query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
How do Helium Neon lasers work? | [
"You have two mirrors: One is very very reflective and the other is like a two way mirror (called an output coupler). So we going to bounce some light between the two mirrors so that the light can reach a high enough intensity to escape through the output coupler. Now the problem with using random light is all th... | [
"Can someone explain the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer's, please?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do pictures that have the same number of pixels have different file sizes? | [
"It depends on the type of file. But most file types that contain pictures are compressed. Some pictures can be compressed more than others - if there are large parts of the picture that are the same colour, for example, then it's not necessary to store the colour of each individual pixel, and space can be saved by... | [
"If the image is a lower resolution that the screen resolution, yes. If the image is of a higher resolution that the screen, no."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Am I the only one who occasionally gets that weird jiggle after I finish peeing? Seriously, what's that all about? | [
"your not. the urine is a warm liquid that is leaving the body, thus leaving you colder. the body compensates by heating up. by quivering, shivering, and other jiggles"
] | [
"Sometimes it feels nice, does anybody know why it feels nice occasionally (Feels like a massage) and sometimes it feels nasty like somebody stabbing you with needles?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does every site I go on need to mention that they use cookies now? | [
"The parliament of the EU thought cookies were big scary things and made it law that websites have to say they use them. There's big fines if you don't."
] | [
"I'm sure there are many alternatives, but nobody will use them if most people they know use Facebook."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does your heart feel like it's skipping a beat or fluttering when you have a "crush"? | [
"when you see someone you fancy you brain releases all sorts of chemicals but we will focus on the one you are asking about: epinephrine aka adrenaline. this chemical causes the heart to increase it's rate (fun fact: the brain does not tell the heart to beat, only to increase or decrease it's rate) this is because ... | [
"The release of adrenaline (more accurately called Epinephrine) is a hormone released by your adrenal glands, preparing you for a fight or flight scenario. The release of adrenaline speeds up the beating of our hearts and it's that fluttering sensation that makes it feel like our 'heart is dropping', when somethin... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
If camels and rabbits are an eco-problem in australia, why they don't they eat it to extinction? | [
"Have you ever heard the term \"Fucking like rabbits\"? They breed like crazy. They're also small, fast and like to hide. It's much easier said than done."
] | [
"We dont have a queen, we're mammals who fight each other. If humans behaved like roaches we'd all work together to reduce emissions and stop fighting each other."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
the Sun was proven to be a star in the 19th century. Giordano Bruno was killed because he asserted this in the 15th century. So how did Dante get away with it in his final verse of the Divine Comedy "Love that moves the Sun and the other stars" dated 1320? | [
"Bruno was killed because of his religious views and insulting a lot of people, nothing to do with any \"science\". The line in Divine Comedy might depend more on translation. In this version it is a bit different: In even motion, by the Love impell'd, That moves the sun in heav'n and all the stars. _URL_0_"
] | [
"> Didn't anyone ponder that in the 1500's? No. All educated people and many others (such as sailors) had known the Earth was round since the ancient Greeks. The hoary old myth that Columbus \"proved the world was round\" just really needs to die. NOBODY involved thought the Earth was flat at that time, and not fo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How come ads on YouTube are essentially unfettered and great quality but a 240P video buffers? | [
"The same ad may be played before thousands of different youtube videos, and so millions of people might be watching it at any one time. They can move those ads close to you and put them on a fat pipe right outside your door. You might be the only person watching the actual video, and so it is cold and far away, an... | [
"Yet I use a 10 second clip if a song in my 7 minute English video and it gets removed hours after I upload"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When fired directly into the air, wouldnt a bullet fall at 9.8m/s^2? | [
"MythBusters did a segment on this some years ago. Here's a summary: > In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal velocity and is therefore render... | [
"No, because most objects on Earth don't have enough drag to slow their acceleration to 3.8m/s^2 , which is free-fall acceleration on Mars."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Empty buildings must cost the owner a lot. | [
"For Americans, it may be a stratagy to reduce taxes that the owener is paying from income generated by other properties. A taxpayer pays taxes based on how the income was earned such as income, capital gains, prizes and winnings, gifts, etc. One of the subcategories of income is passive income/losses where the tax... | [
"Because it is worth a lot of money to the government!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do skin tags bleed so much when you remove them? | [
"Skin tags are benign tumours and so have their own blood supply. So, in a sense your body \"knows\" to deliver more blood to them. It does this by creating a greater network of vessels, some of which are larger than typical capillaries you would find in the outer layers of skin. So when removed, they typically ble... | [
"Hangnails are just torn skin around your fingernails. Usually happens when your skin is dry or when biting your fingernails. To prevent hangnails, try to keep your hands hydrated in the warmer months and avoid biting your nails. Most of the pain comes from trying to rip them off. The hangnail sometimes makes your ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why is speed of light 300 000 km/s but not any other number? | [
"No reason. The length of a meter was defined long before the speed of light was known. 299792458 m/s is just a number"
] | [
"A car moving at 60 mph is moving at .01667 miles per second. Basically, things like cars and planes are not moving at a speed fast enough to make a non-decimal number in their speed per second. You need to be going 3600 mph to be going 1 mile per second. Light on the other hand is moving stupidly fast and its spe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
the random link address when you open a picture in new tab in facebook such as _URL_0_ | [
"Content like static images are frequently stored on what's called a CDN, or Content Delivery Network. CDNs generally have lots of servers all around the world that share the same content, so when your browser tries to load the images it'll do so from the nearest (and therefore fastest) CDN location. For example if... | [
"You can, you just need to build a filter to block the visible light: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How can cereal companies afford to print such colorful boxes when ink is so expensive? | [
"They charge you for it in the price of their cereal. Somewhere along the way an analyst figured out that having the colorful box increased sales enough to justify the cost, or that the colorful box made people willing to pay more for the product than the extra cost of the ink/packaging."
