is it a new strain of the virus that gets you sick later on in the future (the next year, for... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ob30q/what_is_happening_in_your_body_when_you_are/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3g2vjh"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"The immune system is very complicated but hopefully this should help with some of the basics:\n\nYour immune system has 2 major parts, there are the \"innate\" defences like enzymes in saliva and some cells like macrophages that destroy intruders... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
9hpm0b | how does the anti-shoplifting system in a supermarket work? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9hpm0b/eli5_how_does_the_antishoplifting_system_in_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"e6dn6df"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"It’s these stuck on thing that have a slight magnetic field to them the get activated when you walk through the thing that beep. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
251ccr | Is there a rating scale for bolts of lightning? What conditions would cause massive singular strikes of lightning instead of many smaller ones? | I just experienced the craziest bolt of lightning ever. Lit up the whole house with the shades drawn in the middle of the day-- which I would expect if it was nearby, but it was still a whole 10 seconds until the most thunderous thunder I have ever heard. Which got me thinking-- Does lightning comes in various sizes an... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/251ccr/is_there_a_rating_scale_for_bolts_of_lightning/ | {
"a_id": [
"chdv09i"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Yes! Lightning has vastly different strengths that are typically measured in the peak electrical current of the lightning. There are few other measures such as the charge-moment change (how much electrical charge is moved by the lightning), rad... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
rg9nf | When doctors get a positive result, do they automatically run the test again to rule out false-positives? | I was wondering if this is standard procedure for low-prevalence diseases, STI's etc, since, you know, base rates. For instance: I get tested for something that effects an average of say, 5 people per 100,000 and the test is 99.99% accurate. If I test positive, should I assume that I still have a 67% chance of *not* ha... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/rg9nf/when_doctors_get_a_positive_result_do_they/ | {
"a_id": [
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"c45psxv",
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"score": [
8,
5,
4,
3,
3
],
"text": [
"Depends on how accurate the test is, how much it costs, how likely you're to really be afflicted, whether they can run a better test, and how dangerous the co... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity#Sensitivity",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity#Specificity",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VDRL",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_treponemal_antibody_absorption_test",
"http://en.wikipedia.... | |
70wd8j | why would a railgun be better than a regular cannon? | Regarding the railgun US Army just tested... It seems like a waste of money if it just fires shells a different way. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/70wd8j/eli5_why_would_a_railgun_be_better_than_a_regular/ | {
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2,
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"text": [
"I mean, military development since the sling has been trying to figure out how to fire projectiles a different way. If it's a better way, that's important, whether you're talking ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
acp90a | Which is the history of the beginning of this sub | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/acp90a/which_is_the_history_of_the_beginning_of_this_sub/ | {
"a_id": [
"ed9pn2x"
],
"score": [
3
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"text": [
"As it happens, one of the mods, /u/agentdcf, wrote a paper about the beginnings of the sub - [You can read it here.](_URL_1_)\n\nI'm also trying to find a post that's an interview by the Reddit admins of our subreddit's founder, /u/artrw, not lon... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/sus8h/meta_the_culture_of_raskhistorians/",
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/682ta1/friday_freeforall_april_28_2017/dgv7zhf/"
]
] | ||
1qo3sz | why are consoles/phones so limited at launch and sold out for a while after? these are huge companies, it seems they could supply as much as needed. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1qo3sz/eli5_why_are_consolesphones_so_limited_at_launch/ | {
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"cdeqmhk",
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"score": [
3,
2,
2
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"text": [
"Almost all consoles come out selling at a loss - meaning, it costs them more to make the console than they actually make back from selling it. Over time, the cost of producing the console's parts goes d... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
qq228 | why do most people need complete silence to sleep? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/qq228/why_do_most_people_need_complete_silence_to_sleep/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3zjgrf",
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"c3zk0qa",
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5,
2,
3,
2
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"text": [
"Because they cannot sleep with noise.",
"It's difficult for me to sleep without a fan or another type of constant, white noise. When it's \"completely sil... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
