Split (1)

train · 14k rows

q_id stringlengths 6 6	title stringlengths 4 294	selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k	category stringclasses 1 value	subreddit stringclasses 1 value	answers dict	title_urls listlengths 1 1	selftext_urls listlengths 1 1
nck4o6	Why aren't letters on keyboards in alphabetical order?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy5hm4u", "gy5goom" ], "text": [ "This dates back to 1868. Newspaper publisher Christopher Latham Sholes ordered the letters on the keyboard to qwerty or qwertz layout that we know now because otherwise type levers of a type writer would get caught in each other while typing, so he though...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ncq2s1	Why are people not visible in Google Maps satellite images (and others)?	When you call up a view of a large city in Google Maps you can clearly see vehicles and buildings, but never any people. Even in areas where you'd expect to see a large density of people they aren't visible. Why not?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy6j6gj", "gy6jxuv" ], "text": [ "Any large scale map will be made up of many individual pictures stitched together. This allows you to zoom in and get detail in each image but still have a large final product. This sometimes causes vehicles to fade out of view from end to end, because th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ncqmp1	If you have an old 3G/4G capable SIM card, why do you need a new one to access 5G?	Same question as upgrading from 3G to 4G etc. Isn't the technology for connecting to 5G networks all on your phone anyway? What exactly does a SIM card do/need to make the upgrade necessary?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy6qgp4", "gy6kxil" ], "text": [ "You don't need a new SIM card for 5G. You need a new phone. The phone that you currently have, unless it was built with 5G specifications, does not have the capability to broadcast or receive 5G signals. SIM card doesn't matter. Your phone needs to have c...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nct7kf	how is it possible to program a computer to “understand a keyboard” without a keyboard?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy6z3tu", "gy6zp9w" ], "text": [ "The thing that makes a computer understand a keyboard is just another piece of software. You can create that bit on a computer that does have a keyboard and then make it part of the OS (or even BIOS) that will be installed on the computer that doesn't hav...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ncv12t	If internet is a peer to peer network and if nobody is particularly its owner then why do we have to pay for domain names while establishing a new website? Shouldn’t it be free?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy75tej", "gy7731k", "gy76uyw", "gy8ktpq", "gy7gsxt" ], "text": [ "While \"the internet\" doesn't belong to anyone as a total it's infrastructure does belong to people. And if you want someone to take the effort and notify domain name servers that this domain belongs to that I...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ncvv9s	How come deleting an app on a phone is so quick and easy but deleting an app on a desktop takes much longer and more steps?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy7b7a1", "gy79olu" ], "text": [ "Mobile apps are installed in their own separate container, all in one place and all in the same way. Deleting them is as simple as deleting the container. PC applications (unless they’re similarly-packaged apps from the Store) have no standard single loca...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nd0p3u	Why do several of my devices have the same Ip address?	Most people have told me that 2 devices can't have the same address but when I type what's my ip address on google I've got the same result on all the devices I've checked	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy7yszt" ], "text": [ "Your home internet connection only has 1 public IP address, so every device connected to it will have the same public IP. So your router can tell the difference, each device connected will be assigned a different private IP address, but that address is only used within ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nd3190	What is the process of digitising old literature & why are so many old books not?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy9j4f6" ], "text": [ "I have some relevant experience here. I've been involved with digitizing documents for a 100+ year old society and I also personally collect rare and antique books. To start, digitizing something isn't trivial. A lot of times, to get the best scan without bankrupting th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nd4nj2	Why are some password settings so strict?	Why are some password settings so specific? I've seen some that are like "You must have one special character, one number, and at least 8 letters" or something. Why does it matter that much?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy8mdyv", "gy8lo6i", "gy8zpf6" ], "text": [ "In general, the security of a password depends on length, and uniqueness. I don't know the exact number (I'm sure someone can correct me) but a password less than 6 characters can be brute forced (can be guessed by repeated attempts) in min...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nd9oh1	How does pirating movies, shows, video games etc. work, and why can't creators/producers prevent it from happening?	Or could creators prevent it if they wanted to, and it just isn't worth the added costs of additional security?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy9eecb", "gy9fv02", "gy9g448" ], "text": [ "Movies and shows are easy. The experience is the same for everyone, and so all you have to do is record the experience and share it. That's easy piracy. Video games are often much harder. While many approaches exist to mitigate piracy, the ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ndcjqr	how do Air Fryers work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gy9urh2", "gy9uyc8", "gybk0uk" ], "text": [ "It's just hot air spun around by a fan, the same as what's called a convection oven. Nothing is really fried. It's a marketing trick because people like fried food and the spinning air makes the food crispier than non-moving air.", "It ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nddia1	How do smart watches/wearable fitness trackers work?	Monitoring your heart rate seems simple enough, but how do they formulate information about your sleep, calories etc.?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gya42ff", "gyb3su4" ], "text": [ "The data you put in and analysis of movement metrics and heartrate. For example, if it knows your height and weight, when you go for a brisk walk it can detect the walking motion and rough speed, sometimes including GPS data, then combine height + weight ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ndmghl	How are manufacturers able to manufacture really small cpu transistors?