] | [
"Because people use white flour more. There is such a volume of white flour produced that it is still cheaper to make it even though there are extra steps."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why vegetables and fruits seem to go bad faster than they used to years ago? | [
"Produce sits in cold storage for a long time- It's possible oranges you see in March were picked in November the previous year."
] | [
"Those noodles are basically made of water and fiber so they have very little to no nutritional value. If that was all you had to eat you most likely would starve to death."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
(American) state secession | [
"Short answer: you cannot withdraw from the union. Longer answer: Pennsylvania and New York (if in remembering correctly) would have never joined the union if it was perpetual, however Lincoln established the de facto precedent that you cannot withdraw with the civil war (this was later backed in a Supreme Court c... | [
"during recession - currency during extreme meltdown of society - precious metals"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why do large banks get to "make a deal" with the federal government instead of just being fined, sanctioned or prosecuted. | [
"The number one reason is the US justice system is always a bargaining table. Prosecutors (at every level) take cases to trial only when a bargain can't be reached (or rarely because they don't wish to reach a bargain because they value the media coverage of the trial highly). It's exceedingly hard to prove legal ... | [
"They could do this. The system in place to prevent this is the fact that banks are frequently audited. Some are audited weekly and if money just appears in any account it is investigated and if a crime has been committed then people will be arrested, fined, and punished."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Technology:"
} |
Why do microwave ovens expel air? | [
"it's cooling the \"microwave emitting plate thingys\" they eat a lot of power and subsequently generate a lot of heat like a computer motherboard."
] | [
"If your plate is getting very hot in the microwave, it's probably not microwave safe. Some ceramics have ingredients which microwaves interact with, resulting in the plate being heated directly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is shifting into/out of neutral in an automatic car while in motion bad for the engine? | [
"Another aspect is the difference in engine speed to output shaft speed. In gear, engine drag still drives the input shaft of the transmission, this in turn operates the internal oil pump. This oil then is fed to the rest of the transmission. In neutral at high speed your output shaft and various internal component... | [
"Some cars DO have it near first gear... But with a lockout, to keep you from going into reverse unless you absolutely want to. The reason it's where it is on most 5 speed cars is because you would never make the movement required to get into R in normal driving. Which is the point... It's a safety feature to prev... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why does Coke at McDonalds taste so much better than Coke at other restaurants, and better than the bottle/can. | [
"What WtheCore said, plus drinks at restaurants are produced by mixing a syrup with carbonated water. Differences in the water used, errors in how much syrup is being used/maintenance and cleaning on the machine can all impact the end result."
] | [
"Aside from restaurants that are part of the Yum brands umbrella of companies. In general, Pepsi sells their syrups slightly cheaper than Coke. Since people don't typically pick the restaurant based on the type of soda they serve, there's no reason to serve coke at a restaurant."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Was there a time when Greeks worshipped the Titans instead of the Gods? Or did the entire narrative come about after worship of the pantheon of gods was already established? | [
"Not Greek but the jotunn or ice giants from Norse mythology were likely personifications of the glaciers they encountered in Scandinavia, especially embellished by a cultural memory of surviving the last ice age. In lots of mythological traditions there are representatives of wild destructive elements of nature co... | [
"If I recall correctly, before the Romans had much contact with the Greeks, they believed in \"spirits\" rather than \"gods.\" So the names for the spirits were first. Jupiter was a spirit. Then, the Romans had substantial contact with the Greeks and Etruscians and their \"spirits\" took the form of the Greek gods... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Megathread on United Kingdom, Pound, European Union, brexit and the vote results | [
"[Very helpful link explaining what's happening](_URL_0_) Sorry mods if this is against the rules, please remove it if it is..."
] | [
"See brexit? See the US elections? That's what didn't happen this evening :p"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why do all cameras/phones save photos to a folder named "DCIM"? | [
"It's a convention. Short of Digital Camera Images. The convention allows for a device to place files in a place that makes sense on media - e.g. you media may have lots of folders, but its going to use this one to place new images. It's not much more than a convention like \"documents\" or \"desktop\" (although ad... | [
"Because the lens doesn't record the photo, the sensor behind the lens, which is rectangular, does. Also, why did you single out webcams? [Here is a what a sensor looks like.](_URL_0_)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does russia get so heavily sanctioned when they supported the rebels but nothing has happened to turkey when they are supporting a group of mass murderers and barbarians that are a much bigger threat? | [
"Turkey is a Nato country with strategic position between Europe and Middle East. Because it is an ally, it is dealt with silk gloves. Kind of like authoritan Saudi Arabia is an important ally for the US in the Middle East, and US doesn't really raise up the humanitarian crimes of Saudi Arabia."
] | [
"My country backs the FSA, free syrian army, your country backs the current regime, Assad's regime. The US thinks Assad is bad for the area and replacing him would let the US have a stronger control over the area and probably get something we want at a better price. Also he kills lots of his own people. You're coun... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What causes the sensation that your hearing is muffled and your vision is blurred when you're dizzy or about to pass out? | [
"Sounds like low blood pressure. If that happens often it may be worth talking to a doctor about. If your blood pressure is low and you suddenly stand up it may take your heart a moment to get all that blood uphill to your brain. During that period your brain basically goes into self preservation mode. It draws blo... | [
"Blood pressure levels differ between different people. Those with lower blood pressure are more susceptible to this effect, because what's actually happening is the G forces of the roller coaster are pushing blood toward your feet. If the blood pressure level in your brain dips below a certain point, you'll start ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
While in China, spammers were able to send spammy text messages to my phone somehow, simply by me being there. How did they do this? | [
"When a cellphone connections to any cell network various things need to happen so that the cellphone works. The spammers have hooked into that process, legally or illegally. That's how they know you're there and how they can send an SMS to your phone even though you've never called anyone in that country."