3khd4e | why would an automaker choose an inline 6, v6, or horizontally opposed 6 cylinder engine? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3khd4e/eli5_why_would_an_automaker_choose_an_inline_6_v6/ | {
"a_id": [
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5,
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"text": [
"Sometimes it helps fit the car's design (for example, a horizontally opposed engine could be mounted lower, resulting in a lower hood. Most carmakers choose a design type and stick with it, perfecting t... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
b60wdm | why do 3rd party booking sites (agoda, booking etc.) have cheaper rates than the hotel itself? and why does the hotel price match the rates on the 3rd party booking sites? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b60wdm/eli5_why_do_3rd_party_booking_sites_agoda_booking/ | {
"a_id": [
"ejh8zg8",
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"score": [
71,
10,
3,
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4,
3,
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"text": [
"The hotel doesn’t want to insult the guests that paid full price and make them feel like t... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"hotels.com"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"Brand.com",
"brand.com"
]
] | ||
7htolc | how can facebook identify people in photos before they're tagged, but computers have difficulty recognizing other objects in a photo? | I've done several of those captcha tests where I had to identify things like windows or street signs. How can a computer not identify those, but be able to recognize faces in Facebook pictures?
Relevant XKCD: _URL_0_ | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7htolc/eli5_how_can_facebook_identify_people_in_photos/ | {
"a_id": [
"dqtqf80",
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"score": [
2,
6,
2
],
"text": [
"Computer vision is developing rapidly. In just the last few years, capabilities like this have become routine.\n\nThe pictures in captcha tests have been specially chosen to be a mixture of ones compute... | [] | [
"https://xkcd.com/1425/"
] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
kp923 | why technology develops in a somewhat linear order? | I realize that it's not exactly linear, I'm essentially talking about Moore's Law here.
What I don't understand is why this law applies. E.g. my older computer has 2 GB of RAM, my newer one has 4 GB of RAM and I see computers on the market with 6 or 8 GB of RAM. Why doesn't one company spend the time to develop a 25... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/kp923/eli5_why_technology_develops_in_a_somewhat_linear/ | {
"a_id": [
"c2m2mu3",
"c2m3mx5",
"c2m2mu3",
"c2m3mx5"
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"score": [
5,
2,
5,
2
],
"text": [
"1) In the typical Moores law graph, the Y axis is not linear, thus the growth is not linear \n\n\n2) What your describing is doubling and not really 'linear'. Going from a Commodor... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
1c96ic | What exactly causes your eyes to get glassy? | For example, when you are tired and feverish and your eyes get glassy, what is happening in your body to cause it? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1c96ic/what_exactly_causes_your_eyes_to_get_glassy/ | {
"a_id": [
"c9gz0sf"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"When you're tired, you may be experiencing dry eye which actually can make the eyes water. This tearing may increase reflectiveness which would make them appear glassy.\n\nIf you have a fever it's possible that you also have a form of viral conju... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
37yqil | How much did the world wars shake the religious faith of Europeans? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/37yqil/how_much_did_the_world_wars_shake_the_religious/ | {
"a_id": [
"crr13if"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"Can only provide a very limited answer but will give you what i know!\n\nIn some circles it only solidified it, the wars showed the brutality of modernity, a project which was supposed to bring prosperity and peace. This distrust of modernity (an... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
267id9 | - how does amazon estimate delivery time? | I ordered 2 things on Amazon from the same seller. Both were ordered at the same time, they're both exactly the same size and weight, and they're shipping from the same facility. One is expected to get to me tomorrow and the other on June 11th. How do they get these dates? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/267id9/eli5_how_does_amazon_estimate_delivery_time/ | {
"a_id": [
"chodpdr"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Past experiences and logistics from past shipments."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1364tx | Is there a definitive text for the history of New York City? | I'm moving to New York in two months and I'm looking for a really good book about the history of the city. Any recommendations, Reddit? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1364tx/is_there_a_definitive_text_for_the_history_of_new/ | {
"a_id": [
"c719etc",
"c71o865"
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"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"For more recent NYC history, Thomas Kessner, *Fiorello H. LaGuardia and the Making of Modern New York* is great. I have not yet read *Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898* by Burrows and Wallace, but it was highly reco... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.amazon.com/Epic-New-York-City-Narrative/dp/0786714360"
]
] | |
3b4ci3 | why this goat faints. | * _URL_0_
I'd like an explanation to why this goat so happens to faint when he touches the grass.
