query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why do our eyes "burn" when we wake up without enough sleep? | [
"As you get more tired, your body tries to shut down so you'll go to sleep. That affects the amount of tears that are released by your tear (lacrimal) gland. So, less tears flowing, eyes dry out, and it burns. What's your body's solution to that? Close your eyes to cover the dry surface. Which, when you close your ... | [
"Looking at the sun or other bright lights cause you to sneeze because it's your body's way of forcing you to close your eyes so they aren't damaged by staring into light. You cannot sneeze with your eyes open"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
If it is illegal to melt down pennies, how is it legal to press them? | [
"Are you talking about how it's legal for the US Mint to press them? Because they're authorized by law to do so. If you're asking about those novelty machines that strech out a penny, it's because defacing the currency for non-fraudulent purposes isn't illegal."
] | [
"It's only against the law if you are doing it with the intent to commit fraud (i.e. trying to pass off that flattened thing as a 300 cent piece, actual currency). You may deface currency all you want as long as you destroy it, or don't try to pass it off as money."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
When a fan cools my body down by blowing air on it, is it just slowly evaporating all the water out of my body? How can there be new water to evaporate from my skin each time the fan swings past me? Seems like something else is going on (?). | [
"Sweat evaporating is very much a method by which your body cools itself, but that only works as long as you're sweating. The other method is this: Air is not that good at conducting heat. This is why when you stick your hand in an oven that's at 200C it's hot but bearable, but if you touch one of the shelves, it'... | [
"The air isn't actually changing temperature. It's an illusion that happens do to the evaporation of moisture in your skin. If wind if faster is evaporating more moisture and \"feels\" colder, if that same stream of air is slowed down then less air will be flowing over your skin so less moisture will evaporate and ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
What would happen to all our electrical infrastructure if the Earth experienced another Carrington Event like it did in 1859? | [
"We have satellites positioned in the L1 Earth Sun Langrage point, basically a point in space where the gravitational pull of the Earth and Sun cancel out. Data from these satellites give us advanced warning of any unusual solar activity that can have an impact on Earth - that data is monitored by agencies like the... | [
"Probably not much besides disrupting communication i.e. you may get a dropped call or bad Internet connection. Most if not all satellites are shielded pretty well against radiation and the Earth's magnetosphere takes the lion's share of the flare's energy. For a solar flare to do all the things you read about in ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How does this plastic surgery net thing work? | [
"I found [this article](_URL_0_) which explains that scar tissue has a different collagenous matrix than regular skin. Whereas scar tissue has collagen fibers that are arranged longitudinally, normal skin has fibers that are arranged in a \"basket weave\". This net that you speak of is possibly a \"scaffolding\" of... | [
"That's exactly how car insurance works. Can you clarify your question?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do cartoons decide to change art directions every season? | [
"It's most likely just that they're adapting to changing quality and aspect ratio of television (like Family Guy did when they made the change to 16:9 aspect in HD) and that they're finding easier ways and making more money to make better quality productions, as is the case with South Park."
] | [
"Funny you should mention South park. Although they keep the song, they change the scenes from season to season. Also the Simpsons, which has a different couch scene, billboard, and chalkboard every episode. The walking dead changes openings every season, sorta, because of the ... character changes. It all comes do... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Entertainment:"
} |
Why do cats/kittens do the "butt wiggle?" | [
"It's the pre-pounce balance and foothold assessment. From an evolutionary standpoint, an accurate but partly telegraphed pounce probably infers survival benefits greater than a silent miss."
] | [
"cats do kind of a 'rrrroo' sound to their kitties. more like a purr mixed with a soft meow"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What does it mean to be non-sentient? | [
"Sentience is loosely defined, with a vast number of people disagreeing on both what it is and what is included. The most common definition is the ability to perceive and be influenced by outside stimuli. Basically, the ability to feel (have emotions). This definition would include many animals. Intelligence, self-... | [
"What do you mean by the 'earliest breeds'?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
feeling the presence or stare of someone nearby | [
"It's a combination of picking up signals you're not conscious about and confirmation bias. Humans do not have some magical ability to sense other humans."
] | [
"You can be no more alive than those moments when you fear for your existence. After a while it becomes addictive"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are most republicans anti-decriminalization of drugs? Don't they favor less government power? | [
"Speaking in broad generalizations, republicans are against less regulation of business and enterprise, but more regulation of the individual. Someone who is for less regulation across the board would usually be called a libertarian. One way (not by any means the only or best way) is that a republican is someone wh... | [
"Liberals believe that government should use it's power to promote social good & equality. Libertarians believe that government should do as little as possible. Liberals are pro-abortion because they believe in a woman's right to choose. Libertarians are pro-abortion because they don't think government should be ag... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why is it that people with diabetes are not allergic to sugar. | [
"When a person allergic to peanuts has a peanut, that persons immune system goes all haywire attacking the peanut, and ends up attacking the whole body as collateral damage. When a diabetic has sugar, it enters the bloodstream but their body is missing the \"key\" to get it into cells, so It just sits there in the... | [
"There is a major difference between nutritional deficiency and a deficiency in caloric intake. The latter is what most likely concerned the early settlers, as opposed to modern diets that recommend limiting so-called \"empty calories.\" So yes, it's pretty outlandish. I wouldn't try to starve someone by giving the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Where do companies like Winco/other grocery stores get their own brand of milk? Do they have cows? | [
"Grocers often have their own brand of *many* foods and drinks. They simply pay the factory to make extra packages with the store's name on them. They rarely own that factory."
