query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why do we need to be in a state of sleep to feel rested? | [
"Think of our minds as an oven. When we are awake, the oven is turned on and is used for baking. However, splatters and drips from baking will accumulate throughout the day. Even though we are relaxing, we are still awake. It's quite difficult to clean a hot oven! Sleeping lets the oven shut off so we can scrub it ... | [
"Are you sure you are actually conscious of being in a dream rather than merely dreaming that you are conscious within a dream?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Sleep and its effects on the body:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Sleep and its effects on the body:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Psychology:"
} |
how bills such as PIPA and SOPA can still be brought up to be voted on when there is such astounding public opposition? | [
"\"Laws are supposed to be decided by the people\": completely wrong, laws are supposed to be decided by elected representatives. You probably have a biased view of what the public is and what it wants/cares about if you hang out on reddit, as well."
] | [
"They will make people know something is happening and that people are upset about the legislation. People who may not be aware of SOPA and PIPA will notice that wikipedia and other large sites are down and will see why. That should raise the profile of the issue and hopefully make more people aware its a bad idea,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Government and politics:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Government and politics:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does it feel like your heart sinks whenever you get scared? | [
"A surge of adrenaline and sense of extreme alertness. Your brain is forcing you to improve your focus and prepare to fight or flight. The heart sinking feeling might be related to a rapid increase in heartbeat. The increased heartbeat improves and speeds of circulation, which allows your body to have more oxygen a... | [
"To put it simply and briefly, your mind is going to freak out when you wake up and are unable to move."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Psychology:"
} |
the difference between 32 and 64 bit windows | [
"A bit, is 1/8th of a dollar. 32 bit windows is roughly 4 dollars, and 64 bit windows is roughly 8 dollars. Source: [Bit](_URL_0_). Haha, ok, no seriously though. \"The register is a small amount of storage used by the CPU where the CPU keeps the data it needs to access the quickest in order for optimum computer p... | [
"1024 because binary 1000 if using SI units."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How do award shows distinguish between the best film and the one with the best director? | [
"Directing is a skill like any other. For example, BIRDMAN is a film with a very distinct style, shot as if it were one, long take. That takes finesse. Further, directors work directly with actors, so if all the performances are good, the directing was good."
] | [
"Three reasons: 1) Promotion. 2) Promotion. 3) Promotion. The Oscars are there to make money, just like any other television show. In turn, they give the movies they nominate a boost at the box office and streaming rentals."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How much would each person earn annually if every U.S. wage was evenly distributed to every citizen, employed and unemployed, as an annual salary? | [
"It's not as simple of a calculation as it may seem, because a lot of the outliers (super rich people) don't get their money from \"wages\" like normal middle class people do. Their worth is tied up in all sorts of investments and other non-liquid areas. For instance, Bill Gates would provide little-to-nothing in t... | [
"My question is: Say the minimum wage is raised to $15/hour, up from the $7.25. How are the people already making up to $15/hour affected, assuming their employer doesn't double their wage as well?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why do papercuts hurt so damn much? | [
"I have no sources but I read once that it's because paper's surface is really rough, even though it appears smooth to touch. When you cut yourself with paper you're not causing a straight cut, you're devastating your tissues. And your nerves feel it all."
] | [
"EIL5: Why can't I stop sitting with my legs crossed, even though it hurts my knees, and why does it hurt my knees?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is W usually styled as a double-V and not a double-U? | [
"V and U used to be the same letter and did not differentiate until *after* W was introduced. W originated as a \"UU\"/\"VV\" digraph in the 7th or 8th century, and U and V only became distinct letters in the 14th century. Note that some languages do call it \"double V\" instead of \"double U\" (including: ~~German... | [
"Why does this small 'a' look nothing like a small 'a' when you write it...?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do you make new friends without going to bars? | [
"Find things you like. Find groups of people doing the same things you like. Join those groups and go to meet ups."
] | [
"Gets you out of the house. Can be social with friends and regulars. Potential to win money. No casinos in the area."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why can't you use history at roulette tables? | [
"Because you've already achieved something that has a 6.25% chance. The next roll is a 50:50 chance, and if it's heads, it coincidentally continues the streak. Look at this way: the odds are the same - 3.125% of rolling EITHER H-H-H-H-H or H-H-H-H-T."
] | [
"Why, when restored, don't they fix this then?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does turning the wifi router on and off again solve most problems with the connectivity? | [
"The same reason it works for a lot of technology. When you power on your router it loads its base firmware and your configuration from nonvolatile memory into volatile memory. This load represents the router in its perfect state. Then it goes to work. Inevitably on a long enough time line with enough work going on... | [
"If this happens regularly there is either a hardware problem with your router, or maybe more likely there is a software problem casing a memory leak or some other reason making it crash. Because a router should not need to be restarted with any kind of frequency."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
Why Does Canadian Internet Have a Data Cap? | [
"The companies have no competition so they can price gouge as they please."