Thank you!
| explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3b4ci3/eli5_why_this_goat_faints/ | {
"a_id": [
"csipr1b",
"csiq3fl",
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"score": [
2,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Fainting goats aren't rare. They usually do it as a defense mechanism or a reaction to being scared, like a possum playing dead. For some reason, this goat is afraid of grass.",
"Fainting goats (usu... | [] | [
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsAgNl1p974"
] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
5iunn8 | why is water a liquid? | Dumb question maybe, but, how can heavier materials like carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide exist in a gas state while H2O exists as a liquid?
Edit: As stated in comments; at room temperature. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5iunn8/eli5_why_is_water_a_liquid/ | {
"a_id": [
"dbb7ial"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"The state of any given material is based mainly on the interaction between two different things: The amount of energy in a given amount of the substance, and the strength of the attraction between the molecules/atoms of the substance. The stronge... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
29vir5 | why are "bad" drugs sometimes ingested through snorting or smoking, but never "real" drugs? | Cocaine is snorted. Tobacco and cannabis are smoked. Why don't I ever get a prescription that is taken in in these forms? It's always a pill or syrup. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/29vir5/eli5_why_are_bad_drugs_sometimes_ingested_through/ | {
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"ciowwfx",
"cioxofx",
"cioxt9w"
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"score": [
12,
6,
2,
2,
4
],
"text": [
"Some medical drugs are inhalants (many asthma and allergy drugs).\n\nMany other medical drugs are injectable.\n\nI imagine smoking and snorting are harder to... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
9adj7d | Can someone explain the behavior of Superfluid Helium? | It has been stated that superfluid helium can flow indefinitely under its own inertia and without friction. How is this possible? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/9adj7d/can_someone_explain_the_behavior_of_superfluid/ | {
"a_id": [
"e4uvp1k"
],
"score": [
22
],
"text": [
"When all Helium atoms fall into their many-body–quantum-mechanical ground state, they can all move synchronously. So there is no friction between atoms, but there could still be friction between the superfluid and e.g. the walls of a tube.\n\nFr... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1xqe5l | Is carbon dioxide uniquely able to make a beverage effervescent? | Or is it just the most cost effective and/or safest? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1xqe5l/is_carbon_dioxide_uniquely_able_to_make_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"cfdpesv",
"cfds4wy",
"cfdzxlu"
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"score": [
6,
2,
3
],
"text": [
"Draft Guinness is aerated with nitrogen as well as carbon dioxide, which creates less acidity and smaller bubbles. The yeast which create the alcohol in beverages also create carbon dioxide, just as the... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
78hydj | what are vectors and scalars? what is magnitude in this context? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/78hydj/eli5what_are_vectors_and_scalars_what_is/ | {
"a_id": [
"dotxpws",
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24,
2
],
"text": [
"A scalar is basically just a number. E.g. I am moving at 30mph. 30 is a scalar.\n\nA vector is a scalar plus a direction. E.g. I am moving *north* at 30mph. Here, the 30 is the \"magnitude\" of the vector, and north is ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
1dgzad | Would photons emitted from a bioluminescent source allow plants to photosynthesise? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1dgzad/would_photons_emitted_from_a_bioluminescent/ | {
"a_id": [
"c9q811c",
"c9qeglw"
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"score": [
5,
2
],
"text": [
"Depending on the photosynthetic mechanism at play, a certain wavelength of light is preferred. If the photon from the source has the right wavelength, I see no reason why the plant would care where it came from.",
"Yes, ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
1y68o3 | How do you isolate a gene from one organism, and insert it into another? | How is it possible to identify a certain gene that represents a certain trait in an organism, to isolate that gene, and insert the gene into some other organism? How do you go about it practically?
| askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1y68o3/how_do_you_isolate_a_gene_from_one_organism_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"cfhte3h",
"cfiwtuj"
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"score": [
12,
2
],
"text": [
"It's actually pretty easy for some organisms, but much harder for others.\n\nI'll try to walk you through the process:\n\nFirst, we find a gene that we want \"expressed\" in another organism (probably non-pathogenic E. coli... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restriction_enzyme#Recognition_site",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pcr",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasmid"
],
[]
] | |
cjczkg | how does a software input into a computer physically change a transistor | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cjczkg/eli5_how_does_a_software_input_into_a_computer/ | {
"a_id": [
"evchykw",
"evcieg3",
"evcl85m"
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"score": [
6,
2,
7
],
"text": [
"Input is made on a wire by turning a voltage on and off. (We call on 1 and we call off 0.) Transistors respond directly to voltage.",
"* As far as the hardware is concerned, everything is a value in... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
2iv2uv | How "bulged" can a planet become? | Planets "bulge" at the equator because of rotation. How fast could a planet, rocky or gas, spin before it tore itself apart? Could we have a planet twice across as it is north to south? How would that affect surface gravity? Could we have a "Discworld?" | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2iv2uv/how_bulged_can_a_planet_become/ | {
"a_id": [
"cl5y3mj"
],
"score": [
9
],
"text": [
"Of the major planets in our Solar System, Saturn is the 'flattest' with a [flattening ratio](_URL_5_) of [1:10](_URL_4_).\n\nFor faster rotational speeds, the equilibrium shape is a Jacobi (scalene or tri-axial) ellipsoid rather than the familiar... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haumea_%28dwarf_planet%29",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsoid",
"http://people.ucsc.edu/~igarrick/EART290/chandrasekhar_1967.pdf",
"http://www.scilogs.eu/en/blog/go-for-launch/2010-03-09/simple-math-how-fast-can-an-asteroid-rotate",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/... | |
3urd39 | why does the peanut butter in a reese's peanut butter cup have a different texture? | It feels totally different from regular peanut butter in a jar. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3urd39/eli5_why_does_the_peanut_butter_in_a_reeses/ | {
"a_id": [
"cxh514l"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Oil and chocolate are quite buddy buddy and want to mingle together. Peanut butter contains peanut oil which makes it easier to spread. However, this oil will mix with the chocolate covering the peanut butter cup and cause the chocolate to get so... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
8xvuc2 | the 15(+) different logical fallacies. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8xvuc2/eli5_the_15_different_logical_fallacies/ | {
"a_id": [
"e2675hz"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"**Slippery Slope:** If we allow this to happen, it will lead to this other (loosely/hardly related) thing happening!\n\n**Hasty Generalization:** I know I'm right despite having little or biased evidence!\n\n**Post hoc ergo propter hoc:** This ha... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
2lawx1 | in an election, how is a write in candidate determined and notified if he/she wins? | In most, if not all, ballot questions there is an opportunity to write in your vote if opting to not select one of the supplied choices. In the event that one of these write ins won, say John Smith, how would it be known if all John Smith write ins were referring to the same person? Could every John Smith claim to hav... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2lawx1/eli5_in_an_election_how_is_a_write_in_candidate/ | {
"a_id": [
"clt2md2"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Most write-in campaigns that actually win are public and fairly well organized. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a candidate that is simultaneously popular enough to win a write-in campaign, and unknown enough for officials to h... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
8pkpxj | What would 'pagan' mean in 1896? | I'm working with some old atlases, and one of them (Tunison's Peerless Universal Atlas of the World, published in 1896) has a comparison chart of the populations of different religions. The biggest, at 500,000,000 million, is 'Pagans etc.' What would that mean to a contemporary reader?