] | [
"Most of the time the store brand is produced by a major manufacturer, just marked differently and sold to a different demographic. For instance when I worked for a grocery in college the milk we used was rebranded barbes milk. Sold for a dollar cheaper too."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
2 men responsible for wildfire are being billed $37 million, the cost to put it out. How are they expected to pay this? | [
"If they cannot pay it all now their wages will be garnished from now until the point that the debt is paid. Not all debts can garnish your wages, but governmental debts and legal fines can. These types of debts cannot be discharged via bankruptcy either. Odds are they will be paying for this crime for the rest of... | [
"Because the damages could end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can't pay that, an insurance company can."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do so many cigarette smokers find it ok to litter their butts? | [
"The same reason why other people litter or do things that in general only poorly educated people would do. The world is full of assholes, smokers who just throw the butt anywhere are a good example."
] | [
"Nicotine isn't such a problem. The tar inside the cigarette is what gets you lung cancer. Cigarettes are not banned for the same reason alcohol is not banned. Some people still like to do it even if it is harmful. Harming others however is still thought as morally wrong, which is why we see many countries banning ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:"
} |
17 and need to know how taxes work? | [
"Ask them what you have to do to have the most amount withheld (probably have to use `0`). How do taxes work? I'd say they don't. But to answer your question, an amount gets withheld from your salary each pay check and gets sent to the government every quarter. Then, at the end of the year you file your returns wh... | [
"Because people think they are the best. Do you want to enumerate your concerns?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why, if the majority of people are right handed, are laptop trackpads usually on the left? | [
"Of all the laptops I've used, the trackpads are either centered with the laptop as a whole (e.g. a Macbook) or centered between the home row bumps. Sometimes, this introduces an offset to the left to make room for numerical keys on the right side (in the case of a 15\" laptop). Moreover, the spacebar is likely not... | [
"Because anything left of middle is liberal, and anything right of middle is conservative. You might as well be asking why half of a table is on the right and the other half is on the left."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is not being attracted to a race, racist? | [
"a lot of what determines our initial attraction to someone is completely subconscious. your body smells pheromones and other things like facial symmetry because your body wants to create healthy offspring (and gene diversity helps keep kids healthy). for some people it is psychological and could be based on a cert... | [
"I don't think its a case of women being more attracted to other women, it's just more socially acceptable."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How can an undocumented immigrant speak at the DNC and not be arrested? | [
"The choice to begin deportation proceedings against any alien is at the discretion of the executive. Being in the U.S. illegally is not a crime, but the situation with crime is similar: the prosecutor isn't *required* to charge anyone with anything. The Obama administration, like most before him, isn't actively de... | [
"Yes, federal law enforcement agents could waltz in & arrest everyone. Currently, the president has issued an order prohibiting them from doing so Theoretically, that could be revoked at any time or when the next president comes into office."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are there so many different programming languages, and what's the difference? | [
"This is because everybody is free to develop a programming language. Besides that everybody has his own taste and requirements. There are languages which are for example more suited for web or standard applications, others may be more low-level to build more specialized stuff. Languages can evolve or fork into dif... | [
"Are you looking at getting into programming for fun or out of interest in programming? Are you looking into it as a way to get jobs? Your question is ambiguous so it's hard to tell what kind of answer would actually help you. For example, one big difference between the two is that C# mostly gets used by companies ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do Australians Love the Word "Cunt" | [
"We use it casually in the UK too, when I moved to the U.S. I quickly discovered how easy it was to offend an entire store full of people when addressing my friend as a cunt on the phone."
] | [
"It doesn't mean anything. It's like \"Rama Lama Ding-Dong\" or \"Give Peace a Chance.\" --Homer Simpson"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is sin of (pi minus an angle) equal to sin of that angle? | [
"The easiest way to visualize it is probably to look at a picture like [this](_URL_0_ ). (sorry, it's hard to explain using just trig without pictures). So, your normal sin(theta) would be like the triangle in quadrant1 (top right). Now go look what happens if you to to pi-theta (i'd recommend going to pi, and then... | [
"Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This ratio crops up basically anywhere you have circles or spheres. It's determined by simple measurement. The derivative of e^x is e^x, which is unique. This means that the slope at any point on the curve is equal to the y-value. This is supremely impo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why certain isotopes of chemical elements become radioactive, and why they have varying half-lives | [
"All things want to be stable. A nucleus is generally stable when it has the same number of neutrons and protons. If a nucleus isn't stable it will get rid of particles until it reaches a stable state. The release of particles is radiation, the type of radiation depends on the type of particles released. Half life ... | [
"While an organism is alive, it is constantly taking in new matter and expelling old matter. as such, the ratio of carbon-14 to other types of carbon inside the organism is the same as it is elsewhere. When the organism dies, no new matter is taken in, the the radioactive carbon-14 will start to decay into other el... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The saying "easy as pie" | [
"Googling this would have been a piece of cake!"