] | [
"It's not that there is somebody sitting there, typing away madly like a Hollywood hacker, just to get into *your* account. They wrote a script, a program, to find any email address it can and break into as many accounts as possible, then send out the link. Between the time they wrote the script and the time it bro... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why doesn't the smell of excrement or urine get on your clothes, but the smell of curry does | [
"Question: does the smell of curry permeate the clothing, or does it permeate the body and scent the sweat? I had always assumed the latter. I don't find the smell offensive either way, but I had always planned, in case of a plane crash in the Andes where I am stranded for weeks with no food except corpses of fello... | [
"Instead of the unpleasant smells, you smell the very strong smell of (whatever matches are made of) burning. The burnt smell overpowers the poop."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what happens to bullets that get fired directly in the air? | [
"Bullets fired perfectly straight up come to a stop (or close to it) and tumble when falling back down, so they're less streamlined and don't reach anything like the velocity with which they were shot. Bullets fired at an angle, however, maintain a ballistic trajectory and are still potentially lethal. People have ... | [
"> why don't the bullets injure people on the way back down? They can and do. > Why don't people worry about where the bullets are going to go on the way back down? Because people are thoughtless and foolish."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does a ball bounce higher when it has more air in it? | [
"When a ball bounces, it deforms. With a ball that deforms more, more energy goes into the deformation, and more goes into \"wasted energy\" (heat, sound). With a ball that has higher pressure it deforms less, less wasted energy, and due to the conservation of energy, it will return more energy and bounce higher. T... | [
"Throw a soccer ball at a wall. When it hits the wall, what happens? It bounces. Now, the faster the ball is going when it hits the wall, the faster it will be going after it bounces off the wall. Because the soccer ball is bouncy, it is able to keep the speed it had before it hit the wall. All the bounce does is c... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why do I often read that scientists only search for planets that are inhabitable by our own human standards? | [
"NASA is joyously cataloging every last extra-solar planet that we can find out of a love of the pure knowledge of what's out there. The media only cares about planets that might be habitable by humans because ordinary people don't care about desolate rocks in space. But take heart - anything that shares even 1 cha... | [
"We would have proof positive that life exists elsewhere in the universe which, in and of itself, would be one of the biggest discoveries in history. Furthermore, if two planets just within our solar system can harbor life (with one of them being currently pretty inhospitable to it) than we can conclude with a good... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the point of scientists creating new elements if they are all extremely unstable and can only exist as a few atoms for a few fractions of a second? | [
"Solving a really hard problem usually requires one to solve many less hard problems, some of them for the first time. In solving those problems and documenting them you make it easier for future work which may come across those same problems. That's one of the cornerstones of science. In addition there's a hypoth... | [
"Well, theoretically you could go higher, but the higher you go the less stable it is and the faster it'll decay into elements with fewer protons. Protons are positively charged, right? And things with the same charge repel. Yet protons form incredibly dense, crowded nuclei. This is because of the strong nuclear fo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Chemistry:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Chemistry:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are memories, physically? | [
"When you think, neurons in your brain fire off, or individually pass electricity through themselves, and this creates patterns because of the sheer speed and amount this happens. When neurons fire off in a pattern, it's called a synapses and these patterns create 'connections' which happen at several million times... | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why did slavery in the 1800s only exist in the agricultural economies of the south and not the industrial economies of the north in the US? | [
"Because oddly enough holding slaves was pretty expensive and in the north there were hordes of immigrants that would work themselves almost to death for almost no money at all. Also, tradition."
] | [
"The main thing is that Poland immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Greek immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Irish immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Spanish immigrants going to North America went to Mexico, because it was a Spanish colony ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does going to sleep get rid of most 'simple' ailments (headache, sickness etc) | [
"Aside from the part where sleeping is when our bodies really hunker down and focus on healing/resting, most of these ailments are simply healed over a small period of time. \"Time travelling\" 8 hours into the future just gets the time over with. Your headache is only going to last a few hours, and sleeping gets t... | [
"A lot probably has to do with stress. Stress can lower a body's ability to fight of common illness. On top of that, severe stress can cause many of the same symptoms as illness - nausea/vomiting, fatigue, sleeplessness, even fever."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do electronics run faster under cold temperatures? | [
"Some modern electronics have built-in thermal protection that causes them to slow down to prevent overheating. Those that do not have this feature do not run any faster when cold. They run *more reliably*. When electronics get too hot the insulating layers inside the chips break down, voltages drift, and they sta... | [
"Yes, although it's less common because electronic devices tend to produce heat as they run. For example, I've caused a phone to shut off by keeping it in a cooler full of dry ice (it was a test to see if it would survive a trip to the upper atmosphere). Battteries can release less and less electricity the colder t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why isn't a virus considered a living organism? | [
"I believe the most commonly cited reasons include the lack of internal metabolism and the lack of an ancestral means of self replication without parasitizing nucleic acid polymerase and cellular ribosomes. It is somewhat of a fuzzy concept that is always evolving though. It could be thought of as analogous to why ... | [
"I don't understand the question. Do you mean what makes water such an essential compound for living organisms?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
If I don't like the taste of a food and someone else likes the taste of the same food, are we both tasting the same thing? | [
"Sometimes not. Some people are more sensitive to bitter tastes, for instance, and green vegetables like spinach taste more bitter to them."