] | [
"Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Ada... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are retirement communities allowed to operate and enforce age restrictions with facing discrimination charges? | [
"age isn't a protected class under federal housing laws. and the states have recognized the benefits of senior communities. and then there's the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 which basically legalized senior communities."
] | [
"For colleges there are scholarships and grants that are limited to specific races, ethnicities, and genders. For both jobs and colleges they need to know that information for legal purposes in case they get sued for discrimination in the future."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What is a Q-ball (physics) | [
"It's a collection of bosonic particles that is completely stable. because of this, it can't be split in to smaller states. The wild theory here is that one of these has \"infected\" the sun (not something that would really happen - the sun isn't dense enough to hold a Q-ball) and is \"eating\" it. Basically, they ... | [
"Spontaneous emission of radiation, or as is unusually apt in this case, \"black-body radiation.\" _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How do cells 'know' what shape the organ they're part of is? | [
"Organ development is actually a subject of research now. I'm not sure how much we actually know, but we definitely don't have a clear cut answer. My girlfriend actually does her PhD on this kind of subject, exploring how different pressures in different parts of organs might tell the cells where they are to guide ... | [
"If we took samples from your body of different parts and looked at them under a microscope we would be able to tell the difference between different types of cells. A brain cell would look like a brain cell and a muscle cell would looks like a muscle cell. They both contain a full copy of your DNA, but the brain c... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Could a nuclear bomb destroy an asteroid in the vacuum of space? | [
"The explosion could have occurred, there just wouldn't be a huge ball of fire and noise accompanying it. The real problem would be that when the asteroid would get blown to pieces, those pieces would still be on course to Earth. And still be huge. In other words the bomb wouldn't actually have been very helpful. T... | [
"Little bit of math (for known objects) and a whole lot of luck (for everything else). Also, space is VERY big. For example, we tend to think of the asteroid belt as this great big collection of rocks that are just kind of swarming between Mars and Jupiter, constantly bumping into each other. The reality is that if... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Science and Technology:"
} |
Difference between "/" (forwad slash) and "\" (backward slash? | [
"In Windows, backslashes are used to separate directories in file paths. On the internet, we use forward slashes in our urls. When there needs to be a difference, I don't know but there is one."
] | [
"Those are reserved characters for file paths, or they are command operators. If you could use them in filenames, it would create ambiguous paths or commands. Here's a list of characters you can't use in Windows filenames: < (less than) > (greater than) : (colon) \" (double quote) / (forward slash) \\ ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Where do insects go during the winter? | [
"a great many insects lay eggs which go dormant through the winter and then hatch into the next generation when the conditions are right. the adults simply die out in the cold some are capable of something akin to hibernation and will hide in some corner of the wilderness. maybe burrow into a tree or the earth. som... | [
"Because they have a better chance of not being eaten by birds, most of which sleep at night."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do certain electric toothbrush charging stations work? | [
"there's a copper wire coil in that nub in the base. there's another copper wire coil in the base of the toothbrush. the base coil energizes. the base coil induces a current on the toothbrush coil. the toothbrush coil pushes current to the battery in the toothbrush handle"
] | [
"In all batteries, there is a chemical reaction that causes electrons to flow from one terminal to the other. When batteries are recharged, electrons are forced to flow through the battery in the opposite direction, which reverses the reaction so that it can happen again. Smart phones use lithium ion batteries. Unl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do many Americans care so much about their lawn and why it is seen as a symbol of social status? | [
"Where I live, if you fail to maintain your yard (grass above 12\" or any debris) then the city will fine you $1600, then send a lawn care service that works for the city out to cut your lawn for you. They then send you a $1200 bill for the lawn service. Happened to me when I was really sick for a month one summer.... | [
"The wealthy have managed to convince the working class that the working class is evil and the cause of all their problems."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why does a shuttle get super hot while going through our atmosphere, yet skydivers feel nothing more than cold air as they fall? | [
"Meteorites fall through the atmosphere at speeds over 90,000 mph (144,841 km/h). When the space shuttle re-enters the atmosphere it is traveling over 17,000 mph (27,358 km/h). A skydiver is only falling around 110 mph (177 km/h), which is no where near that speed. However, even supersonic jet aircraft that go arou... | [
"He would reenter the atmosphere at 17,500 miles per hour. In order to be in orbit, you actually travel in a line really fast perpendicular to the ground. Gravity bends your path into a circle around the planet. 17,500 MPH is fine when there's no atmosphere. But once you dip low enough you will start to encounter... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Aerospace Engineering:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Aerospace Engineering:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
If the average household income in China is only $10,220 then how do Chinese people afford luxury items like iPhones? | [