(The other religions, for refer... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8pkpxj/what_would_pagan_mean_in_1896/ | {
"a_id": [
"e0cmbo6"
],
"score": [
14
],
"text": [
"Since it includes the term etc. and is listed alongside these other religions, is there a reason not to take the trivial \"everything else\" answer at face value? Practitioners of other religions, with Hindus being a particularly notable excepti... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
4ctirl | what the heck is going on with r/hearthstone right now? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4ctirl/eli5_what_the_heck_is_going_on_with_rhearthstone/ | {
"a_id": [
"d1lbkv4"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"It's April first in some parts of the world (in the US in just a couple of hours). Thus this is some sort of April fools joke, the purpose of which has not yet been revealed."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
1ulp7h | why americans won't name their sons jesus? | Virtually every other religion honors their gods by naming children after them, and while I know it's common in Latin American countries, I have rarely come across a white Jesus. Why is that? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ulp7h/eli5_why_americans_wont_name_their_sons_jesus/ | {
"a_id": [
"cejcnip",
"cejcqb7",
"cejcwy5",
"cejel3u"
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"score": [
6,
5,
2,
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],
"text": [
"We use Josh.",
"Because the name translates to Joshua in English. Edit: And we differentiate the Son of God by using Jesus, (the Greek name for Joshua). ",
"Americans do na... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
1y241w | tesla's worldwide wireless system and why did it fail. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1y241w/eli5_teslas_worldwide_wireless_system_and_why_did/ | {
"a_id": [
"cfgokar"
],
"score": [
11
],
"text": [
"It failed because of the inverse square law. Whenever you radiate something (sunlight, heat, or whatever) from a central point, the intensity decreases according to the square of the distance from that point. So, if you double the distance betwe... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
1t57o2 | why former spanish and portuguese colonies replaced their languages with spanish and portuguese respectively but former british and french colonies didn't? | or why did Spain and Portugal forced their language onto locals but Britain and French didn't ?
EDIT: e.g Only educated in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh can speak English and they still use their own languages primarily. Brazil, Mexico primarily speak Portuguese and Spanish as their first language.. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1t57o2/eli5_why_former_spanish_and_portuguese_colonies/ | {
"a_id": [
"ce4jgsg"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"European colonization in the Americas started in the 16th century, opposed to African and Asian colonies which were established much later, under larger populations and a smaller interest in settlement. In less than a century, most indigenous Ame... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
5ecgyg | why isn't there a standard for microwave wattage? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ecgyg/eli5_why_isnt_there_a_standard_for_microwave/ | {
"a_id": [
"dabc7o9"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"A 1,000-watt microwave will cook quickly and efficiently. Microwaves with 700 watts or less are slower and may not cook evenly. In general, the higher the wattage, the faster the cooking time.\n\nHowever, Lower watts cost last and that's why they... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
5xxgqe | Help Identifying WWII Army Ribbons | My son was recently doing a project on World War II, and we were able to get my wife's grandfather's US Army uniform. Unfortunately, I've been unable to identify what his ribbons, and was wondering if anyone might have some insight. Thanks!