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gybd40p", "gybd0ve", "gybmnsr", "gybeq56", "gybqm8v" ], "text": [ "Photolithography. You know how a projector can take a small image and turn it into a massive projected image? You basically do that in reverse, large designs which get focused down and etched into the silicon b...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ndomgc	How do body fat scales work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gybolx9" ], "text": [ "Fat tissues are much less conductive than muscles. Body fat scale runs a very weak current through your body and calculates the fat mass by comparing the outgoing and incoming current." ], "score": [ 13 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ndwbcy	What's the difference between a server and a cloud when it comes to data storage?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyd5pt9" ], "text": [ "A lot of people are telling you what makes up \"the cloud\", but I think it is more instructive to talk about how the term was intended to be used. In the past when a company wanted to do something involving computers such as build a billing system for multiple store lo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ndy7fb	How do anchors on yachts work and how can they hold a whole boat when they lay on flat sea ground?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gydawme", "gydnxer" ], "text": [ "That's not how anchors work. They act to hold one end of a heavy chain so that the ship can lay it out on the bottom. The chain applies the forces that keep the ship in the right area.", "Firstly, the horizontal forces acting on a boat aren’t as big a...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ne1ul4	Why do some products like TV remotes still use infrared while everything else is moving to Bluetooth?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gydwl4v", "gydyhu5", "gye80hf", "gydwvvt" ], "text": [ "\"If it ain't broke, don't fix it\". IR remote control is simple, robust, low-tech and extremely widely established. It just works, every manufacturer has experience with it and has the supply chains set up. You only change i...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ne5gdq	How are data/files recoverable off of a computer after they have been "deleted?" Is this just Hollywood trickery?	Edit: Fantastic answers, thanks all for the insight!	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyekphb", "gyeldxe", "gyej3u8", "gyej0cj", "gyeiz1o", "gyenkg9" ], "text": [ "Imagine your hard drive as a big notebook. When you want to write something, your operating system finds either a blank page or one that has junk it can erase and writes the data there. But in or...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ne8wco	Neural networks/Machine learning	I'm a student of computer science, so you don't need totally ground level resources, but I'd like some really dumbed down explanations of neural networks. All help is appreciated, thank you :)	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyf73kf" ], "text": [ "A neural network mimics the function of a human brain. You take a very simple unit and call it neuron. It has several Inputs, one Output, weights that multiply the inputs with a constant, and an activiation function (a simple one would be sum(Inputs) > constant but ofte...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
neapj1	why does the graphics rendering of night scenes more demanding than day scenes in games?	This may not apply in all games but I've played some games with day/night cycles, but overall the experience I got was that most of the time, when during night time, the game had FPS drops lower than day time. For example, I played NFS Heat and I get around 30 fps at day. When I play at night, for some unknown reason f...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyfahmy", "gyfa2k6" ], "text": [ "I would guess it has to do with the number of light sources in night vs day. Daylight is usually just a single sun source, whereas the night scenes have a ton of different color neon lights and stuff. They should bake a light map so that its less intens...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
neoui7	The ads I see in fremium gaming that claim you can "earn real money just by playing!" aren't these just scams or are they real?	I play this interior design game on my phone and I constantly get ads for other games that claim you can "win real money just by playing!" or "win real amazon giftcards by playing games!". I always just assume these are scams, but I'm curious: does anyone have any experiences with these "realmoney" games? Are they real...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyhbhn6", "gyhcyel", "gyhr2rh", "gyhbtsp" ], "text": [ "bit of both. this is generally these companies having deals with ad companies ot get your data/clicks in hopes you'll buy into them. honestly wouldn't recommend as this generally is how you end up with a crapload of spam mail...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nep8rw	Why does the pitch of an audio clip go higher or lower when slowed or sped up?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyhco4i", "gyhddb7" ], "text": [ "The pitch is directly related to the frequency of the sound wave measured by the number of wiggles over time. If you speed up or slow down a song, you're affecting the \"time\" part of the pitch. Because frequency is \"over time\", slowing down or lengthe...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nervye	How were websites created before web hosting services?	I know that you can create websites using services like WordPress, but before those existed how did people code websites and put them on the internet?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyhr61d", "gyhr1xg", "gyhrch3", "gyhvx4s", "gyhv3ed", "gyilrat" ], "text": [ "< HEADER > HTMLv4 static web pages. < \\HEADER > < BODY > Geocities was a very popular tool with templates to make static HTML pages, or write your own code. You could host there, and setup a CNA...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nf5fea	Why do Windows' diagnostic procedures never work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyjqg6i", "gyju2s8" ], "text": [ "These programs look for some of the most common types of problems and attempt the common solutions for them. Unfortunately most people don't have these problems, they have other less common problems. Also the known common problems tend to become less comm...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nf5s6d	How does a phone restart? What part makes it turn on by itself?