] | [
"Because 90% of the time, the adage \"you get what you pay for\" holds true."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
I need to understand servers well enough to explain the concept to my boss... | [
"The term \"Server\" can refer to software that provides a service (e.g. a database, a website, etc.), and it can also refer to the computer running the software that provides that service. Based on the clues in your text, it's almost certain that you'll need both a SQL (software-)server and a web (software-)server... | [
"\"Simplifying\" is not the same as \"dumbing down\", for one. Take the rules of this sub, for example - we don't *literally* explain things like we're talking to a 5-year-old even though we *do* try to simplify to the degree a layperson can understand. And that's another point. Say I'm a high-level network securit... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:"
} |
Why is the majority of Africa still so underdeveloped? | [
"[Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond](_URL_0_) does a great job of explaining this. Some of it is poor nutrition. There's also hundreds of years of oppression, terrible soil for cultivation, exploitation by developed nations, religious and cultural customs that insist upon living in the same manner of their a... | [
"Let me rephrase the question then. Why are there no poor countries with a majority of white people? I'm still very curious."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people view the movie 'Birdman' as pretentious? What makes movies pretentious in general? | [
"To me, it felt like the movie's main theme was about how it's \"so hard being an actor.\" It felt like a bunch of actors stroking their own egos. Also, it felt like they were saying that actors are above playing comic book characters and superhero roles because they're somehow better than that, or they're too impo... | [
"The problem with this question is that it's very subjective. Everyone has their own opinion on what is or isn't good. Good Acting - Did you believe the characters? Good writing - Did you enjoy the story and dialogue? Good Directing - Did you enjoy the film? The normal audience opinion doesn't matter any less than ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do we make a "Ssshhh" sound to tell people to be quiet ? | [
"Well, this thread turned into a colossal fuckfest. Thanks for the answers guys but the mods seemed to have deleted the majority of them and I saw a lot of different answers so for the moment I'm gonna have to leave this one as \"unexplained\" for the time being."
] | [
"Because it could startle them and they might attack you. It is a myth that it will give them a heart attack or put them into a coma. \"They\" say the best thing you can do is gently lead them back to bed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How does the Plumbing on a Rotating Building/Tower Work? | [
"The center of the building is stationary, which you can see an example of [here](_URL_0_) All the pipes from the floor would flow to the center of the stationary part, where they'd connect to a piece that can constantly spin (like /u/friend1949 mentioned). [Here](_URL_1_) is an article about the architech from the... | [
"Not sure if it's the same link ecakir meant, but this is awesome: _URL_0_ It has the live camera feed, as well as a chart of exactly what each person is doing at that time. For example, at this moment: * Kotov is on Routine Activities - Exercise * Hopkins is on Routine Activities - Lunch (Experiments next) * Mast... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why does my face look super puffy when I wake up? | [
"Cause you drank loads of booze the night before?"
] | [
"You're not tired, you're dehydrated. You go for 8 hours without drinking a thing while you're awake and you'll. Be lethargic and sleepy. Make drinking a pint of water the first thing you do when you wake up, you'll feel better in minutes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Health:"
} |
Why is it that some gay women are attracted by other gay women that are very masculine in behavior and in looks that they almost look like men? Is there a grey area? | [
"Gender and attraction are not black and white. Some people are attracted to masculine women some to feminine men. Everybody is different and has what they're in to. So to answer your question of if there is a gray area; yes absolutely, a whole lot of gray area."
] | [
"Two reasons: 1. Confirmation bias. Two femme lesbians are less likely to be seen as a couple, so you don't notice them as much or assume they're just friends. 2. Butch is a style, but it doesn't actually stop them being women. A straight dude wouldn't want to date a man no matter how effeminate he was, it's the sa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between the phoneme /th/ (as in ‘think’) and /th/ (as in 'leather')? | [
"The first is an unvoiced fricative, as in the sound can be sustained and the vocal folds don’t vibrate. Air just passed through your mouth to make the sound. The second is a voiced fricative. Your vocal folds vibrate and you can sustain the sound on a specific pitch. The position of your tongue and teeth is the sa... | [
"A \"silent letter\" usually serves to signify the pronunciation of another vowel in the word. For example, compare \"man\" and \"mane\" or \"din\" and \"dine.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why were the mongols so successful? | [
"Dan Carlin has an excellent podcast covering this topic. It deals a lot with military history, but also with a variety of other aspects that made the Mongols successful: _URL_0_ It's six parts long, but well worth it!"
] | [
"Ghengis Khan died before he ever had the chance to try. His successors, had some success in eastern and central europe, but infighting among themselves and splitting of the former Mongol Empire into several different states drastically reduced their armies abilities. By the time the successor states were once agai... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why are medication and surgical operations so much more expansive in America compared to other countries? | [
"Our healthcare is among the best on Earth, but our insurance industry is very big and powerful, and they like profit, so they set high prices for products and services. We missed the chance after WWII to nationalize healthcare like with the NHS in the UK, and that let insurance companies get as big as they are tod... | [
"There is much greater adoption of public transportation in Europe than in the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does symmetry make people look more attractive? | [
"Not 100% sure about this but I think that it is in our genes. Symmetry is associated with healthiness. Back then when it was \"only the strongest survive\" symmetry was (and is) a sign of a healthy individual with good genes. If you have a healthy partner, you and that person are more likely to create a strong an... | [
"My guess is that attractiveness should correlate with fertility because that would help make the most babies. The traits we perceive as young are similar for other species too. Big eyes. Smoother skin. Good hair. Good health. In a good mood. Attractive dogs really have a lot in common with attractive humans."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Animal behavior:"
} |
The difference between Black Metal and Death Metal | [
"Stylistic: Black metal vocals are distinctly higher pitched, while death metal vocals tend to have a lower, more gutteral sound. Black metal guitars are also often higher pitched, and the play style creates a more ambient droning sound compared to the slightly more melodic sound offered by many death metal bands. ... | [
"Metal is heavier than rock, hence heavy metal."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Music:"
} |
What does today's interest rate change mean for me as a homeowner? Does it affect non-home owners? What real effect will regular people see? | [
"If you have adjustable rate debt - mortgages, credit cards, car loans - your interest rate will go up slightly. If you are \"locked in\" at a fixed rate, it won't affect you. If you have savings, you *might* also see a slight increase in the interest paid to you. People who want fixed rates in the future will hav... | [
"The rate of the central bank is going to be very different from the rates offered to individuals by commercial banks. The Federal Reserve (US) kept its interest rate in a range of 0% to 0.25% for years, but commercial rates for, say, mortgages was in the range of ~3-6% during that period. But yes, you've got the b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
For the people that answer ELI5 questions: A Challenge! | [
"[link](_URL_0_) for the lazy - and i'll give it a try."