] | [
"You can only taste 5 flavors: sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami. Everything else is actually your sense of smell. Your brain takes the info from what you are smelling, combines it with what you taste and process that as the flavor of whatever you are eating. So when your sick and your nose is stuffed up and you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do video game graphics and movie CGI look so different, when they're pretty similar in their creation? | [
"Video game graphics have to be rendered in real time at somewhere between 30 and 60 frames a second for the game to be playable where as the CGI for movies can take weeks to render out. There's also a style difference, where movies are trying to appear as real as possible while game CG is trying to be consistent."... | [
"So a really cool technology called photogrammetry is being used a lot more often these days in media, where high quality pictures, images, and videos are being taken and the images are then converted to code, which shows up as a 3D model rendering. That's not the answer to your question though. Many talented artis... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why don't the makers of microwaves remove the popcorn button since every bag of microwavable popcorn instructs the user not to press that button? | [
"Those extra buttons on your microwave aren't really for people to use them, they are to make the microwave appear to be of a higher value and quality to the customer. Because are you going to buy the microwave with the popcorn button or the one that appears to be inferior because it doesn't have this cool button c... | [
"Here are two extra questions: 1.What would happen if you jammed the door catch and started microwaving with the door open? 2. When I microwave olives (delicious), they sometimes spark, does that mean the seeds have metal in them and should I not be doing this without parental supervision?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Does getting sick with the flu once provide the same effect as the flu shot for that year? | [
"Kind of. You'll get immunity to that *particular* strain, but the flu shot typically contains vaccines against a few different strains. As such, you could still catch one of the other common strains that are going around, which the vaccine would have protected you against. Not all strains that go around are prote... | [
"Vaccines aren't 100% guaranteed to shield you, and some types of vaccines only protect from the most common forms of the virus. For example, your flu shot each year is formulated to protect against the versions of the flu which should be active that year. So if you're protected against versions a, b, c, and t, but... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Unemployment Rate for Teens and Young Adults in the US and what is being done to Improve it. | [
"I can't comment on Obama's/Romney's specific plans, since I'm in Australia and I wasn't watching your news coverage *that* closely. However, the unemployment rate isn't really something the President has much control over. Of course, this doesn't stop them from talking about it (because it's a popular topic that g... | [
"| Democrat | Republican ---------|----------|---------- Philosophy | Liberal, left-leaning. | Conservative, right-leaning. Economic Ideas| Minimum wages and progressive taxation, i.e., higher tax rates for higher income brackets. Born out of anti-federalist ideals but evolved over time to favor more government reg... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
In general, what is stopping the internet from being much faster than it is? | [
"So the speed of the Internet is still limited to the speed of light- if someone in Seoul wants to download information from a computer in New York, it will still take 36 ms to get there (meaning the minimum ping of someone playing on a New York game server from South Korea is 72ms- the time it takes to get there a... | [
"How long have telephone, power, water, gas, and etc... providers been around in most countries? That should give you an indication as to whether or not ISPs will be around for the extent of our lifetime."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What is happening with the hole in the ozone layer it used to be a huge deal but now i dont hear anything about it | [
"It's been recovering. News sources prefer more sensationalist stuff. It's a lot easier to get viewers when they say it's growing than it's shrinking, so they've largely stopped talking about it since it started recovering."
] | [
"From what I've heard they are caused by frozen methane and other gasses thawing and escaping to the surface. As far as what this means for the environment that is difficult to say without knowing how much gas was released. But I have seen a quote from some lead scientist in the area starting if a significant amoun... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How can gas station/mini-marts (in the US) reject large bills? | [
"\"legal for all debts\" means *debts*. If they haven't agreed to the sale and you haven't received the goods, there's no debt yet."
] | [
"Many gas stations don't make any money off of selling gas (unless when people pay with cash and there is no lower cash price). Many gas stations make 100% of their profit from the convenience store, and car wash if it has one."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what causes that "old" metallic-like smell in antique typewriters/cameras/sewing machines? | [
"It's actually a kind of body odor. When you touch the metal, it catalyzes the decomposition of oils on your skin and makes smaller, more volatile compounds that make up the \"metal smell.\""
] | [
"ivory in china, is like diamonds in usa. mostly useless but socially valuable. you can also make a lot of other things with ivory, buttons, hairpins, chopsticks, spear tips, bow tips, needles, combs, buckles, handles, billiard balls, and so on."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Biologically, why does a man often reach orgasm long before a woman? | [
"Male orgasm(ejaculation) is required for reproduction. Female orgasm is not. Makes for more efficient reproduction."
] | [
"Because if sex is not pleasant for them, the men are much less likely to ejaculate into their vaginas."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
When the police offer a reward for helping to catch a criminal where does that money come from? | [
"> Taxes? Does each police station have an allotment of funds? Yes."
] | [
"No, they don't put a death warrant out on the person. What the FBI is offering is that if you can show information that is suspect is dead, the reward will be paid to the person showing the proof. Not that you are supposed to kill the suspect and bring his head into the FBI office."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What does "going to the lowest bidder" mean? | [
"Usually it's referring to how government contracts are awarded. Contractors submit bids for how much it will cost to do a particular job for the government, and the government is required to choose the contractor with the lowest cost estimate. So like Apollo astronaut Alan Shepherd said: \"It's a very sobering fee... | [
"It's a fancy way of saying \"we don't do it in your area if it's not allowed in your area\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do the school/college history textbooks in USA capture the WMD-triggered war on Iraq? | [
"This is America. Most of our textbooks were written in 1989."
] | [
"The Russians and Americans attitude to economics due to their different histories are fundamental to their approaches to the world in general and their attitude to each other at the start of the cold war in particular. For more information on this - _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How can a medicine cause suicidal thoughts or actions? Is it possible you could engineer compounds to invoke certain kinds of thoughts? | [
"A depressed person might feel suicidal, but lack the motivation to go through with any sort of plan. It's not necessarily that anti-depressants \"cause\" the suicidal thoughts, but they can give a suicidal person the energy to kill themself if the circumstances that cause them to contemplate suicide aren't remedie... | [
"A lot of the time they are discovered by accident. In other words they don’t usually intend to create psychiatric medicine, but find that certain other drugs just so happen to have beneficial effects for mental health."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about pharmacology:"
} |
Why "John Smith" is considered a common/default name? | [
"John is a very common first name in history, in the US it was the most common given name up to 1924. Smith is also a very common surname historically due to the number of blacksmiths and other smiths needed for wars, who were also less likely to be killed as they were not fighting."