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyjv78w", "gyjyn6w" ], "text": [ "It's never fully off. It can almost completely turn off, but it doesn't go all the way. Take a look at the power button. It's not like your light switch on your wall that physically disconnects the wires. With this type of switch, the wires are always con...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nf6iy8	- How do companies make money when we waste our time on their apps/websites?	I recently watched a documentary on how social media sites try to keep you on the platform and try to lure you in when you are not on the platform. How exactly do they make money when we waste our time on these platforms? These days it might have something to do with ads (which I still don't entirely understand) but wh...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyjurut", "gykjro6", "gyjuvrz" ], "text": [ "Before the ad era there was no social media. Its realy only advertising or selling advertising spots on the website to others to be more precise. Facebook knows alot about you, like where you live, your relationship status and your educatio...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nf7nt1	How are wildlife video's shot that too in ultra high HD? How does a cameraman or a drone get close to animals without startling them. How do they film an exact moment of an event happening like a mating dance or a fight between animals		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyjzu25", "gyk1qu4", "gyk1llt" ], "text": [ "Firstly: It takes months. Secondly: Unless the camera man is following a particular pack, most documentaries with cut together footage of different animals and \"tell the story\" of one very interesting one.", "> How are wildlife vide...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nfbkmu	How are several lower quality photos of the same object use to make a high resolution composite picture?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gykljwn", "gyl7d5j" ], "text": [ "With cameras it’s all about the amount of information you can give them to work with. Having several images allows the cameras processor to stack them and use data from all of them to make filling in “missing” data (areas with less detail) more accurate t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nffqu5	Resampling (in audio)		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gylm20y" ], "text": [ "Digital audio is stored and reproduced as a list of numbers which tell the speaker how to move. Each one of these numbers is called a \"sample\", because a device is \"sampling\" the voltage from the audio signal wire periodically. In CD-quality recordings, a voltage is...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nfhvme	How Does Radio & Royalties Work?	I have no idea how radio works. Do they pay a royalty every time they play a song? How much is a typical royalty for a popular pop song? Who decided what the royalty will be? How do they (the artist or their managers) keep track of how much each radio station in the world owes them?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gylmro4" ], "text": [ "You're confusing royalties and licensing fees. There are several companies that do broadcast licensing for music. A radio station pays one or more of those companies for the rights to broadcast some or all of the music by the artists that company represents. The licensi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nfl3xc	How does a country know if a plane flying over it's airspace is civilian or military & more importantly how do they know if a military plane using the airspace is friendly or not?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gym34iv", "gym2ubd" ], "text": [ "Civil aircraft file flight plans with air traffic control and have transponders to identify themselves. Military aircraft have an extra transponder called an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) that civil aircraft don’t. So if it’s transmitting IFF it’s de...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nfq8p4	How does a VHS/DVD that was once 480 or 720p become 1080p, and why aren't all old releases available in higher resolution or better quality?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyn493e", "gymvk77", "gyn8mzg", "gymvu1b" ], "text": [ "The classic case to look at is the remastered Star Trek The Next Generation. The principal photography (real life actors on sets) is fine for HD because it was recorded with a 35mm camera which looks great in 1080p and would ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nftboi	How do the little name keychains work. there isn’t a battery i need to change and it always lights up. Flashes my name at me and i’ve always wondered how it works		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyneppn", "gynjzq8" ], "text": [ "There's a battery. You just can't access it or see it. The lights take little enough energy to last a long time without changing the battery. Eventually it will die.", "Looking for similar products online, I believe they are solar powered. Not sure wh...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nfu0mb	why are TVs not the same dimensions as movies?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gynio61", "gyngp0i" ], "text": [ "Filmmakers can choose the ratio they want their movie to be shot in. This means that you might sometimes have a movie that doesn't perfectly fit your TV screen. For example, Stanley Kubrick's _Full Metal Jacket_ is shot in 1.375 : 1, which Kubrick chose t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ng3m17	How did authorities enforce speed limits before the invention of radar?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyootq4", "gyooshm", "gyoq5pj", "gyp1kth", "gypakfc" ], "text": [ "Distance over time. If it takes 10 seconds to travel from point A to point B while traveling the speed limit, and a vehicle goes that distance in less time, they're speeding. If the distance is known, the speed...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ng5gri	How do computers work at its most basic level? How did we take physical objects, put them together, and have it so when we press a button, a portion of our screen lights up? And how did we turn this into a code that can be used to make other software?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyoz5lf", "gyp04p3" ], "text": [ "You know how you can use a switch to turn the lights on or off? The switch sits on an electrical circuit and can break it, preventing electricity flow and turning the lights off, or reconnect it, restoring the electricity flow and turning the lights on. N...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ng74js	how does drag and drop from desktop to browser work?	It's crazy that I can select an icon on my desktop, drag it to the browser window, release the mouse button and the browser will know which file the icon referred to. How is this implemented?