] | [
"Ask Reddit - ask for advice, stories, explanations etc. ELI5 - get complicated stuff explained so anyone can understand."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why is some handsoap labeled 'Antibacterial' and some aren't? Isn't all soap antibacterial? Isn't that the point of soap? | [
"No, most soaps are just \"release agents\" which just help remove particulates without actually killing bacteria. Antibacterial soaps actually contain an antibiotic that kills the bacteria. Also you shouldn't use antibacterial soap all the time, it's bad for your immune system."
] | [
"Handsoap doesn't kill germs. It just washes them away. They're still alive, just down your drain now instead of your hands. Because handsoap is PHYSICALLY removing them and not CHEMICALLY killing them, they can't develop a resistance to it. -- > Edit: As /u/willfap5pron notes, there are antibacterial handsoaps con... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Microbiology:"
} |
Differences in responsibilities between Sec. of Defense and the Joint Chiefs | [
"The Joint Chiefs is a group of military advisors to the President. They have no operational authority or ability to command troops. The Secretary of Defense is the second in command of the United States military, after the president. They are the head (think CEO) of the Department of Defense."
] | [
"In peacetime, they report to the Department of Homeland Security. In wartime, they're subsumed into the Department of the Navy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
If the (US) police arrest someone who is unconscious, would the arrest automatically be invalid because they weren't read their Miranda rights? Why or why not? | [
"No. It's a common misconception that you have to be read your Miranda rights at the time of arrest. This isn't true. You have to be advised of your rights before you are _interogated_ by police, not arrested. If you are not, anything you say in that interrogation may not be admissible in court. In this case, since... | [
"I'm not 100% sure it's legal to refuse to respond at a police checkpoint. But if it is, it's due to the 5th amendment to our Constitution, which says \"(no person) shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself\". Basically, you can't be forced to say you've committed a crime. That being s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
we went to the zoo today in the United States and there was a machine there where you put in 51 cents and turn the wheel to flatten your penny with an imprint on it. I thought it was against federal law to deface currency? | [
"It's only against the law if you are doing it with the intent to commit fraud (i.e. trying to pass off that flattened thing as a 300 cent piece, actual currency). You may deface currency all you want as long as you destroy it, or don't try to pass it off as money."
] | [
"Probably not. Modern vending machines identify your coin by its size, edge shape and the faces. There is a laser that reads the coin as it goes by and determines if it is real and either accepts it or gives it back. I recently had a quarter that the machine wouldn't take. The Pepsi guy was stocking the machine nex... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How do sharks and other sealife smell blood from miles away even if the blood itself doesn't cover that distance? | [
"They do not. The *only* way they can smell blood is if at least some particles of that blood have traveled all the way to where they are."
] | [
"smells are just vapor or particles in the air that react with our nose. When smells go away, whatever vapors or particles that were in the air causing that smell have spread out enough that it either isn't going into our nose at all, or such a small amount is there that we can't detect it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do many people look down on "Blue Collar" work? | [
"Because it used to not be this way. College was not that expensive 30, 40, 50, 60 years ago (and more difficult to get into, so completing a degree was actually looked upon as a real accomplishment). Now, actually looking down on the workers is a dick move, because you don't know their life, but considering how a ... | [
"> cultural differences There are plenty of cultural differences between the East coast and the West coast."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do our voices sound different on recordings then they do when we hear ourselves speak? | [
"Than? Basically, when you talk, you are mostly hearing what you sound like when the sound travels through your body..composed of bone, fat and meat. When you listen to a recording, you are hearing what your voice sounds like when it is traveling through air."
] | [
"Keep listening to recordings of yourself to desensitize to the way it sounds. You hear a much richer version of your voice as it vibrates bones in the head, but this is how others hear you. Just get used to it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Language and Communication:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Language and Communication:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Language and Communication:"
} |
If I don't eat breakfast, I don't even get hungry for a while, but if I do, I get hungry before 11. | [
"During a fast, such as the one that most of us enter during our nights sleep, the liver is basically providing the brain with glucose, fuel. When you wake up, your hormones dont change until you eat something. If you dont eat, glucagon stays high and your liver continues fasting state metabolism. When you do eat, ... | [
"Am i the only one who looses their appetite after drinking ? I tend to not even want food until like 3 pm the next day"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
If the Democrats are now down to 3 Presidential Candidates, whilst the Republicans are still at 14. Would whoever gets the Democrat nomination not have a huge leg up on the Republican one in the campaign process? | [
"Yes, they will most likely have an advantage in the national election. And, being honest, it means Hillary is going to have an advantage in the national election because she's not really had to campaign much against her fellow Democrats. Pay attention to her stump speeches, what she says when she gives a talk in ... | [
"He balanced the budget for New Jersey and put together a number of charter schools for the state. Not to mention he is the governor of a populous state that saw extensive damage from Hurricane Sandy, and has done a relatively good job at rebuilding in the aftermath. Finally, he's relatively moderate in comparison ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do humans have eyebrows? If they served a purpose, what was it? | [
"They shade your eyes from the sun, help reduce glare off of objects, aid in communication by being expressive when we speak, and help to keep sweat out of your eyes."