"Average income is a pretty terrible statistic to get anything meaningful from. The extreme highs and extreme lows can skew the number substantially. Median income is much more reliable. On top of that you can't really convert a foreign income into your own currency and wonder how they can live off it without takin... | [
"The country is very large, with the cities so far apart that train service is too slow. So people want to fly a lot. The country is immensely wealthy, with a GDP per person of well over $50,000 per year, and hundreds of million of people. So a lot of people can afford to fly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
if the Hubble telescope is so powerful, why can't it zoom in on the moon and prove the moon buggy is there to show the landing was real? | [
"/u/booweesy is correct, but I'd also like to add that I don't think anybody who has control of those sorts of things gives a rats ass about the moon landing deniers. They definitly aren't going to take time and money away from research to attempt to satisfy conspiracy theorists (especially when they can just say \... | [
"> How is the idea relevant and meaningful to anyone alive today? It's about whether or not we can trust what the government says. Getting to the moon was/is a pretty big deal. If they lied about this, what else are they lying about? Global warming? 9/11? Roswell and aliens? (and so on). Is the president's state of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When you die from cancer (brain, bone, liver, etc.), what happens to you physically that eventually causes your body to shut down and die? | [
"In general, the cancerous cells starve out functional cells until they die. This eventually leads to organ failure and thus death. For cancer that forms in non-essential areas of the body, the cancerous cells eventually break off into the blood stream and begin reproducing in more vital areas of the body, ultimate... | [
"Doctor do remove those organs sometimes as part of cancer treatment. There are serious side effects, but it's worth it to not die of cancer. However, a malignant cancer will eventually spread through the blood or lymph vessels and infect other organs. At that point, removing the lung or stomach won't eliminate the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why is it controversial to suggest England should have a say in Scottish independence? | [
"Three main reasons the way I see it: - Lot of bad history between England and Scotland, esp. where Oliver Cromwell and the larger scope of history between the two. - Scotland has a lot of oil and gas reserves (esp. around Sullum Voe and the Shetlands / Orkney Islands), and doesn't particularly want to see their ec... | [
"Independence isn't the only thing that the SNP cares about. It is possible to be interested in Scotland's political interests and also not want independence."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Changing students grades up or down to meet faculty standards. | [
"The breakdowns help you determine how important one assignment is relative to another. College grades are not arbitrary and scores must be tied to rubrics for each assignment."
] | [
"Do you mean some places on the same street/city, or just in general. Some states use a simple pass/fail system, and some use a letter grade system, with 69 and below being the failure level. Each area has their own processes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do pain thresholds work in regards to humans? How is it some people have a higher threshold? | [
"Some people have physical differences that mean they don't feel pain as well. Some is mental, pain seems lesser when you're used to it, for whatever reason. Some is psychological, people see ignoring pain as being tough, so they pretend not to feel it."
] | [
"When you're asked how painful something feels on a scale from 1 - 10, you are judging the pain based on your previous experiences of pain. A badly scrapped knee when you're older doesn't feel too bad if you have previously broken a bone. However, for children, a scrapped knee could be the most painful thing that h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The MTGHeadQuarters drama with spoiled cards? | [
"From /u/fe-addict: Someone on Reddit saw MTGHQ got a preview, criticized WotC for supporting him. Trick responded that they don't support him and that him getting a preview was a mistake and that they will double down on removing him from every last list/promotional offer he was on from WotC. HQ exploded about al... | [
"There have been hacks on TV, try googling the Max Headroom incident."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why doe heat reduce the viscosity of oil? | [
"Viscosity has to do with the attraction between molecules in an oil and their ability to slide past each other. Oils contain long hydrocarbon chains that interact via Van Der Waals forces, which basically means that they stick together when they are close enough. If the molecules are colder, this means that they h... | [
"Fluids = Liquids + Gasses + Plasmas Most low pressure fluids are gasses, but some liquids, like mercury or ethelene glycol, have very low vapor pressures. This allows you to have them in a low pressure system remain as liquids. It all depends on the temperature also, Tungsten has a super low vapor pressure, but it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is the dosage for medicine in tablet form given as "child" or "adult", rather than by the weight of the patient? (MIC) | [
"> It seems more logical that they would have dosages listed for body weight ranges. The average consumer is an absolute moron and wouldn't be able to handle it. For medicines which are available over the counter it doesn't really matter, the dosing instructions are just so you don't give a 30 pound kid the full ad... | [
"Different people or different conditions will need different doses. Often the same drug used in a different way can treat more than one disease. Drugs are manufactured in certain sized doses, but not in every possible dose, so the closest dose for the patient may end up being, for example, 3 at a time, while the n... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What's the difference between emotional cheating and having close friendships? | [
"When the relationship is being used to elicit feelings that one would normally seek from one's SO. Basically, would I want the feeling I'm experiencing to come from a friend, or a lover? And would I be ok if my lover was experiencing it from another person instead of me?"