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyp7z3u", "gyp8hba" ], "text": [ "Not sure this is at a 5yo level but: Your desktop is just a graphical rendition of a file explorer. When you click and drag an icon it loads a file address into a 'clip board' within the operating system (OS) and when you drop it somewhere it pastes it in...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ngiqoj	Why a piece of microfiber cloth cleans a wet surface better when it is already wet than when it is dry.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyrj8c1" ], "text": [ "Water sticks to water! It's why droplets form - each water molecule is sticking to the next. If you wipe up a mess with a damp rag, the water molecules in the mess stick to the water molecules in the rag." ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ngje3r	Why do companies continue to install bloatware on devices?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyr79vq" ], "text": [ "Because while some people complain overall people still buy it. People complain about microtransactions in games all the time but a lot of people still buy the games and buy the microtransactions so why would the company take them out. Financially, it doesn't make s...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ngn75i	why are catalytic converters so valuable and worth stealing?	Is there a black market for them? Why do cars need them? Can we protect them, somehow? Thanks!	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyrrxny", "gyrvgeu" ], "text": [ "They have a small amount of various precious metals. This makes them expensive. Factory cats can cost a few grand so thieves steal them and sell them for less than oem but at quite a good price. Scrap recyclers will usually pay 100 or so for each one beca...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nh0e1w	Why does using Mobile Data in smartphones consume more battery than using WiFi?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gytkuea", "gytly7c" ], "text": [ "Mobile data must transmit/receive data through cellular towers, which may be quite a distance away (a few miles, or even farther). WiFi service, provided by a WiFi hotspot/router, are usually much closer, within 10-100 feet. It takes more energy for the p...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nh3b66	How do bots work?	And I don't mean like spam bots. I searched this sub and couldn't find much. For example, I see people tagging u/ savevideo or u/ savephoto, and just saw one "shakespeare bot" that repeated a comment but in "shakespeare language." Are these real people? Im assuming not, but on the video one I think, I saw the "user" po...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyu1vsb", "gyu26b2", "gyu25yt" ], "text": [ "A bot is just a program running on a computer somewhere--it could be a server in the cloud, a desktop/laptop, or I suppose you could even do it on a smartphone if you were so inclined. Reddit has the \"normal\" interface where you go to URL...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhd7q7	Why is Internet Explorer still around, what kind of applications or businesses still use it?	Pretty much the title	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyvmb5v", "gyvnqzl", "gyvmglq" ], "text": [ "For example I worked in a company that used some house developed software for the product database, and that only really worked in explorer, redeveloping the software would be expensive and licensing a third party software would also be ver...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhionx	How is it possible for a vinyl record to perfectly reproduce the sound of a musical instrument just by rubbing grooves in it?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gywjats" ], "text": [ "Because sound is waves and the grooves are miniature versions of those waves that get amplified back to the real sound. It’s literally that simple." ], "score": [ 7 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhjwrv	How do apps like Google translate, or Google maps monetize themselves?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyws86b", "gywz3ui", "gywrszf", "gywwpe1" ], "text": [ "Google makes most of its money through advertising but not every service has them. Some products like translate are offered for free as a way to entice users to join the Google ecosystem where they can be served ads and/or to...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhlhri	How does a logic diagram work to add numbers in a computer?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gywysip" ], "text": [ "Numbers are represented in a binary form in a computer, meaning that every digit in a number can only ever be either 0 or 1. Zeroes and ones are held equivalent to False and True correspondingly. And you can work with False and True using logic. For example, if you need...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhlq6c	Why Microsoft shutting down Ms Explorer, instead of re-naming Ms Edge		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyx043b", "gywzxuh", "gyx071z" ], "text": [ "Assuming you're talking about the Internet Explorer - it simply is a completely different program from Edge and is being deprecated. I suppose \"Internet Explorer\" has some brand recognition that could be otherwise utilized, but since that...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhtfww	what is the difference between LED, LCD, OLED, QLED, and plasma?	Recently saw a comment stating some difference between OLED and LCD. Just wondering what the differences are in the rest of the major TV types	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyyaq58", "gyy646k", "gyz156u", "gyymc7r", "gyzksew", "gyyeuar" ], "text": [ "A lot of it is deliberately misleading branding from manufacturers, there are really only 2 main TV technologies right now (LCD & OLED) * LCD: Liquid crystal display. The same technology used...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nhx4jg	Why are wireless headphones the only implement you can't keep using while it's charging?	Everything else (unless it's something that moves like an electric car) can be used while charging. Phones, handheld consoles, game controllers, hair trimmers, flashlights, anything but headphones. Is there a reason for that? EDIT: typo	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyynceg" ], "text": [ "Well with airpod style ones, the only feasible way to charge them is through wireless induction charging. I myself have a wireless headset that I can listen to while charging." ], "score": [ 6 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ni0how	How are software update numbers assigned, for example version 22.13.001 vs 22.14.001 vs 23.01.001... what would be required to change one number vs the others?	Edit: Also forgot to include in a scenario where you have 22.13.002 vs all the others	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gyz7afy", "gyz7mtf", "gyz83np" ], "text": [ "Different companies and different projects have different rules about when numbers change, how many numbers to use, etc. But in general, the more serious the changes in the software, you increment a number further to the left and all the nu...