] | [
"There were other apes that did but they've gone extinct. Having opposable thumbs means that our grip strength isn't as good as it would be if we didn't have them. But at some point in humanity's past having opposable thumbs became much more of an advantage than being able to climb trees faster."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is female toplessness considered nudity, when male toplessness is pretty much acceptable? | [
"There is a documentary on reddit somewhere that shows a man undergoing a sex operation to become a woman. I think the video was hosted on youtube. The video shows the surgeon making the female breasts. At a apparently random point during the operation youtube censors the, now, female nipple. It's the same nipple! ... | [
"Social norms. American society has decided that violence and blood is OK while nudity and sex is not."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do you sweat underwater? | [
"Yes, as long as your body is trying to shed heat it will sweat. You just won't notice because you are wet."
] | [
"How do you know that you don't sneeze in your sleep?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How can Alphabet make Google's life easier | [
"It's basically taking all of Google's current child companies (like Calico, a biotech company) and moving them up a level, alongside Google rather than under it. So the old management structure may have looked like this: _URL_0_ Which doesn't make much sense if you think about it. Why should a biotech company be ... | [
"5 year old answer: We've built technology that helps us build more technology at a faster pace."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why did the endless cascading of windows (such as the 'not responding' window)on older operating systems occur? | [
"Windows didn't cache a windows pixels when something is placed above it. It simply asked the message handler to render that area of the window when the area was returned to the window. When the message handler is unable to execute this it keeps the pixels that were last rendered. A message handler can fail to hand... | [
"You probably activated a loop back function of a reddit page if the loading time of your browser was too long."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Rainbows with missing colors | [
"The other colors should be there, but maybe with a quite low intensity so you cannot see them with your bare eye. Since the light comes from the sun the only missing wave lengths should be the [Frauenhofer lines](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"It's ultraviolet, and the some has a little, it's the light that gives you sunburn. The LED has a lot more."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How do cicadas "count out" their 17 year cycles? | [
"They're not hibernating for 17 years, they're actively living underground and just reach maturity in 17 years."
] | [
"It's actually the sound of their wings vibrating at a high speed. Hummingbirds do much the same."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Could a quantum supercomputer brute force 128 or 256 bit keys? | [
"Quantum computers are fast because for certain kinds of computation, they can perform it with essentially infinite parallelism. In other words, instead of trying all 2^128 possible keys one at a time to brute force the correct key, a quantum computer could try all keys simultaneously. So current the current encryp... | [
"More bits = slightly slower encryption but more secure, since an attacker has more bits to break. In practice, AES works by dividing the input into blocks and performing some repetitions of transformations on each block. The number of repetitions depends on the key size: 10 repetitions for 128-bit, 12 repetitions ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What is a Half Life (not the game) | [
"It's the time it takes for a radioactive sample to decay to half of its original amount. It's also sometimes used as the amount of time it takes for half of a certain drug or chemical to leave your body."
] | [
"It is most likely number 1. It's like a scaled up and computerized version of \"Guess Who!\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
Why haven't any car manufacturers made a hybrid or "earth-friendly" vehicles that are appealing when it comes to looks/design? | [
"Have you looked into the [Tesla Model S](_URL_0_)?"
] | [
"Tesla make all-electric cars. But what really sets them apart is that they're not the \"hippy\" electric cars that most companies have been making, but rather something sporty that has enough luxury to compete with BMW or Lexus (and a price tag to match). One of the big shakeups is that they sell directly to consu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why when looking out at the ocean from an airplane do the waves appear to not be moving at all, while other objects like cars are still in motion? | [
"It's because your brain needs something relative to base the wave speed on. A car will look like it is moving relative to a road/landscape. Waves in an ocean have nothing for the brain to base the motion from, unlike waves on the shore. So unless there is a rock or something to break up the area and show motion, w... | [
"Next time you're in a fast moving vehicle (and not driving) look as far off into the distance as you can, then look right beside the vehicle. Things really far away barely seem to be moving while things really close to you appear to be zipping by. At night, the distance you can see is greatly reduced so all you ca... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does it matter that the NSA has access to private information? | [
"What would you say if your neighbour was recording your calls and saving your emails? How about if it was a complete stranger? When you asked them why, they'd say 'to make sure you aren't a terrorist'."
] | [
"The main difference is in the method. Most spying involves selecting a target. Then doing all you can to spy on that target. The NSA and British GCHQ are collecting everything from every citizen. Then looking for stuff they want. If you have made a phone call it is stored. This is questionable in US law. This is... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do humans form bonds with animals so easily? | [
"we're social animals, forming bonds with members of our tribe is important to survival. those mechanisms aren't so strict that it only works for humans."
] | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why are there things I want to do, but can't make myself do? | [
"I guess it's a light form of procrastination: you're not actively resisting cleaning up, but subconsciously you're finding other things to do that would bring faster satisfaction: watch a movie, read a book, etc. To really get started on something you have to do, break it down into smallest steps, like in the case... | [
"You only remember the good and forget all the little things that made it mundane. Also you won't fully know the value of something until you no longer have it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why are insects so annoyingly good at avoiding my swat attempts? | [
"The species & offspring whose nervous systems didn't emphasize maneuverability and fast reflexes were swatted into extinction long ago."
] | [
"Yes, it teaches you to stay the hell away from mosquitoes, the single deadliest animal on Earth for humans."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can't we make a painkiller that isn't addictive? | [
"We don't really understand addiction, lots of recent research suggests that addiction is not just a physical issue. Thousand of soldiers in Vietnam were using heroin, but stopped, did not go through withdrawal, when they came home. Plenty of people get high doses of pain killers in the hospital yet have no issues.... | [
"I live in Colorado and have a \"RED\" card allowing me to use it for medicinal purposes. I'll answer any questions you've got. My condition is chronic pain caused by a bulged disk in my lower back. It doesn't make the pain go away, it just makes me not care that it hurts. In that regard, it's no different than a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why alcohol can have commercials and not tobacco | [
"In Sweden you can't advertise alcohol or tobacco so..."