] | [
"You're disregarding the emotional side of sex that has to do with acceptance and affection. I'll answer the question with a question: Why does a hug feel better than just wrapping your own arms around yourself?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do laptops have "waves" going across the screen when looking through a phone camera, but they are not seen by our naked eye? | [
"It's called aliasing, or more exactly moire pattern: both camera sensors and LCD screens are made from pixels. Pixels are not contiguous but are made to either display (LCD) or capture (sensors) specific color, like red green or blue. Now when you focus your camera on laptop screen, the individual pixels on the se... | [
"The term \"frontlit\" screen is somewhat of a misnomer....but I'll try to answer: Simply, a frontlit display is lit from in front of the display, as opposed to from behind. That sounds pretty straightforward, until you realize that the backlit screens on our phones and laptops and TVs display light by shining a bu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
With the approach for public/private key encryption, why do you need both public and private key? | [
"They do have that system, it's just normal encryption. It requires transmitting the private key to others in some way, though, and that's a huge vulnerability or just a big hassle. With the asymmetric system you can send out the public key willy nilly and it doesn't matter who gets it."
] | [
"You don't have to reverse engineer anything - You have the blueprint in front of you. In true encryption, truly secure software, the only thing that is secret is the randomly generated keys, and these are not in the source code - they are generated randomly when the software is used. These keys are what is used t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why Facebook's stock is going down the drain. | [
"So this is a post I used the other day... > Facebook stocks are plummeting because Facebook is failing to live up to expectations. > Their IPO (Initial Public Offering) was greatly hyped up because Facebook is a uniquely situated platform which doesn't really have a lot of legitimate competition. The competition... | [
"Just because a stock goes down today, doesn't mean it's going to go down tomorrow. People who are buying it believe that the market overreacted (it went down too much), and the stock will end up going up. Here's an article about BP in 2010, after BP was in the middle of the Deepwater Horizon issue. _URL_0_ You m... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
When placing batteries in something like a calculator, TV remote, or flashlight, why do they face opposite directions (as in one battery's negative terminal is next to another's positive terminal)? | [
"Because the negative terminal on one battery has to be connected to the positive terminal on the next when they are in series. So, by alternating the directions, you need less wire to connect those terminals since they are right next to each other."
] | [
"A standard battery gives off around 1.5V. This is too low to run most electric circuits. A common lower voltage is 3V. To get double the voltage you can connect the batteries in serial with the positive terminal on one hooked up to the negative terminal on the other. The voltage across the two other terminals shou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do the poorest countries and neighborhoods insist on having multiple children despite no resources? | [
"This has been the subject of a lot of statistical research over the past few decades. The answer is stunning in it's simplicity. Women who have high-paying jobs with good careers have fewer children because they are busy. Women who have no pressing obligations, on the other hand, have lots of children. The man's w... | [
"If you are going to flee your country, would you flee to some place that has universal healthcare and programs for immigrants or would you flee to someplace where the annual salary is $200 per year, no healthcare and no sewers? Also, most Asian countries are not as friendly to foreigners moving there without money... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Sociology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Sociology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How come celebrities like Roman Polanski and Woody Allen are completely forgiven for their rapes and sexual crimes? | [
"I wouldn't say Roman Polanski was completely forgiven. He pled guilty and fled the country to escape jail time, and to my knowledge has never been back to the States. (Plus, your wife being murdered by the Manson family garners a *little* sympathy.) As for Woody Allen, the allegations against him were more or less... | [
"Your premise appears to be false. A number of Catholic priests/employees have gone to prison for their crimes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How's it possible for all the planets to be at the same height with respect to the sun? | [
"They all formed out a disc that orbited the sun in an almost-flat plane. As a result, they also orbit in that plane."
] | [
"It's a lot easier to grasp when you think about the Sun's location relative to the moon when you're looking at it. The bright part of the moon is always facing the sun."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why and how does smoking weed give you cotton mouth? | [
"THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, suppresses saliva production."