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ni883s	Why do people buy nfts? I dont get it.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz0hcbf" ], "text": [ "I am very much just as puzzled at this whole hype as you are. However, the fact that there are copies of the video all over the net isn't a good argument, imho. You can get prints (copies) of the Mona Lisa all day long, it's still a different matter to actually own th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ni9l6g	How does pausing in video games work?	What happens when you pause a game? Why are you able to just stop all the work the computer is doing and perfectly able to let it go again? With all the calculations it's doing, especially for 3D games, surely pausing it can mess up something that's in the middle of running.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz0r3yl", "gz0qjnj", "gz0pgfp" ], "text": [ "> With all the calculations it's doing, especially for 3D games, surely pausing it can mess up something that's in the middle of running. Why would it? You also can put down your pencil at any point when doing math on a piece of paper and t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
niik90	How do paleontologists discover underground cities and fossils?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz20uxm", "gz244in" ], "text": [ "Detective work really. We know fossils form under very specific conditions. Essentially an organism needs to get covered up somehow before it's eaten or decomposes. While the soil around it petrifies. Water seeping through will slowly erode the organism a...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
niirw4	How does a children's spring microphone work?	Here's a link to a diagram ([ URL_2 ]( URL_2 )) and a picture of the microphone itself ([ URL_0 d=2ahUKEwjCtNGls93wAhWQBisKHdRABGMQ2-cCegQIABAA & oq=how+does+children%27s+spring+microphone+work & gs\_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1CWHlj1JmCMKWgAcAB4AIAB-AGIAZIJkgEFMC42LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ & sclient=img & ei=5AepYMKyNpCNrA...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz273qy" ], "text": [ "You may have heard that LEDs can also be used as light sensors, or the reverse. We make these devices separately, because we optimize them for one function or the other, but each type of component can be used the other way if the need arises. Speakers and microphones ar...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nijh8r	How do 3D printers work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz22yrj" ], "text": [ "They work in a variety of ways, but the most common two types are FDM and SLA. FDM aid basically a computer controlled glue stick. It squeezes a long thin bead of semi molten plastic from a nozzle, which cools and hardens after it has left the nozzle. The part is split ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nijs46	Why a base 3 or base 4, computer is not practically used? Won't they be able to perform more calculations in lesser bits?	The argument I heard against this idea was lack of sophisticated hardware to differentiate more than two energy level i.e. high/low (0, 1). But why haven't we made such advancements to realize a computer with (0,1,2) or (0,1,2,3) as possible values per bit?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz256vp", "gz24ove", "gz2dlmm" ], "text": [ "We kind of have but I don't think it's what you were expecting. Sensing voltage is a far more complicated circuit and would take more area than the equivalent in binary which is what's more important in a CPU. An SSD on the other hand is tr...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nim2sm	Why is it that whenever we buy a new electrical item like headphones or similar, it is usually pre-charged but only a bit rather than fully charged?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz2hblm" ], "text": [ "Modern lithium batteries break down if they're left fully charged for a long time, or if they're allowed to discharge completely. When the device reads 0%, it really means 0% of the safe amount (and 100% is really 100% of the safe amount). They will very slowly disc...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
ninb4x	What does the A-10 “Warthog” accomplish that an AC-130 Gunship cannot?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz2obvt", "gz2o4tk" ], "text": [ "The a10 is relatively fast and can get in, hit a ground target, and get out. The ac 130 in comparison is a huge, slow target. It does have bigger guns, more ammo, and higher loiter time, but the two aircraft really have different roles and applications. A...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nisbov	What is Torrent seeding and how does it help?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz3h5jj", "gz3ipse" ], "text": [ "Torrenting works on the basis that instead of you getting a big file from a single source you instead have a bunch of people who each give you a little piece of the file you want, and you give them little pieces you have that they need. A person who is gi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nivq48	How come birds don't get electrocuted when they stand on power lines/phone lines?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz417bm", "gz40ysm" ], "text": [ "Electricity is a very lazy force. It won't flow through a path if it can't get any benefit from it. Each of a bird's feet is on the same line, and so they're at the same \"electrical potential.\" The electricity in the wire has no motivation to travel thr...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nix06n	How can Iphones detect liquid in the charging port if waters trapped inside and you try to charge it?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz4b6tx" ], "text": [ "It senses more than one contact is touching themselves with each other and it shuts the port off until they stop touching each other." ], "score": [ 27 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njcik5	How was the very first computer able to understand commands? How did they code a system to understand code in the first place?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz6kqsv" ], "text": [ "The very first computers didn't understand computer code, they were programmed by hand using a series of switches. The famous Bronze Goddesses used to decode enigma during WW2 were programmed manually in this way. But you could argue they weren't true computers yet, as ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njdj3n	how does my gps determine how long a trip will take? Because I feel that I speed atleast a little most of the way, but the time of arrival never changes		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz6rkel", "gz6sitn", "gz6ro87", "gz6wc32" ], "text": [ "Because it is actually really difficult to decrease travel time by simply increasing speed especially in small constant amounts. For example: 10 mile journey 10 mph - 1hr 20 mph - 30 min (saves 30 minutes from above) 30 mph -...