] | [
"They consider the caffeine to be a harmful substance that God would not want you to put in your body, like alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What would happen if all the bees were to extinct? How would that effect our food source? | [
"Beekeeper here, this infact did happen in a region is china known for growing pears (thank the big ag fertilizer giants for that). All the blossoms must now be pollinated by hand. In short most fruits and veggies would disappear, many nuts. Many grasses used in Animal feed is similarly have trouble. There are a fe... | [
"Some animals play major roles in an ecosystem. Bees for example were just added to the endangered list and are very important. Something like 80% of our grown food depends on them more than any other thing for pollination... if they disappear then so do our crops unless we start doing it manually by hand or start ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What Did Aleister Crowley mean by "Do what Thou wilt" ? | [
"Crowley believed that human beings each have an intrinsic purpose - a 'will' - and that the pursuit of this purpose was the only constraint on action. When he says \"Do what Thou wilt\", he is saying that you need to act in accordance with your purpose. Note that it does *not* mean \"do whatever you feel like\", a... | [
"\"Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes.\" ~Walt Whitman"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What are the financial advantages for video game developers to make their game for one system only? | [
"Generally, they get a bucketload of money from some platform's parent company to release exclusively on that platform for some period of time, then they use that time to develop the versions for the other platforms."
] | [
"The Platform companies not wanting to allow it. They believe they will get less money because people will not buy multiple copies of a game, and they believe that people may move away from their platform entirely. There are also concerns that mouse and keyboard on computers will put those players at an advantage o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about videogame development:"
} |
Why (and when) did mint become associated with holidays, mainly Christmas? | [
"Mint is a hardy herb that can survive frost and even snow. I remember people keeping mint alive in Michigan winters just by clearing back the snow. I'm guessing this is connected to your answer."
] | [
"Bunnies and eggs are both symbols of fertility. Which are from pagan traditions celebrating the spring. Christianity just adopted pagan holidays as the religion spread. It integrated the religion in to the celebrations, rather than trying to stomp them out. That is why we still have pagan elements in it. And the s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why the MLB does not have a salary cap | [
"Because the rich teams like to treat the rest of the league as their farm system, and the players like being showered in money. Since a salary cap has to be part of the union agreement, they work together to make sure that never happens."
] | [
"The NFL and the NBA use the NCAA as a farm system. MLB and NHL both already have farm systems established."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
At what point does a knife become a sword? | [
"The transitions are a bit muddy and have shifted through history but a dagger is a double edged knife, a dirk is a dagger that is 6\"-12\" and a short sword is 1'-2' in length. Then you have numerous kinds of longer swords. But the answer to your question is 1'."
] | [
"The same reason it's okay to carry a knife, but not a tower shield."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why is "empire" spelled with an "E" when the latin root is "imperator" | [
"There is no international authority on how words are said or spelled. Dictionary spellings and definitions are merely accepted conventions that evolved organically over time and often there is no hard and fast answer for why a word is spelled or pronounced the way it is. People just did it that way. As for why it ... | [
"Classical pronunciation (i.e. during Roman times) is always hard C. So, yes, Caesar would be pronounced \"kai-sar\" and Cicero \"key-ker-oh\" And, yes, December would be pronounced with a hard C in classical pronunciation as well, like in decade (which shares a root--the latin for the number 10 is \"decem,\" and D... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
If I drive 5 miles going 40 mph vs. the same 5 miles going 80 mph, will one require more gas than the other? | [
"The short answer is that at those speeds yes, air resistance increases and going 80 will take more fuel. If you stick your hand out of the car window when doing both of those speeds you will notice that the air pushes harder on your hand at 80mph. The car engine needs to output more power to hold the speed because... | [
"When you look at a speedometer and you see the car is going 55 mph, you can extrapolate where the car will be in one hour, even if you've only been in the car for 5 minutes. Or perhaps a better analogy, you can also look at the fuel gauge and calculate how many more hours the car will run before it runs out of ga... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Astronomy:"
} |
How much is a human actually worth? | [
"Yes. Healthy, working organs go for a nice chunk of change on the black market. The black market thrives due to people needing an organ donation but not wanting to wait on a list for years and years, because not enough people donate organs. The extent of how much this happens is... unknown. It does happen, but it'... | [
"In the real world why would anyone want to be a politician?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where did the Native American Indians that actually discovered our part of the world come from? | [
"They were descendents from a group of humans that crossed from what is now Russia over to what is now Alaska. This happened 16k to 11k years ago. Eventually as the ice age ended sea levels rose leading to the land they crossed to end up under water. This meant the humans being able to populate the New World withou... | [
"Colonization... Remember? These maps were drawn by people who had never even been to the African continent. This is yours , that's mine etc etc"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's the difference between a trademark, copyright and patent? Could they not just be one broader thing? | [
"A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or other imagery that identifies the source or ownership of some set of goods. They do not expire. Other people are allowed to use or reference your trademark, so long as they are not trying to deceptively claim to be or be sponsored by the trademarking organization. A patent ... | [
"In the USA, a patent has a proprietary time frame. (maybe the correct term) I believe it is 17 years. Once that time frame is up, they can't use your logo or brand name, but they can use the general aspects of your patent."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
when a sudden cold gust of wind robs me of my breath, what's actually happening? | [
"The cold gust of wind is stimulating the [mammalian diving reflex](_URL_0_). This is a autonomic nervous system response present in all mammals that slows the heart rate and breathing rate when your face is submerged in cold water. But a blast of very cold air can have the same effect."