] | [
"They dry out your eyes and can lead to infection."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does Economic Liberalism not coincide with being a liberal? | [
"You can thank FDR for this somewhat confusing bit of language. Liberalism was (and in many places still is) the term for an ideology favoring individual liberty and economic freedom which is, indeed, typically evoked by the center-right. FDR began to use the term to describe his shift in the focus of the Democrati... | [
"Republican: Economic freedom, social control Democrat: Economic control, Social freedom Facism: Economic control, social control Libertarian: Economic freedom, social freedom"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do bank transactions take several business days to go through if everything is digital? | [
"The US banking system was [developed in the 70s](_URL_0_), and has not been updated since. They save up days worth of transactions and then actually perform them all at once, which saves them a lot of effort. If Bank A has 10,000 transactions totaling 1 million dollars to go to bank B, and Bank B has 10,000 transa... | [
"I wouldn't call it a bad system, just an outdated one. ACH is the system that US banks use to transfer money to each other. The system is run by the Federal Reserve Bank. When you request to send funds to an account at another bank, your bank sends the cash to the Fed, and the Fed then sends the funds to the recei... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is putting the thermometer in your armpit accurate? | [
"that's the point. when you check your temperature, you are going to be accurate when you measure it in spots more \"internal\" possible, since your skin temperature is not representative of your actual temperature. You need to do that in your mouth, anus or armpit. the armpit in fact get sweaty exactly because it ... | [
"Follow up question, why do I have like three times as many hairs around my left nipple than my right one?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What will happen if the Earth's poles reverse? | [
"_URL_0_ You might find these previous threads helpful"
] | [
"The inner core of our planet is molten metal and as it flows around it creates a magnetic field around the Earth, changes in the direction of the flow changes where the poles are. The magnetic field around the Earth protect the Earth from being bombarded by Solar radiation, without the magnetic field virtually all... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What is dark matter and how do we know it exists? | [
"We were looking around at various galaxies and found that they behave as if there was way more mass in them than can be accounted for by the matter we can see. We hypothesized that there is matter out there which is different from normal matter in that it doesn't interact with light but does have mass and thus do... | [
"We don't know, but physicists are working hard to try to find out. Seriously, it's one of the Big Questions."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does funding NASA create economical benefits for the USA? | [
"Long-term returns in future technology. For example, if NASA develops the technology to mine asteroids for resources (a project underway currently by both government space agencies and private business) then the government can tax businesses which utilize the new technology."
] | [
"1. Prestige: look what our government can achieve. 2. Military crossover: a rocket into space and a ballistic missile use virtually the same technology. 3. New innovation: technologies involving computers, engineering, metals, ceramics etc. could benefit from knowledge gained in making the launch. 4. Satellite con... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
why do people and businesses "dump" money at the end of the year? | [
"If you're describing what I think you are, you're referring to budget surplus in a department. So, if I give you $10 to run a lemonade stand per year, but it turns out you only need $8 to run it, next year I'll only give you $8. So, to avoid losing money that you might want to use next year, you spend that $2 at t... | [
"he is selling them at a fraction of their worth to his friends, who will then make sure he continues to earn a lot of money once his time in power comes to an end."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why do many white collar professions have ridiculously long hours? | [
"Many jobs don't have school like tasks. Complete this 10 page report. That takes a few days of work. Those financial jobs you're talking about have goals that are measured after month, even years. Daily goals are hard to finish when your goals is literally \"Make this much money for my company this month\"."
] | [
"This sounds like a great sociology topic and would probably reward some academic research. My guess is it stems from women historically being discriminated against. In the same vein, why is n***** far worse of a word than cracker?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Linguistics:"
} |
How have we not run out of space for graves in cemeteries by now? | [
"Because they haven't. Cemeteries have become more and more of a nuisance, ask any urban planer or city developer their opinions on cemeteries? Burial plots are crazy expensive (that's not even considering the cost for a funeral as whole,) are allotted only for a specific time, charges maintenance fee's. If those c... | [
"We're running out of sharks, we're in no danger of running out of ducks or geese."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do Plasma TVs not work properly or break in high elevations? | [
"_URL_0_ In laymen's terms, as the air outside gets thinner, there's less pressure being exerted on the gases in the TV that produce the picture. So the gases inside heat up (more pressure = molecules bumping into each other more = more heat), so the TV's cooling unit has to work harder, and then fails more quickly... | [
"Some parameters that might be different: * Brightness. A TV that's not bright enough will be difficult to watch in brightly lit environments, like a sunlit room. * Contrast. The difference between the brightest and darkest color the TV can display. Higher contrast means deeper blacks and brighter whites. * Color r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
When your mouth is dry, why can you not moisten it with your own saliva? | [
"It's the other way around: your mouth is dry *because* you can't moisten it with your saliva. It happens because of different reasons: salivary glands can't produce as much saliva as you are evaporating by breathing through your mouth or you are dehydrated. If you are perfectly healthy and not in stress situation ... | [
"Your throat gets dry and wants you to swallow, or you are phlegmy and need to clear your throat."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are popular soft drinks from America, not available in country's in Europe and the rest of the world | [
"Shipping water (which soft drinks are mostly made of) around the world is expensive. Unless there is a proven market for a drink they are unlikely to ship it to another country."