] | [
"To indicate that the country is a Republic. Why is Republic weird but Kingdom or Federation isn't?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why does India have so many people? | [
"The poorer part of India is against birth control, breeds until they have enough men to sustain the family, because once you're old you're supported by your children, and other cultural reasons that promote large families."
] | [
"Why do people in Western countries use forks?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What happens when our lips are chapped? | [
"The external covering of your lips is essentially a thin layer of skin. Like all skin, it can get dry. Poor hydration, sun exposure, and cold weather can all dry out and irritate your skin, lips included. When you lick your lips, you're rubbing your tongue over that skin and wearing it down through contact and sal... | [
"Why do you have so many lips and chins?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Biology:"
} |
What are the philosophical differences between transsexual and Transracial? Why is transsexual the only one accepted? Why are transrace people not accepted by any communities? | [
"Transexual also known as gender dysphoria is generally considered a real thing. Transracial largely exists on Tumblr and among stupid people. You can make certain biological arguments that since people are all created as one sex and our bodies morph during early stages of life that there can be a spectrum for gend... | [
"There are thousands of cases of transgendered people, doctors agreeing that it's a real condition that requires treatment, scientific studies suggesting that trans people have different brain chemistry, and organized groups working to promote transgendered rights. Vs one woman who is lying about her ethnicity for ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why did the Romans steal the Greek Gods and rename them? | [
"Same reason christianity re-purposed all the pagan holidays"
] | [
"The Romans didn’t like the idea of someone to rival their king. So they crowned Jesus king of the Jews and crucified him."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
If water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, both flammable elements, why is water not flammable? | [
"Fire involves, generally speaking, more complex chemical bonds with higher amounts of energy in their bonds, releasing their bonds, and re-combining with each other to form bonds with lower amounts of energy. The better examples of the complex chemical bonds are gasoline, oil, wood, peat, etc; they release the che... | [
"Can you ignite gasoline with a spark? Yes (gasoline vapors, actually). Can you ignite plank of wood with a spark? No. That's a simplified explanation of the difference. Flammable substances are very easy to ignite at room temperature, combustible substances must be heated up first."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How do hostage negotiations work? | [
"I'd guess rarely, or to the minimum amount possible. If they always give the hostage takers what they want, that just encourages others to try this same tactic in the future."
] | [
"Related question: What if I want to become a mercenary? What do I do?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are Criminals given multiple life sentences? | [
"Because one is charged and judged for each crime - not all together. Best example: Someone in jail (life sentenced) murders. Now he will have a new court case + judgement"
] | [
"Bankruptcy is not a crime. Can you be more specific?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Economics:"
} |
Why deploy all 10 Iridium-3 Satellites in the same location? | [
"The satellites presumably have a small amount of fuel on board. It doesn't take much fuel to tweak your orbit a bit to get the satellites all following the same orbit but spaced out around the orbit. Just dumping a satellite out into space is a great way to quickly lose the satellite. The real world isn't as clea... | [
"NASA has a number of special communications satellites called Tracking and Data Relay Satellites or [TDRS](_URL_0_) (non-ELI5 link to NASA). So instead of communicating to Earth directly the IIS, the Hubble Space Telescope or earlier the Space Shutte links up with the TDRS network which then forwards the connectio... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
ELI 5: Why does salt make everything taste good. | [
"A professional chef once told me that salt opens up your taste buds (which are microscopic pores on your tongue), meaning other flavors get absorbed by the tongue easier, making foods taste stronger."
] | [
"What on Earth are you talking about? 1. Humans can taste water. 2. How do you know that dogs can taste water?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Food and cooking:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Food and cooking:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:"
} |
How do people who are naturally tone deaf cope with languages like Mandarin Chinese where intonation determines specific meaning? | [
"_URL_0_ \"Tone deaf people seem to be disabled only when it comes to music as they can fully interpret the prosody or intonation of human speech.\""
] | [
"It's completely cultural. Some languages are tonal, which means that a word's tone is an inherent part of its pronunciation. If you change the tone from a falling one to a rising tone, you've mispronounced it and have likely said a different word entirely. In Mandarin questions are indicated by adding the word \"m... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How can an apartment advertise a "starting at" rent amount and then not honor that price because the "market rate changed"? | [
"It all has to do with the contract that you sign when you sign your lease. Most allow for them to change the rent based on market rate periodically. Normally it is once a year."
] | [
"Re negotiating: because you're easy to replace. Some places will knock off a month's rent as an incentive, but generally the rental market is flush enough that landlords set rates. If you were renting office space, the market wouldn't be so owner-friendly, and you'd have better standing. The prices vary because lo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did spiders develop their web weaving abilities, and what are the examples of earlier stages of this feat? | [
"A more primitive behavior can be seen in ground-dwelling spiders like tarantulas that live in burrows use silk to line the walls of the burrow instead of making elaborate webs."
] | [
"Instinct, programmed by millions of years of evolution. Octopodes also happen to be very intelligent for their size and show some quite remarkable problem solving skills."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If someone was in space, travelling at such a high speed that a noticeable amount of time dilation affected them, what would determine their age legally? | [
"Our laws arent equipped to handle this so it would simply go by his legal birthdate regardless of any dilation he experienced."