[Image](_URL_0_) | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5xxgqe/help_identifying_wwii_army_ribbons/ | {
"a_id": [
"delr9vd"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"Top row:\n\n* [Purple Heart](_URL_1_), awarded for a wound received in combat against the enemy\n\nBottom Row, L-R; \n\n* A severely faded or worn [American Campaign Medal](_URL_5_), awarded for being in the boundaries of the American Theater fro... | [] | [
"http://i.imgur.com/qqX9Kjs.jpg"
] | [
[
"http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r600_8_22.pdf",
"http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/Heraldry.aspx?HeraldryId=15254&CategoryId=3&grp=4&menu=Decorations%20and%20Medals&ps=24&p=0",
"http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/army_flag/ww2_eame.html",
"http://www.tioh.hqda... | |
e8reok | How did Amazon cities disappear so quickly? (further detail inside) | I just finished The Lost City Of Z (I know this isn't a history book), but it discusses how there were many great cities in the amazon that now are difficult to find traces of. My understanding was that the spread of disease had decimated cities quickly. But how did they become decimated so quickly that A) The traces w... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/e8reok/how_did_amazon_cities_disappear_so_quickly/ | {
"a_id": [
"faew4w0"
],
"score": [
14
],
"text": [
"I am going to assume you are referring to the Inca and Aztec civilisations of South America? In that case, I will plough ahead and give you a reasonable response for the fall of both empires.\n\nFirstly, it is important to note that these cities... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
195ddj | Who had the best/most wanted cigarettes during World War II? What about other products? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/195ddj/who_had_the_bestmost_wanted_cigarettes_during/ | {
"a_id": [
"c8kzk29",
"c8lagh8"
],
"score": [
2,
3
],
"text": [
"I don't know about best/most wanted cigarettes, but Lucky Strikes was easily one of the most widely seen. Lucky strikes, aka Luckies, was the top selling cigarette in the US during the 1930's, and would have been well establ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/smoke-em-if-you-got-em/"
],
[]
] | ||
ftxki | How does basic light reflection really work? Confused. | Hey Reddit,
So I'm trying to get my head around what's happening at a fundemental level when light reflects off of a highly reflective surface like a mirror. For a given photon, I'm assuming it doesn't "bounce" in any way when it reaches the atoms of the reflective surface (ie isn't repulsed), but rather is absorbed a... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ftxki/how_does_basic_light_reflection_really_work/ | {
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"c1ill7y",
"c1ilrep",
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"score": [
6,
10,
5,
3
],
"text": [
"The way Feynman explains it, individual photons don't know or remember their momentum. It's just that, if you have a light source and a light sensor and a mirror, you will find th... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://vega.org.uk/video/subseries/8"
],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
ti41s | Is it possible for a male phenotype to somehow
evolve into a female looking phenotype and vice
versa? | Is there a possibility that the modern day XY male phenotype to eventually evolve into a form that would resemble the female phenotype and vice versa?
As far as I know, the female and male body has a a number of homologous structures in its reproductive system, but can it in a way, evolve into one or another and if so... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ti41s/is_it_possible_for_a_male_phenotype_to_somehow/ | {
"a_id": [
"c4msk0g",
"c4mvlrc"
],
"score": [
3,
3
],
"text": [
"XY is the genotype, phenotype is the observable characteristics. Are you asking if an XY *genotype* can develop a female phenotype? Yes, [androgen insensitivity syndrome.](_URL_0_)",
"You might enjoy [this book](_URL_0... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002163/"
],
[
"http://www.amazon.com/Developmental-Plasticity-Evolution-Mary-West-Eberhard/dp/0195122356#reader_0195122356",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena"
]
] | |
xnsru | how well-supported is the big bang theory? are we fairly certain it's true? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/xnsru/eli5_how_wellsupported_is_the_big_bang_theory_are/ | {
"a_id": [
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81,
2,
5,
2,
8
],
"text": [
"Yes, and overwhelmingly so. However, you have to be careful about what you mean when you say \"Big Bang Theory\", for it is *not* a theory about how the univ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
6wghqv | why do so many sicknesses and diseases start with the basic symptoms? (fever, rash, headache, vomiting, etc.) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6wghqv/eli5_why_do_so_many_sicknesses_and_diseases_start/ | {
"a_id": [
"dm7v5ah"
],
"score": [
11
],
"text": [