] | [
"I think it is because most countries don't care about it too much. Europe, most of Asia, most of Africa don't play it too much. The major countries who do play are the US, Japan and a couple of South and Central American countries."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
5 years ago in Australia I would buy a bottle of milk and it would last 3-4 days before going off. Now I buy a bottle and it doesn't go bad for over a month. What changed? And how does it work? | [
"It's likely to be ultra-pasteurization. This heats the milk to a higher temperature (135C or 275F) killing off more bacteria. This milk can last for up to 2 months. Improved packaging is also an important aspect. Edit: People seem to be saying that this kind of milk is not UHT processed (same as ultra-pasteurizat... | [
"I live in Ontario and I remember seeing juice in those bags when I was younger (maybe ~20 years ago?) It was the same exact bags that the milk comes in, and you would put it in the same exact milk jug thing and it just worked. I remember my mom would freeze them, and as they thawed she would turn them into some so... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How does a country like Switzerland, with 4 national languages function? | [
"Swiss here. What are you touching on? Government? Every-Day problems? School? Well, almost [all daily objects are labeled in at least three languages](_URL_0_). Announcements in trains are held in at least two languages. However, there are seperate parts in the country which speak different languages. **Don't thin... | [
"Numbers. China has 1.3 Billion people. India while having similar large population size has their own extremely developed movie industry that they prefer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why are our brains / emotions so easily fooled by watching a sad/scary TV show we know is fiction? | [
"Your sense of empathy isn't something that you reason yourself into or out of. We can sense and \"feel\" other people's emotions (and our own) on a level more primitive than our rational thought."
] | [
"It aids in the suspension of disbelief. Basically when watching a movie or playing a game we turn off the\" this is all fake\" thoughts so we can enjoy the activity instead of just dismissing it as fiction and feeling nothing towards it. It makes it easier to immerse yourself in the scenarios."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are people attracted to confidence? Why do we act differently around those who are beaming with confidence, and those who are not? | [
"Probably a surivival tool. Typically, confidence means you know what you're doing, and you're good at it. Think back to cavemen days. If you're being chased by a strange, new predator, you're going to follow the person who's done it before. How do you know who that person is? Well, they're the one acting confident... | [
"When someone says they're \"humbled\" to be the company of greats, it means they're acknowledging that they never thought they were good enough to be there. People tend to like a person who is modest, so saying you're humbled is a way of signalling that even though others have judged you to be excellent, you're no... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What did Imelda Marcos do that was bad? | [
"She lived opulently during a time of extreme economic distress and poverty in her country. And she wasn't shy about it- she's famous for having thousands of shoes. When many people couldn't afford to eat."
] | [
"Because there is nothing funny about what they just went through."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why some drinks, especially vitamin drinks, say "drink it cold" on the packing? | [
"Food and drinks taste very different at different temperatures. Most people prefer to drink coffee hot, it's not nearly the same when it's warm or cool or cold. And beers are meant to be served room temperature, cool, or cold depending on their type because their flavour changes at different temperatures. The drin... | [
"It means it contains 0 calories which in reality means it could contain 0.2 or 0.5 calories. Before you go chugging it, check what else it may contain like sodium or caffeine. Water is best."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How and why does a word like 'bi-monthly' exist as it does? It simultaneously means twice a month and once every two months, which is an incredibly important distinction. | [
"Bi- as a prefix usually means every two (as in bicentennial=200 years), but using it as \"twice per\" seems to have crept into usage as a malapropism. The more correct and less confusing way of saying \"twice a month\" is \"semimonthly\". The error might arise because \"bi-\" can also be used to denote \"a pair of... | [
"There are two ways for a single word to have multiple meanings: * One word branched off in the past and the connection between the different meanings is now secondary or obsolete. * Two different words converged on the same sound by coincidence. The word \"hard\" is an example of the first: It can mean strong/rigi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Fewer Calories In Than Calories Burned = Weight Loss | [
"1. Pretty much. The body has the ability to adapt to its energy intake so it tries to plateau the output with the input. 2. See answer 1. 3. My opinion here, but almost all diets regardless of type have one thing in common: While you are doing them you have to be acutely aware of what you are shoveling into your f... | [
"Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Ada... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does wood rot and go bad if left out in the water too long, but trees that grow in lakes can survive their entire life. | [
"The simplest answer is that the trees are alive, and pieces of wood are pieces of dead trees. A tree has an entire internal system that regulates water and nutrients, and gets rid of excesses and wastes. The wood is dead, and therefore will begin to breakdown like any other life form after death."