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njet3r	why is it people can hear our phone calls through car speakers but not our music?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz71pha" ], "text": [ "Cause the volume on phone calls is louder?" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njhglw	What is a short in electronics?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz7ctdn", "gz7fa6w" ], "text": [ "Electricity wants to go the shortest path to from the power source to \"ground'. But people put a bunch of lights and chips and stuff in the way and make it go through that all first. It you mess something up and make a shorter path it will 100% take that...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nji8dg	Considering that CCTV footage is the primary way of identifying shoplifters, bank robbers, etc., why is the footage for something so important such low quality that you can barely identify a face?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz7hsza", "gz7hfdr", "gz7i7bh" ], "text": [ "CCTV cameras can't be recording all the time because high res video uses up a lot of space. So CCTVs use tricks like lower resolutions, temporary shutdowns, and compression to reduce the amount of storage they require. You CAN have super hi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njkd7q	What is Zero Point Energy? And how could alien ships use this for fuel?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz7vfzp", "gz88vgi" ], "text": [ "Zero point energy is the lowest possible energy state of the vacuum, the \"buzz\" of the void. It cannot be accessed or used in any way, no matter how advanced the technology (unless our physics is wrong). A difference in the amount of energy is needed in...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njl31y	If the Sun emits electromagnetic radiation and the Earth is protected by the ozone, how does things sent to space protects itself from it? (spacecrafts, satellites, ISS, astronauts, etc.)		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz7yuep", "gz803xe" ], "text": [ "Very few astronauts have been at a high enough altitude in space to worry about that too much. 99% of astronauts have only been to low orbits and so are protected by the Earth's magnetic field. The ones who went to the Moon just had to accept a higher cha...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
njxvg9	Why do image and video quality worsen the more they are saved and uploaded? What contributes to this?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gz9r303", "gz9qi1v" ], "text": [ "Many of the common file formats use various forms of 'lossy' compression, which means that they reduce the file size by discarding some of the information contained in the image/video. So each time you save the file again it gets compressed again, and mor...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nk481j	What prevents us from seeing source code in closed source software?	Doesn't that code have to be somewhere in the app in some form for the app to function? & #x200B; EDIT: Thanks for all the responses. I think I get it now.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzatia8", "gzasr61", "gzauhq7", "gzaxaj3", "gzasxcn" ], "text": [ "No, the source code is more like a recipe which creates the app code which is needed for the program to function. The source code is all laid out in a logical, human-designed and human-readable format, and th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nkcad1	What do the letters in car models mean?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzc2v06" ], "text": [ "It's mostly marketing lingo, and the letters can mean something different based on which car company you are talking about. Partly because those letters are trademarked. For Mazda RX is 'Rotary eXperimental' For Lexus RX it's 'Radiant Crossover' GTO - Gran Turismo Omolo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nkfzu9	how do microphones in a phone not pick up any audio that the speakers put out? if I put a call on speaker mode, how do people on the other end not hear themselves?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzda5dl", "gzdkykr", "gzd36aa", "gzdc2na", "gzdnyj0", "gzd0or7", "gzdqgot", "gzdmu1t", "gze20bv", "gze9n37", "gzdzh7z", "gzebnsx", "gzcux55" ], "text": [ "They do, and it is very difficult to mitigate. The first step is to isolate the speaker an...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nki9o2	Is the cut-down hashrate on the new GPUs going to affect performance in usual tasks?	As far as I remember, this was created to limit mining performance. If this cut-down is not going to affect performance in usual tasks like video editing and gaming, why do GPUs have it in the first place?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzd334c", "gzd4yrb" ], "text": [ "Hopefully this ends up being close enough to ELI5. As far as I know the hashrate limiter in the rtx 3060 was made in software only. More accurately with the GPU driver. I don't yet know how nvidia will end up implementing the same limiter in the upcoming ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nkki4f	How are videogame codes protected ?	Let's say you download a game and can play it offline. In theory, everything you need is on your computer, right ? So how come people don't just find everything, copy it and massively share (or sell for a lower price) folders with everything in ?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzdbvqg", "gzdp2t8", "gzddcpb" ], "text": [ "That's how pirated copies work, essentially. Not quite as simple as a copy & paste, of course. Games, like every other program, need to have what you could call an \"entry point\". It's a program or a function that needs to be executed to s...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nklb46	Noise cancelling headphones: how can sounds waves disable other sound waves? Is it possible that before the external sound wave travels the space between my headphones’ external microphone and my ear, my device has enough time to produce a sound wave that perfectly cancels it out?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzdfc6q", "gzdg3mg" ], "text": [ "Sound is pressure waves. And when one sound wave creates low pressure and another creates high pressure they end up canceling each other out in that perticular spot where they cross. The noise cancelling headphones just make sure that the spot where these...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nkxwl2	how do sharpening knives work?	