] | [
"because it does, it has your actual heart's beat. as does just about every bit of you. the band-aid is just putting pressure on it, so it actually becomes noticeable. maybe it's on a bit tighter than it needs to be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In June 2016, how exactly can there be 94,708,000 able-bodied Americans between ages 18-65 who are not in the labor force? Can there actually be this many people who gave up after being unable to find a job after X years? | [
"Stay-at-home parents, students, early retirees, the self-employed, and those who work off the books. There are plenty of reasons a person without a job to not be actively seeking one. If you continue to read the article: > The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 5,923,000 people in May as \"persons who currently w... | [
"You're imagining a past that isn't actually true: 1. there have always been a larger number of adults making minimum wage, or near minimum wage jobs in the U.S. than would be acknowledged by the \"american dream\". The percent of people making minimum wage today is VASTLY smaller than the percent who were making i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
It is recommended that you don't sit on a toilet for a long time but I sit in a chair all day at work, what's the difference? | [
"While it is recommended that you don't sit down all day *at all*, a toilet seat is especially bad because your weight is concentrated on a relatively thin strip across your legs. This compresses the blood vessels and results in much worse blood flow compared to sitting in a normal chair."
] | [
"It's because you only try to fall asleep in an uncomfortable condition when you are exhausted, but you are rarely that exausted at the end of the day while relaxing in bed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Sleep and boredom:"
} |
How come movies and TV shows don't film at actual locations? Why do they use different locations and make it look like the intended location? | [
"Money and convenience. It's much cheaper to build a set that looks like a snowy tundra than to actually fly out cast, crew, etc. to a *real* snowy tundra. Not to mention that then you'd have to deal with the weather. And your cast and crew would not be so happy about spending months away from their families. And ... | [
"According to the commentary of 28 Days Later (excellent movie, BTW), they went downtown, before morning rush hour, blocked off certain areas, and filmed. Because they shot on digital, they didn't have to waste all this time setting up elaborate camera configurations; so they were able to do it quick and on a small... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Law and Entertainment:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Law and Entertainment:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
In the wild, animals see brutal murder all the time, so why are humans so easily affected by tramautic events such as murder or rape? | [
"Humans are highly social. In fact, it's conjectured that our brains went on a path of more advanced development than other primates because this permitted better interpersonal communication, allowing for more complex relationships and language, and this gave us a reproductive advantage. The flipside of this is tha... | [
"It's beveled that morbid curiosity is a natural instinct because watching and leaning about accidental and/or violent death has survival value. Seeing it happen to someone else helps us learn how to not meet the same fate, so we're therefore compelled to watch (and subconsciously learn about) these things. Go on ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Plane emergency landings | [
"You don't. You crash land and hope the cars move out of the way. You don't. A plane that emergency lands on a highway doesn't take off again. FAA regulations forbids flying until a thorough mechanical review is performed. The plane is dismantled and trucked off to a hangar."
] | [
"Adrenaline kicking in for flight or fight response."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How do the computers in a car boot so fast? | [
"they arent booting an operating system, they are much simpler. They dont ever turn off either... they are always powered on, low power mode, but they are ready to listen for FOB commands."
] | [
"There is a lot of software running in newer TVs. Basically they need time to boot."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How do toilet bowls empty faster than the toilet tank can fill it? | [
"Once the bowl outflow reaches critical siphon capacity, it creates a siphon that sucks the rest of the water out"
] | [
"Because it wouldn't do any good. If a toilet is clogged, an overflow isn't going to magically allow the water to drain around the clog. If you stuffed a bunch of toilet paper down your sink's drain, the overflow hole wouldn't help in that case either."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How can someone use bots to do things repeatedly on a website that would normally be limited to one action per user account, like voting in a poll? | [
"Depends on the level of security implemented. If a site limits things to one action per session using php sessions or cookies to track this, it's not hard to clear cookies or reset a php session. If it's once per account, then the bot will attempt to create an account, perform the action, sign out, repeat. If thin... | [
"It's designed to stop automated scanning programs from registering a million accounts automatically for any reason. The idea is to pick a task that is easy for a human but can't be easily programmed. That makes it harder for spammers to overrun your site."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is the legal age of consent for sex less than the legal age to watch pornography? | [
"Laws usually don't have to make sense. It is what the politicians and the lobbyists can make the people think are concerns."
] | [
"How do you prove parental consent online? Also, the age of consent is not the same everywhere. The company is probably covering themselves legally by making it 18, a common age in the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why is it that if I cook something in a deep fryer or oven, it gets crispy, but if I were to cook the same thing in a microwave, it gets mushy? | [
"The crispy, burny flavor we all love so much is called a maillard reaction. The surface temperature of your food reaches a point where this begins to happen. Microwaves just superexcite the water molecules inside so you don't get the reaction."
] | [
"The microwave doesn't heat them as evenly as the steamer in the hotdog stand does. In order to heat them enough in the microwave, some parts tend to get over-cooked."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why is AC current better at long distances than DC? | [
"**AC power can easily be transformed to a very high voltage.** * By the equation P = U*I we see an increase in voltage (U) must lead to a decrease in current (I) for the same power (P). * With Ohms law I = U / R, we can calculate the power loss in a resistance (the cable) as: P_loss = R / (U²) or P_loss = R * I²... | [
"AC stands for alternating current. The flow goes one way, then the other way, really fast. The device is receiving alternating no matter which way you plug it in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it possible for a donkey and a horse to mate if they are two different species? | [
"The ability to produce a hybrid species is not all that rare in the natural world. However, their differing number of chromosomes do make it so that mules are generally sterile. Edit: While it's often stated that the difference between 'species' is the inability to interbreed, that's not really accurate."