] | [
"It does matter. Different types of trees have different sun vs shade requirements as well as how much space they need to properly grow. That being said, trees can withstand a lot. Look at your typical forest- the trees are densely populated and yet manage to survive. The ones that don’t just become fertilizer for ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why does the room "spin" when we're drunk? | [
"Inside your ears are small chambers lined with even smaller hair like structures and filled with a fluid. As you move through space, or the room, your brain is taking note of how those hairs move in the fluid. It's constant feedback to your brain on which direction you are moving. When you drink, this fluid is di... | [
"A better question might be: why is your grammar worsens when you're drunk?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do trees, which are full of moisture, burn down? | [
"forest fires are extremely hot. Look-up \"flash point\" and it may help you understand. A wet log will need a hot fire to burn, which if you are starting a fire or have a small fire in the fireplace a wet log wont burn well because the fire simply isn't hot enough. The fact that a forest fire can get so hot is the... | [
"Living plants have an immune system that fights off decay. So roots on a living tree do not decay. Roots on a dead tree do decay."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are credit cards used so much these days and what are the benefits of it over a debit card? | [
"A credit card provides protections that you don't have with a debit card. For example, if your credit card is compromised, you simply dispute the charges, you are not actually out any real money. If your debit card is compromised the fraudulent charges aren't just on paper, the money is actually taken out of your ... | [
"The credit card companies also charge a commission from the merchants, of about 1-4% of the value of each transaction. This is why in some places merchants will refuse to accept a credit card for very small purchases, since it reduces their profit margin."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do skateboarders get air if they're not attached to the board? | [
"The back foot pushes down, the front lifts up. Front foot slides forward pushing the board down slightly. The back lifts up because the combination of forces (forward and upward) causes the board to level out in the air."
] | [
"The black thing on top of our boards is called griptape which helps us keep our shoes on the board when we go up. It's also a little bit like a swing, when we go down or up the transitions we bend our knees and lean either forward or back to keep our center of gravity on the board."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The enormous/elongated ears on statues of the Buddha | [
"Siddhartha Gautama was originally a wealthy prince, he used to wear extremely large gauges made from gold and gemstones as it is customary for wealthy people of his time. He took them off when he decided to abandon his wealth but his ears remained stretched. Artists often include his stretched ears to indicate his... | [
"I note that in the 15th century a crown with arches above the circlet was an imperial crown. Unless Wilgefortis or the bearded lady of limerick was supposed to be an emperor or empress they probably would not have been depicted with an imperial crown. Being merely royal or noble would usually not be enough to be d... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why are there so many acts of police brutality coming to light recently? | [
"News follows public interest. If people are interested in hearing stories about police brutality, more stories will be widely reported. As for the effects it has on the audience, the Availability Heuristic can explain how people associate the amount of news coverage a subject receives with how frequent it occurs. ... | [
"I have not heard of any cases of police not arresting black people for killing white people, exactly which cases are you talking about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why do screws/bolts/nuts get loose and have to be tightened, in the first place? | [
"It can be caused by many different things. It has to do with motion of course. I have a wooden chair I use all the time. It squeaks and twists and after about 6 months a screw will fall out and I'll tighten them all up. It's just wear and tear really. Even on industrial machines rattling or a motor vibration will ... | [
"Nails are cheaper and faster to install so usually when a nail will do the job a nail is used. Screws hold better but take a little longer to install, so typically when someone needs the extra \"grip\" a screw will be used. However, when creating replaceable parts, screws have the advantage that they can be remove... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
The sound that occurs in my ears before I yawn. | [
"I'm not sure if you're talking about ear rumbling which is like a low rumbling sound, or pressure equalizing which is more of a sharp cracking or popping. I'll hit both. Ear rumbling is caused by muscles around your ears tensing. It's genetic, and only a subset of the population can do it on command. Flexing of mu... | [
"Well. Vibrations in your middle ear send Nerve signals to your brain which then tries to decipher the cause behind it only to shortly realize it's your shitty alarm going off. That and what the dude above me just said."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:"
} |
what causes the dots and shapes to appear when trying to see in the dark? | [
"Residual images in the individual cones of your eyes."
] | [
"Yes cameras can pick up light waves that we can't see then interpret them into a media that we can. In fact that how skeletal x rays work, or if you hold you phone camera up to the ir light in the television remote."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why do we use the word "cheesy" to mean something cliché? What's the connection? | [
"Cheese, since the early 19th century, has been used as a noun to mean something top-rate, of impressive value, and eventually has also been used to mean wealth and money. This most likely comes from the Persian word chīz, meaning 'thing'. According to the OED, young Anglo-Indians in the 19th century used to refer ... | [
"The joke's on you. It's like \"No soap, radio!\". The joke is supposed to be nonsense, and you're supposed to have no idea what's going on, *that's the joke*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The taboo of unionization in America | [
"* unions benefit the group, at the expense of individual achievement...many Americans believe they can do better on their own * unions in the US have a history of corruption...both in terms of criminal activity, and in pushing the political agendas of union leaders instead of advocating for workers * American unio... | [
"First of all the idea of \"professionalism\" is modern. Secondly, the fashion of conciseness and directness is also modern."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How the hell do I use garlic? | [
"You can put garlic in just about anything. Make a really nice red sauce and some meatballs and eat it with spaghetti. Put it on a pizza. Make a pork roast and slice up some garlic and toss it in the roasting pan. Dice it up really fine and mix it into some hamburger and grill it."