I’ve heard someone say that there is a difference between actually sharpening a knife and making it not dull with a rod or something. What is the difference?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzfeyh5", "gzffptt" ], "text": [ "When a knife is used, the edge accumulates damage over time by either chipping off or bending over to a side. When you use a rod on a knife, you're just pushing all the bits that are bent back towards the center. There won't be an impact to any parts of t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nl11l2	Why can’t any batteries be rechargeable? Why are there specific “rechargeable” AA, AAA, and other batteries?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzg2bwh", "gzg02va", "gzh3a1t" ], "text": [ "Batteries use a chemical reaction to move an electric charge. When you're recharging a battery, you're basically reversing the chemical reaction. Not all of these reactions are perfectly reversible.", "Batteries are electrochemical devi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nl3w3a	What are drivers? Why do they need to be updated so often? Why are they even called drivers?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzguun9" ], "text": [ "Drivers are an interface between the operating system and the hardware. The operating system doesn't know how to operate every piece of hardware, so it needs something in between. I guess it's analogous to different cars having the same interface (steering wheel and ped...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nl9361	How does indexing the internet work? Like, what does a search engine like Google do to retrieve millions upon millions of websites?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzhbt5d" ], "text": [ "Internet search engines employ what are called \"spiders\", automated programs which will index web pages and follow links to find more pages, gradually working their way across the internet to find everything which can be found. Usually when people publish web pages ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nlb9iw	why is it that so many games have separate server regions for Korea and Japan when they’re right next to each other?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzhn82s", "gzhneou", "gzhq05y" ], "text": [ "Korea has different rules and laws aboth video games and having sperate servers for those that speak different languages is always a plus", "Korea and Japan have a bit of a rocky history between each other, but there is also perhaps a m...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nli9qd	how does the mechanical watches work?	I mean where do they get the energy from to power themesevles?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzinw2n", "gzimliy" ], "text": [ "There are manual wind watches, but those aren’t super common anymore. A lot of them today have a little weighted piece of metal on a rotor that’s usually on the bottom of the watch (and a lot of times visible if the bottom is glass/crystal). That weighted...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nlie3t	Cameras confuse the hell out of me.	How do they work? Is it glass or mirrors or something? It’s so confusing	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzinfif", "gzj8nei", "gzjma1g", "gzioqmc" ], "text": [ "Curved glass (a lens) is used to focus light onto a photo-sensitive surface - film for traditional film photography, a sensor for digital. Oftentimes this light is reflected off of a mirror inside the camera body for design c...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nliql6	Why, although planes are highly technological, do their speakers and microphones "sound" like old intercoms?	EDIT: Okay, I didn't expect to find this post so popular this morning (CET). As a fan of these things, I'm excited to have so much to read about. THANK YOU!	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzk93s1", "gzium0a", "gzkm5du", "gzl0v81", "gzk2uit", "gzktxd4", "gzmjnp7", "gzll551", "gzlcwto", "gzm0hqt", "gzm3zvv" ], "text": [ "I’m a commercial airline pilot and there is a lot of misinformation here. First of all, 99% of the time we’re on VHF AM,...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nluqlo	How do people with amputated Appendages (Arms mainly) control prosthetics to the point where they have control of the prosthetic fingers? Awesome technology, seems it's only getting better, but was wondering how the connection is made when they attach the prosthetic like a glove.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzkwqhf" ], "text": [ "A robotic neuroprosthetic (a prosthetic that you can move with your brain) works by implanting electrodes in the brain on specific locations where your brain will activate when you are trying to move the missing limb. Your brain has a designated “motor centre”, where th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nlvryp	Why do storage devices always seem to lose storage?	I bought a 64GB micro SD card for my switch and once I inserted it, the system tells me I had about 60GB. I've noticed USB devices do the same where if I buy a 32GB one, I would only have about 28GB to use give or take. Where does the extra storage go?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzl0wox", "gzl0uuz", "gzl1gzs" ], "text": [ "When you buy a 64 GB SD card, you're getting 64 gigabytes of storage. That's 64,000,000,000 bytes, since 1 GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes. However, when Windows shows storage, it shows it in the approximate binary equivalent, gibibytes (usually ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nlxig9	How can USB-C standard be updated to now support 240W power delivery when the plug size and number of pins don't change?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzlchdg", "gzm1hnb" ], "text": [ "More voltage Quick Charge and USB Power Delivery aren't stuck at 5V like old USB devices were The current USB Power Delivery spec allows for 5, 9, 15, or 20 Volt supplies and up to 5A on the 20 Volt supplies for 100 watts of power The new spec supports up...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nlyfxh	what is a NFT? Been seeing a lot in the news about videos and pictures being sold as NFT		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzlhmh8" ], "text": [ "All you need to know is that NFT’s are terrible for the environment because of the exorbitant amount of energy used to create them. Stay away." ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nm2ps5	How can digital currency cause blackouts?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzm4zu9" ], "text": [ "Bitcoin 'mining' can put a huge strain on a local powergrid, as people are trying to power more and more energy-hungry mining rigs. Basically crypto mining rigs are supercomputers that just try to solve math problems over and over again extremely quickly and at extremel...