] | [
"Time is relative to speed. The faster you go the slower time appears to go from your perspective. That's why there's a universal speed limit of the speed of light, because the closer to the speed of light you travel the slower time seems to pass. If someone is at the top of a tall mountain then as the world spins ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why while cell phones continue to get slimmer, house phones are still bulky? | [
"Because cell phones are portable, they are small and compact by design. House phones are bound to a nearby outlet anyway, so size doesn't matter"
] | [
"Better question: why is there so much emphasis on the \"thinness\" of phones when the real determining factor of storage is its surface area? Assuming the phone isn't the thickness of a brick, a few extra millimeters isn't going to make it not fit into my pocket when it's already the size of a notecard. I'd gladly... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are there so much homeless people in Germany, although Germany having a social security system. | [
"Having social security system does not guarantee that everybody will make good use of it. Some people do not care, some people are mentally ill, some people want to stay away from goverment..."
] | [
"In addition here is an explanation/theory on why Germany has such a low birth-rate even compared to other developed countries: We are fantastically, sadly, drastically unfriendly to kids in all facets that matter. Our culture is very anti-kids, our programs for moms or dads who want to work are super bad, rent is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
If the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into? What exists in the space that the universe is expanding into? | [
"The super short answer is we don’t know. All we know is that the universe is getting less dense, and there is more empty space between celestial objects. Its also not doing so radially (from a center), but more just sort of in all directions. We know this through observation and measurement so we are sure its happ... | [
"The big bang wasn't what you seem to think it was. It wasn't an explosion *in* space that things are moving away from. It was an expansion **of** space, and it occurred at every location in the universe at the same time. Galaxies aren't moving away from some central point. Rather, space itself is expanding, which ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
For electronics that require double-A batteries, why do they typically require them to be reversed? | [
"Currents flow in one direction. In flashlights, batteries are stacked behind each other so that the current goes in a straight line. In other cases where batteries are parallel, the line must connect from the top of one battery to the bottom of another. For that to happen *efficiently* and without complication, ... | [
"They don't fulfil the same function, they differ in 2 critical features 1. Size - A triple A battery is significantly smaller than a double A allowing for much thinner or smaller devices than a double A, if you only had double A batteries then nothing could ever be thinner than 14.5 mm 2. Capacity - A double A alk... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is Google so keen on pushing its Google+ service on users, despite the backlash? | [
"Google's entire money making strategy is to target advertising towards users. The better they know their users, the better they are able to target relevant ads to them. I'm not bashing them for this, as it's beneficial to consumers as well (If I *have* to see ads, I'd rather see the ones for something I might be i... | [
"Google scrapped work on the product a few months ago. Partly due to public backlash (nobody wanted anybody to have those things) and partly due to market interest: a small core of gadget-folk were on board, but after that, the demand for Google Glass turned out to be pretty minimal."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Difference between Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland & the conflict | [
"[This picture sums it all up pretty well](_URL_0_). Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom - sort of like a US state. Republic of Ireland is an independent nation."
] | [
"The United Kingdom (UK) - A sovereign state made up of parts of two islands (the British Isles) England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland - The 4 nations that make up the United Kingdom Great Britain - The larger of the two British Isles. Contains England, Scotland and Wales Ireland - The smaller of the two Briti... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Geography:"
} |
why is the Blackberry messaging system "safer" than others / how is it encrypted? | [
"They are one of the only messaging systems that use full end to end asymetric encryption. Each handset have the only copy of a built in private decryption key. The coresponding encryption key is made public. The sender encrypts the message before it is sent to blackberry and it can only be decrypted by the receive... | [
"Whatsapp uses a modified form of the signal protocol - _URL_1_ The signal protocol is open source and has been scrutinized by crypto experts all over the world. It's probably pretty damn tight. You can check it out yourself if you like. _URL_0_ Could whatsapp have built in a backdoor in the closed source - sure, b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are "cuss" words considered so bad? | [
"Because they usually have sexual connotations. And sex is considered taboo."
] | [
"Most of the 4-letter taboo words in English come from Germanic languages and were considered crude to the Romance language (French, Latin) used by the aristocracy, as the last poster explained. In some languages the harshest swears are phrases that invoke religious figures like Jesus and Mary. Nearly every society... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Linguistics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Linguistics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Linguistics:"
} |
How does reading in poor light damage your eyes? | [
"It doesn't. You can get a headache from the tension of having to focus in poor light but there is no damage."
] | [
"Most people wear glasses so they can read. In the past, reading was less important, so people were less impacted by poor vision. Also, there is a good deal of evidence to suggest that reading contributes to needing glasses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do websites allow you to "skip" ads at all? | [
"Because if they forced you to watch a whole ad every time, you wouldn't come back. The advertiser knows that the person that they want to reach is someone who is interested in their product, and they would watch the ad. So they are happy to pay something even if the viewer skips the ad."
] | [
"The creator was able to quit his job and live off donations from users. From what the article I read said, companies may be able to pay for ads which will still pop up even with ad blocker. Although you can still opt out of seeing them by changing the settings, if you desire."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The many-worlds theory/multiple universe theory | [
"Imagine a bubble. Inside this bubble is our entire universe. For the sake of argument, imagine that you can't pierce or go outside this bubble. Now, there is some event that happens (lets say a coin flip), and the bubble splits. In one bubble, the coin flipped as heads, in the other the coin landed on tails. Other... | [
"Because 0 or 1 (false or true) is merely the interpretation we have given no electricity and electricity. That is physical, that is something a computer can \"understand\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
why do horses have to be put down if they break a leg? | [
"A broken leg for a horse is very dangerous to the horses health. They rarely lay down due to their weight and to keep a horse immobile for a period long enough is also bad for its health. This will explain it better _URL_0_"
] | [
"Well actually it's not animal cruelty to kill any animal. Animal cruelty comes in with torture and such. The remorse comes with animals that are close to being extinct. Example; kill a cow and make steaks that's ok, cut off the cow's leg and leave it alive is cruel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do Americans say "math" and "sports" while people from the UK and Australia say "maths" and "sport"? | [
"I know that people from UK say maths because it's an abbreviation for mathematics. That's all I got, hope it helps."