"It's because those symptoms aren't something the disease does to your body, it's something your body does to the disease. Fever puts your immune cells in high gear and hampers some pathogens. Vomiting and diarrhea eject the contents of your ga... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
8juzsu | if the universe is constantly expanding, why do the stars appear as if they haven’t moved? | Isn’t there a place in Egypt where the pyramids line up perfectly with the Belt of Orion? How does this make sense if the universe is expanding outward from a point of origin? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8juzsu/eli5_if_the_universe_is_constantly_expanding_why/ | {
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2,
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5
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"text": [
"Expansion of the universe occurs at *extremely* large scales. Far larger than even the entire Milky Way galaxy. \n\nAll the stars you can see with the naked ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Orion_2.gif"
]
] | |
158jeg | Where did the tradition of flying flags half-mast after a tragedy come from? | The recent Sandy Hook tragedy made me wonder about this. | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/158jeg/where_did_the_tradition_of_flying_flags_halfmast/ | {
"a_id": [
"c7k9tea",
"c7ke8zb"
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"score": [
70,
8
],
"text": [
"First recorded instance of a flag being flown at half mast was on the British ship *Heart's Ease* in 1612 when the captain was killed by a native during the voyage in search of the Northwest Passage. It seems likely that th... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
4r2aq4 | why are there so many rules on the american flag? | Also, do any other country's have such a hard-on for their flag? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4r2aq4/eli5_why_are_there_so_many_rules_on_the_american/ | {
"a_id": [
"d4xpu43",
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"score": [
20,
4
],
"text": [
"Most customs regarding the American flag are not uniquely American, and are shared (in at least a similar form) with most countries of the world. For example, not flying the flag in darkness, flying it half-staff in mournin... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
avfw1t | How and Why did the Franks and Visigoths start speaking Romance Languages? | After the fall of Rome, Germanic tribes migrated into the former Roman territories and set up their own kingdoms- Francia, Visigothic Spain, Ostrogothic Italy and the Vandal Kingdom of North Africa. I understand the Arab conquests of North Africa and Justinian's reconquering of Italy as the reasons for why those Gothic... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/avfw1t/how_and_why_did_the_franks_and_visigoths_start/ | {
"a_id": [
"ehfvkur"
],
"score": [
9
],
"text": [
"Well let's look at a case study in the opposite direction and then circle back.\n\nBritain. Britain was a more or less fully Romanized province of the Empire with its own Romance speaking population, form of Roman urban life, and unity within th... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
93gcc9 | what are the differences between a parliament, senate, assembly and so on? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/93gcc9/eli5_what_are_the_differences_between_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"e3d2sor"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"These are names applied to legislative bodies, and the specific authority and structure varies with each version. There's no official definition of what a specific term requires.\n\nThey may be quite powerful like the US Senate, or practically u... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
28yqky | Was Einstein's theory of relativity necessary for nuclear weapons to be created? | I just want to know if nuclear weapons could possibly have been invented without Einstein's theory of relativity.
I've read that it may have been as much as a half-century before anyone else discovered the theory of relativity and that's why Einstein has such a special place in the pantheon of famous scientists. I don... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/28yqky/was_einsteins_theory_of_relativity_necessary_for/ | {
"a_id": [
"ciftgq6",
"cifub8c",
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"score": [
5,
20,
3,
14
],
"text": [
" > I've read that it may have been as much as a half-century before anyone else discovered the theory of relativity \n\nThat's only General Relativity. Special Relativity was act... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_special_relativity",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_general_relativity"
],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
385syr | selfIs there a definitive book/encyclopaedia of Australian Indigenous history? | I'm looking into Indigenous history, and I'm wondering if there is one particular collection on the various tribal histories. I know these are immense and varied, but I'm wondering if in Australian Indigenous Studies there is a text (or set of texts) that are held above others.