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nm48yb	why do hdmi/usb cables top out at around 50 feet long, when buildings can literally have miles of ethernet cabling and function just fine? Aren't they all just ones and zeros?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzmdo5p", "gzmdojd", "gzmcn77", "gzmfcf8" ], "text": [ "First, while there may many miles of ethernet cable in total, each length of cable between two connections is limited to several hundred meters at best. So there are not miles of a single cable even for ethernet. Second, 0 an...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nm7g36	how can NASA connect to distant planet rovers and far off satellites but there are still dead zones to cell phone coverage and internet connectivity on Earth		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzmukkx", "gzmuldo", "gzmvzc1" ], "text": [ "NASA's satellites have a clear line of sight between whatever's on Mars or in space. On earth there's a ton of radiation interference and construction materials that block radio signals... cell signals are also based on towers on the ground...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nm9tj8	What exactly is a computer doing when it "installs" something?	Like is it just creating the right files and folders in the right place or is it actually creating a special link or internalized set of protocols within the system?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gznayym", "gzncr5e" ], "text": [ "Both. The files & folders all need to be copied to wherever they're supposed to be. But the operating system (usually) needs to know the program exists so that it can send it the right type of files. For example, when you double-click an image file, the o...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nmcunq	When you convert an MP4 to a GIF, why does the file size often become larger?	When you convert a video with sound to basically a slideshow of pictures and effectively remove that sound from it, how would the file size actually increase? Shouldn't it decrease due to the smaller amount of data it now carries?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gznt3cv", "gznt6co" ], "text": [ "Gif uses an extremely old and inefficient form of compression, not really made to deal with anything like a movie. Gif is best suited to low color moving artwork. It was never intended to be used for video, and any video usage is just showing that you can...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nmjdi3	- What Is Radio Squelch?	I've tried asking a few people in person but I haven't really gotten a good explanation. Thanks!	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzowz98" ], "text": [ "Radio bands are \"noisy\"...there's always some constant background signal from random natural sources. We hear this as static on the channel, particularly for AM broadcasts (most commonly in the VHF used for hand-held and marine/aviation radios). \"Squelch\" is a funct...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nmoree	CPU chipsets	Is the chipset on the CPU or based on the motherboard? Like say an A320, is an older chipset for motherboards and cannot support ryzen 7's? Is it basically like a platform for CPUs, and the older chipset sometimes/most of the time accept the newer CPUs?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzpx1rz" ], "text": [ "> Is the chipset on the CPU or based on the motherboard? The chipset is physically based on the motherboard. They control communication between all the other components of the computer, allowing the CPU to work with everything else. Their design is done by the designers...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nmsglc	How does a refrigerator work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzqh15a" ], "text": [ "Expanding gas cools as it expands. First law of thermodynamics. Inside a refrigerator is a reservoir of refrigerant. This is a gas that is compressed into a liquid, as a liquid is a good way of storing a large volume of gas. The system allows the liquid to slowly bleed ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nmwla6	Why does 4K on youtube look better than 1080p on a 1080p monitor? Theoretically it should look the same because the monitor can only display 1920 x 1080 pixels max.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzr31io", "gzr1mny", "gzr4uh6", "gzsxwnp", "gzt063p", "gzr7ejz" ], "text": [ "More data All video is compressed, some more than others. When you ask for a 1080p video, YouTube sends you the file that has been compressed with settings that should looks pretty good on a 1080...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nn2366	What is physically different between a high-end CPU (e.g. Intel i7) and a low-end one (Intel i3)? What makes the low-end one cheaper?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzsaepc", "gzszbmx", "gzssj9r", "gzsyudd", "gzt2ki0", "gzszyg9", "gzs20u1", "gzsy9bn", "gzs22u8", "gzsnpgh", "gzsdnhe", "gzsw6b6", "gzs2fjz", "gzt32m4", "gztb54l", "gzu6krk" ], "text": [ "The process to make computer chips isn't perf...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nn3zi9	Website names market. How can we buy and sell a piece of the internet? Who is the original owner, and how did they come to be in their possession in the first place?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gzseop3" ], "text": [ "Basically, a non-profit called ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) plays the central role. The origins go back as far as one researcher doing it. Then, the US Department of Commerce took on a role but almost everyone agreed it shouldn’t be un...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nn9rja	How is HTTPS any more secure than HTTP, if literally anyone can implement it?	If I can just go grab free certificates online and edit my own server configuration to serve a site over HTTPS, how does that add any security at all? I thought the security was because there was some vetting process that served as a barrier to entry.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gztais9", "gztaooj", "gztco6i", "gzu98sj" ], "text": [ "It secures the data between you and the webserver, so someone in the middle cannot see the contents of the page being sent or received (like when you're sending your credit card number). It also verifies that you are the site...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
nnd945	Why are phone batteries measured in mAH and car batteries measured in kWH? Why aren't the measured the same?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "gztwju9", "gzty28f", "gztw945", "gzu114h" ], "text": [ "You calculate Wh by multiplying the voltage of the battery with the capacity in Ah. Phone batteries all have the same voltage, so you can just look at the (m)Ah rating. A 3000 mAh battery always has more energy than a 2500 mA...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]

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