] | [
"Do you mean when to use \"while\" and when to use \"whilst\"? If you're British and you don't mind sounding a bit pretentious or old-fashioned, use \"whilst\". Otherwise use \"while\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
why China outlawing ivory trade decreased the price even though outlawing drugs has not done the same. | [
"Ivory is the sort of thing people like if they can get it but they don't like so much that if it's not avalible that people are going to go crazy finding ways to find it. If you told someone with a serious opioid addiction that the only way they could ever get more was to cook and eat their own mom you'd get some... | [
"what would you consider success? The war on drugs is never going to lower the amount of drugs to 0. Unfortunately the war on drugs is fighting against itself so that the more that is taken off the streets, the more valuable the remaining drugs become. An increase in the value of drugs increases the incentive to s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why doesn't the NES zapper for Duck hunt work on new TVs? | [
"When you pulled the trigger, the screen flashes black with a white square around the object. A photodiode on the zapper detects what colour the aimed screen is, and if its white you get a hit. That's all I know, as for why it doesn't work now I have no idea. Probably because the form of photodiode doesnt pick up t... | [
"Nintendo sells nostalgia, this is proof. Its pre packaged and easy to use, also the old Nes might not work with most new tv's. Ya you could build a raspberry pie emulator, download all the Roms (which is illegal) then build it. Or pay 80$ and play right away."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are some people able to open their eyes in the ocean without any discomfort, while other people's eyes can be very irritated by the salt water? | [
"Bitch grade or non bitch grade, Poseidon decides."
] | [
"The physical reason animals sleep with their eyes closed is moisture. Just have a good old staring contest with someone and you will see after only a few minutes your eyes will start to dry out and the urge to blink really kicks in. Now imagine leaving them open for hours straight. As for sleeping with your eyes o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:"
} |
How can a file that is 0 bytes can be stored when technically it shouldn't exist because it contains no data? | [
"Think of it as a filing cabinet. You open the drawer and you pull out a folder. The folder has nothing at all in it. It is a file with no data. If someone were to ask you how big the file is you would say it had no data. Even though it has no data, there's still a folder there and it still takes up space in the fi... | [
"Imagine a file that's literally just 45.5 PB worth of 1s. Like in binary just 1111111111... etc It's really easy to compress that, yeah? You just say \"45.5 PB worth of 1s\" and you've got the exact same data in a compressed form. You want your zip bomb to look legitimate, though, so you alternate more than that s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do heights feel taller when looking from the top down than from the ground up? | [
"Not to mention, let’s say you’re six feet tall. From the ground, the diving board doesn’t look that tall because your eyes are nearly six feet off the ground. When you’re on top of the board, the ground looks that much farther away because your eyes are nearly six feet above the board. That’s a difference in perce... | [
"The earth is a sphere and the moon orbits roughly along the equator. So those in the north the moon is in the southern sky so it waxes from left to right. In the south the moon is in the northern sky so the moon waxes right to left. Imagine a train on a track moving west. If you're standing north of the track faci... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Astronomy:"
} |
Why does everything crackle when I open the freezer? | [
"It's likely a combination of two factors: ice cracking and plastic bags. The ice will crack if there's a sudden change in temperature (particularly ice that is close to/around the door/freezer connection). Plastic bags are also filled with cold air. When they warm up (even a little bit) the air inside them will ex... | [
"It's so you don't need to take it out of your handbag every time you want to do something."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Hydro power generation, why is there only one big turbine at the bottom of the hill and not multiple? The water should regain its kinetic energy? | [
"Most of the energy comes from the drop in height, from the top of the lake to the level of the turbine. That generates immense pressure. Once the water comes out of the turbine, that pressure is spent. The remaining energy (which is indeed wasted) is small."
] | [
"Whenever you see a hydroelectric dam - that is using the energy from gravity to generate electricity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why did speakers make noise when phones nearby sent texts | [
"It was caused by interference with the signals the phone was sending, and the electronics of the speaker. It doesn't happen as frequently now, because we've refined the technology used in both, so speakers are less susceptible, and phones don't send as much power out, and thus you get less interference."
] | [
"As the phone broadcasts your voice, it add a inverse sound wave of your voice to the recording of the person you are calling to cancel your voice out. Like noise cancellation technology."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Technology:"
} |
Why can a nearsighted person see clearly in Oculus VR with glasses on, but not without? The lenses are an inch away, well within 'vision range'. | [
"The optics in the equipment will be set for viewing with a relaxed \"normal\" eye, ie one that would be focused on distant objects. So you (or I) would need our normal spectacles or contacts to get to that focus point."
] | [
"They can. But you need modified lenses, basically same strength as your regular prescription. I read that Oculus Go will offer this. Won't be cheap, I bet. If you wonder why the image can't be altered by the headset to be \"in focus,\" it doesn't work that way. You need to be able to focus on the screen, requiring... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do people die from choking on their own vomit, is there a reason the feeling of choking doesn't wake them up? | [
"When people choke on their own vomit, it's generally because they're so drugged up that they can't wake up or even move. Normally people, even really sick ones, are going to wake up and save themselves."