] | [
"A basic rule of thumb (it doesn't always hold) is that if you can mate with another animal, and you produce offspring that can reproduce, you are of the same species. Humans can reproduce with other humans of any race and produce viable offspring. Dogs can do the same thing (through different breeds), etc. A lot o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why was the moon red? . | [
"The atmosphere will scatter light of lower wavelengths (i.e., blue and purple light), which means that those colors won't pass straight through the atmosphere very well. Red light passes through fine, however, so when the earth starts to cast a shadow on the moon, light must pass through the Earth's atmosphere (in... | [
"Short answer: The Illuminati. Long answer: Topography + windpatterns Have a look at: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do men experience nausea when their testicles are struck? | [
"There's a cluster of nerves (the celiac plexus) that gives feeling to the testes as well as the liver, pancreas, stomach, gallbladder, and colon. So, getting hit in the balls will give you gastrointestinal symptoms like stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting, through reflex stimulation of this nerve cluster. In other... | [
"When males are aroused their penis becomes engorged with blood, causing an erection. Their testicals also receive more blood, although this isn't as visible. After an orgasm this blood flow is released. Some males experience pain in the testicals when they go for long periods of being aroused without release. This... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Sexual health:"
} |
Is there a general rule for differences in words ending in -ic and -ical? Like historic vs historical or symmetric vs symmetrical. | [
"As with the rest of the English language, lol no. Historic/historical: if something is historic, it is unique, interesting, noteworthy, as in historic landmark, historic event, historic peace treaty, whereas historical simply means it exists in history, as in historical event, historical marker, historical literat... | [
"In medicine, it's disc for ophthalmologic terms (terms pertaining to the anatomy of the eye), and disk for other parts of the body. In other areas there's no real consensus on which is which and people basically use whichever spelling they prefer like with gray and grey."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How is it that the Farmers Almanac can predict long-range forecast so accurately? | [
"It always rains around then. All you really have to do is look at a bunch of years and figure out the trends, and then combine all of them into a comprehensive calendar for useful application. I'm sure the biggest part of the whole thing is just accounting for drift in the solar calendar compared to the natural co... | [
"Because the weather is still a really tough to predict thing. It's dependent on so many factors that building an accurate model to predict the future is near impossible even with current tech."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The difference between / need for male and female bicycle designs | [
"Nowadays, if you're wearing a skirt, especially if it's short, it's more comfortable to use a female bicycle because you don't need to lift your leg over the back of the bike and show everyone your knickers. That's it. Same applies if the skirt is knee length but relatively tight. You can't lift your leg that far ... | [
"Simply that men make a larger share of the household income. However in advertisement there is a heavy emphasis on mother's for groceries and household products"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does cooling work? | [
"Contrary to popular belief, fans do not actually make a room cooler. Actually, fans actually make rooms slightly warmer. What's happening is convective heat loss; the circulating air more easily evaporates sweat, and therefore you feel cooler. So no, you cannot actually lower the temperature of a room with a commo... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What does a college grad need to know about finding a place to live? | [
"One tip: Living on your own is way more expensive than you think."
] | [
"If they can't afford a college education without loans, how are they going to afford studying abroad?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
/ELI16: How come we can create circles if their circumference is infinitely precise? | [
"You're getting hung up on the idea of Pi being a measurable distance. It isn't. It's the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its radius. To create a circle, you only need two points -- the center, and any point on the circumference. Set a compass to that, drag it around and draw the circle, done. It's only w... | [
"There is a slight mistake in your definition: irrational numbers cannot be expressed as ration of two WHOLE numbers a.k.a. integers Thus, a circle's circumference and its diameter cannot both be whole number for the same circle."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do internet startups get a big user base before they are well known? | [
"I remember watching a documentary on reddit and before they went to investors they would have fake accounts to make the sight seem more active thus it seems more interesting. Now if where talking about companies like Google they were advertised by their professor who eventually got the entire universe hooked onto ... | [
"They currently do not make money. They are planning to implement some premium or paid features in the future but as of now this really isn’t happening and they are just trying to spend money to grow their platform. This is fairly common business practice in the software/tech world."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
why do elevators always have close buttons that never work | [
"[According to 47-year elevator maintenance veteran John Menville, the \"door close\" button is just there to give people the illusion of control. It's a release valve so that after you have to wait for a million stupid things during the course of the morning, this isn't the straw that breaks the camel's back and c... | [
"they're not extra. they just don't have the correct light bulbs in them. each click is for a different light setting, from low to high. But you have to have use certain light bulbs or it won't work and you'll just get a click where nothing happens."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Electrical engineering:"
} |
why can we eat until we're full and then want dessert but can't manage to eat more of the main course? | [
"It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register you are full. Desert is also super tasty. On a side note, sweet foods suppress appetites. That's why sweet foods are usually served last."
] | [
"First off, there aren't really any foods that are zero calories. We drink things that have zero calories because we like to taste good things but not get fat. As for filling you up, water has zero calories, but after a half gallon, you don't feel like eating, do you?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why is the iPhone 7 waterproof in 1 meter deep water, but not any deeper? | [
"Because water pressure increases the deeper you go into water and something that can withhold the pressure of 1M of water can't necessarily withhold the pressure of 10M of water."
] | [
"Because they aren't literally \"waterproof.\". They are water resistant. So on the charging port, it has a cover to seal it because that's normally where water gets in first and the back cover is sealed better as well. There are some phones on the market that are waterproof but they are very bulky and unattractive... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How do police get from fingerprints to actually finding the suspect? | [
"first they check the fingerprint database to see if they are already on file, if they are not they fingerprint anybody who is a suspect to see if it's them, and then if they still don't have a match the case just stays open for years and years until one day somebody who thinks their past in long behind them get's ... | [
"Well they are, if they can be. The police and medical examiner will use fingerprints, DNA and dental records to match to known missing people."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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