Not doing an assignment/research, just c... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/385syr/selfis_there_a_definitive_bookencyclopaedia_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"crslq59",
"crsrkp1"
],
"score": [
2,
3
],
"text": [
"Definitive no, there are hundreds if not a 1000+ tribes originally in Australia. Not all were well documented. It depends which side you are interested in, the view of the colonials or Aboriginal people writing about their o... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/36sxu1/rmapporn_discusses_eurocentrism_in_world_heritage/crhd6n1"
]
] | |
31pzh4 | why does heat aggravate the taste of spice? and cold the affects of menthol? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/31pzh4/eli5_why_does_heat_aggravate_the_taste_of_spice/ | {
"a_id": [
"cq3vmpn"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Because the chemical responsible for \"spice\" capsaicin, activates the same receptors that actual heat does, so when you add temperature heat to it, its magnified. Similarly, menthol activates the same receptors that actual cold does, again mag... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
1kmcmp | Why have there been so many animals that are called harlequins? | For example, the harlequin shrimp, duck, fish(rasbora), macaw, and toad, to name a few. I know a harlequin was some sort of character in Italian(correct me if I'm wrong) books for romance, though most of the harlequin animals are colorful, they don't have extravagant mating behaviors. So what is popular naming specie... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1kmcmp/why_have_there_been_so_many_animals_that_are/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbqe4xg"
],
"score": [
11
],
"text": [
"The harlequin was a character in the Commedia dell'arte who traditionally wore a *patchwork* costume. So anything that has the characteristic of looking like a patchwork can be reasonably compared to a harlequin."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3s667l | why does the cold virus survive longer on non-porous surfaces (stainless steel, doorknobs) than on porous surfaces (clothes, tissues) and skin? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3s667l/eli5_why_does_the_cold_virus_survive_longer_on/ | {
"a_id": [
"cwup8ku"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"Actually it depends on envelope status. A non-enveloped virus means that it is what we refer to as \"hardy\" so it could potentially survive equally as well on any of these surfaces, which we would then refer to as fomites--especially hardy virus... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
8vyn6x | why do a lot of basement storage rooms/laundry rooms have a string to turn on the light but all other rooms use a light switch? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8vyn6x/eli5_why_do_a_lot_of_basement_storage/ | {
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"score": [
... | [] | [] | [
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61gnd5 | how come when you're on a roller coaster you can feel how fast you're going, but on an airplane everything feels normal? [physics] | From my VERY limited knowledge I think it must have something to do with the fact that a plane is enclosed and a roller coaster isn't lol
A plane also obviously goes way faster than a rollercoaster so that's another thing | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/61gnd5/eli5_how_come_when_youre_on_a_roller_coaster_you/ | {
"a_id": [
"dfebrwe",
"dfecg3q"
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"score": [
5,
10
],
"text": [
"On a roller coaster:\n\n* you can feel the wind in your face\n* much of what you perceive as \"fast\" is actually acceleration, as roller coasters are constantly changing speed and velocity...a good pilot keeps their airpla... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
b2egwi | Why does rain have a smell before it starts to rain? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b2egwi/why_does_rain_have_a_smell_before_it_starts_to/ | {
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"text": [
"Some of the smell is from soil bacteria released when the rain drops start hitting the ground. Some may be ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://web.archive.org/web/20121208071425/http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/2004/12/30.php"
],
[
"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-makes-rain-smell-so-good-13806085/#5WWybHr51O0qhbAY.99"
],
[],
[]
] | ||
66gzxo | Is the term "frequency" meaningless for a square wave because it consists of nearly infinite harmonics of some fundamental sinusoidal frequency? | Can we find the frequency of a square wave? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/66gzxo/is_the_term_frequency_meaningless_for_a_square/ | {
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"text": [
"No, the frequency of a square wave is not meaningless. Although a square wave can be represented by a sum of sines or cosines, bear in mind that this sum has infinite terms, which is difficult for us to... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_wave"
],
[]
] |
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