] | [
"There are various methods for doing it. It basically involves tilting someone back and pouring water in their nose and mouth to fill their larynx and sinuses. This induces a gag reflex, which forces you to cough and suck water in to your lungs. If you are tilted back, you won't actually fill your lungs, so you won... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do online videos un-buffer when you rewind them? | [
"YouTube started doing this a while ago, many people would pre-load minutes/hours of content without ever watching it, which is wasting YouTube's bandwidth. So, they now only stream video in segments, like 5-sec each. As for why the already played content isn't cached on your browser, these sites simply didn't allo... | [
"If you're having issues with YouTube buffering, go to youtubehtml5. Now it will load quickly, and you can scroll around as much as you want."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where did the idea for blue raspberry come from? | [
"There are actual fruits called blue raspberries, but they really look more purple or black (not to be confused with blackberries which are related but different). The bright blue color mostly came about to avoid having another red-colored flavor, since that color was already associated with cherry, strawberry, and... | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do paintings become so valuable? | [
"You know who is into paintings? Rich people. They are happy to pay a huge amount for these works of art they (or the art world) consider great, the money isn't a big deal to them, and often they are bought as investments to sell at a later date (art almost always goes up in value). When the people who want it all ... | [
"Not so famous? Very famous. There are many reasons why this happens. Certain painters become very famous and so you can use their painting like investment pieces, like gold but with a better interest. I don´t know how to explain why Gauguin is a great painter, but he is. Trust me."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why can't I sneeze voluntarily? | [
"Sneezes are caused when a a foreign particle irritates the hairs in your nose. They trigger the release of histamines to a specific nerve that starts up a reprogrammed response, a sneeze. Although you cannot voluntarily sneeze you can trick yourself into releasing histamines. Some people have a certain sensitivity... | [
"Oh, it comes out of your nose, too. Try plugging your nose while you sneeze and see how your head feels.* *Don't do this."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
Why is "XXX" associated with sex, nudity, and porn? | [
"The movie ratings organizations used to have an \"X\" rating for movies that were above and beyond \"R\" rated. IIRC, this has since been changed to NC17. Because X rated was associated with explicit scenes (though this included violence, not just nudity), it became a positive marketing point for pornografic films... | [
"It's based on the societal standards of the country... in America violence is fine while nudity and swearing is not. In England it's the opposite where swearing and nudity is fine on TV but it's censored for violence"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If large corporations aren't paying their taxes, why do we still get taxed on their products? | [
"Sales tax is separate from the corporate income tax. The sales tax is applied at the register and then the store sends that to the state. Then, in an unrelated event, the corporation pays taxes on their income (which they make from selling the product to stores, not when the store sells the product to you)."
] | [
"It would cost a lot of money. That money would have to come from taxpayers. Folks with modest income don't expect Government to start taxing the rich exclusively, given their political power. You can't tax poor people, they have no money. That means the tax would be on middle income people, and they don't want to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
steamOS and how its different to the steam client | [
"One is a client and one is an operating system"
] | [
"Is this going to make it possible to play PC games on other Linux Distros??? I mean if it's linux, couldn't the same ability to play PC games be implemented into Mint or Ubuntu Linux?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do malls and businesses not have peaked roofs like you see on houses? | [
"Flat roofing is cheaper to build, is accessible (you can go up on it and do stuff up there more easily, including maintenance and are unlikely to fall), and you can add another floor more easily if you want to. Providing you have a decent membrane on there and it doesn't need much maintenance, it will be cheaper i... | [
"There just are not that many people to fill the space. That being said, many people like to be located near useful utilities like schools, shopping centers, jobs, etc. So while cities seems just overly crammed with people, there is good reason they don't just go build a house on a few acres in the country."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why do leftovers make a popping noise while being warmed up in the microwave? | [
"Microwaves work by exciting water molecules in foods. So if you recall there was a commercial years ago of Velveeta and a popsicle being heated in the microwave. The cheese melts first. The water molecules in ice are locked in place pretty tightly. When heating up food the water heats up more in some spots than o... | [
"It doesn't, if you reheat it the right way. (Stop using the microwave.) In fact, I actually prefer some foods the next day. Lasagna is so much better on day 2, freshly reheated out of the oven."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Food:"
} |
If an older person is wealthy.. would it not be wiser for them to distribute some of that wealth the way they want BEFORE they die? | [
"In the income tax system, someone who gives another person more than $10,000/year pays taxes on their excess gifts (the tax is explicitly designed to tax wealthy people attempting to avoid estate taxes). It's not the will that causes fights, it's the money. Families are good at noticing even small gifts, and the ... | [
"If you are OK with your parents inheriting everything you own when you die then - and you have no spouse or children - then you're ok. If you want anyone else to have any of your property then you need a will."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Is the existence of light NECESSARILY paired with heat, or is it just that that's how we've always observed it? | [
"Pretty much everything is necessarily paired with heat, just because of how the universe is. Heat is basically just random motion, and since nothing's perfect, there's always energy that gets \"wasted\" in the form of heat when you try to do something. In theory, though, yes, you can produce light without generati... | [
"Matter can definitely be created and destroyed. Mass-energy, however, is preserved. Now if you want to go further with \"then how was mass-energy created?\" you're getting into \"Beginning of the universe\" stuff and we don't know how that functioned. Bear in mind that a physical law doesn't mean \"Mother nature h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about science:"
} |
Why incandescent lightbulbs are bad. And CFL bulbs are good. | [
"I can't find anything showing how much CFLs are still subsidized (if at all) by the government. Everything recent-ish that references CFL subsidies talk about the power companies themselves subsidizing them. Also, the video is misleading about at least one thing: incandescent bulbs are not being completely banned.... | [
"You know a lot of light is invisible, right? Infrared, for example. You can't see it, but you can feel it on your skin with your eyes closed when you're standing near something really hot. Take two lightbulbs that consume exactly the same amount of electric energy, but one produces only visible light, and the othe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where did the easter-bunny come from? | [
"Spring is the season of rebirth. The pagans celebrated this by honoring their goddess of fertility named Eastre. The symbols of fertility for the pagans were bunnies and eggs. The pagans emigrated and spread their religion. Germany took the bunny image and combined it with their freaky Oschter Haws bunny that left... | [
"Where did they come from, cotton eyed Joe?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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