] | [
"How in the fuck did you test this?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do conservatives hang on to the fossil fuel industry so much? Why do they not like renewable industries? | [
"Money. The oil and gas industries pump millions into republican campaigns, in the expectation that future policies and subsidies will help them to carry on carrying on making more money. (e.g., reportedly 57% of Cruz's and 39% of Christie's 'super pac' money in the 2016 presidential campaign was from fossil fuel ... | [
"They think that the scientific community is trying to collect funding with a scare tactic, or that's at least the story they give the public. The real reason they speak out against climate change funding is because the politicians are firmly in the pocket of corporations that make a lot of money destroying the env... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Climate change debate:"
} |
Why are fish "allergic" to air? | [
"Fish are no more allergic to air then you are to water. We have lungs, these take the Oxygen (O^2) out of the air and use it in our bodies. Fish have gills, these take the O^2 out of water. We are unable to take the O^2 out of water because we don't live in it and likewise fish can't take the O^2 out of air becau... | [
"In some cases they aren't actually allergic to the shellfish, but the iodine in the shellfish. This also extends to shellfish that have internal shells such as octopus and squid. Source: My mom is allergic to shellfish."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What makes some drugs and compounds so addictive? | [
"They tend to imitate or interfere with chemical signals in the brain which in one way or another leads to an activation of the parts of the brain that are involved with pleasure. We really like pleasure, that's the point of having a pleasure response in the brain after all, so we keep seeking the drug out of a des... | [
"To put it simply, they are self medicating. Nicotine can have effects similar to some drugs prescribed for psychiatric disorders."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why is everyone's go-to immediate crisis response "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ" regardless of their religion? Even atheists say it too. | [
"Because that is what our culture teaches you. The kind of language you use depends a lot on the language other people around you use, the kind of language you heard growing up, and the things you were taught to say either by your parents or at school. And many expressions don't necessarily have to be in line with ... | [
"Allahu Ackbar means \"God is great\" (Allah is simply the Arab word for \"God\", no matter what religion you are referring to). It is similar to \"Oh God\" or \"God help us\" in English. The videos are usually of either tragedies or victories, so they're either saying \"Oh God\", in shock of what happened (for exa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are trick pop-up ads allowed to exist, like fake virus warnings or things meant to look like you've received a message? | [
"Many reasons: * most of them are not illegal, the user usually has to manually download and install the app * even if they are illegal, who has the time and money to sue them all? Occasionally you'll hear of the lawyer who sues spammers but that's far from the norm * their ads work well and guess who earns money f... | [
"My guess would be that someone with very little computer knowledge clicks it, downloads something with a trojan or something malicious and can steal sensitive info or make money by forcing them to see pop up ads on their desktop."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
why do you not need a prescription to buy reading glasses, but is required for nearsighted correction? (Glasses, contacts) | [
"It's not actually required. You can go in and tell the optician to make any prescription strength you want. The reason you get an eye test when getting new glasses is that you do not have the tools or the knowledge on how to gauge your prescription, and therefore you may as well be spending hundreds of dollars on ... | [
"I don't have glasses but have an indent. Does this mean I will need glasses?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why doesn’t cookie dough ice cream have a warning to “not eat raw cookie dough”? | [
"The cookie dough in ice cream either does not use eggs or uses pasteurized eggs. Thus they are fully safe to eat raw."
] | [
"That's specially made cookie dough, often times without the raw egg. Basically it's designed to be consumed 'raw' rather then actual cookie dough which assumes you are going to cook it and is prepared as such."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is using GPS free? Why isn't there an ongoing service fee? Who pays for it? | [
"_URL_0_ it's not free.. it's managed by our DoD if you're an American."
] | [
"Free apps often use one or more of the following to earn money. 1. Micropayments - Most of the app is free, but you can pay with your credit card to unlock extra features or perks. 2. Ads - You have to watch ads while you use the app. 3. Trial version - The app is just a free trial version for a paid version of th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
How are so many "Competitive Eaters" really skinny when they take in so many calories? | [
"They don't eat like that on a regular basis. One day every few months of eating ludicrous amounts isn't going to make you fat if you're eating healthy and exercising on every other day."
] | [
"He was doing an insane amount of work. Lots of professional athletes eat huge amounts. There is a video on YouTube of a day of food for Brian Shaw, one of the strongest men alive. He puts away, if I remember correctly, more than 20,000 calories. Every day."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Sports:"
} |
Why does a taxi license cost €240,000 in France? | [
"Taxi medallions in NYC are nearly $1M. The reason they are so expensive is that cities limit the number of taxis that are allowed to operate. They don't want 500 cabs clogging the streets if 100 can get the job done. Limited supply, huge demand, and you can find someone to pay very high prices."
] | [
"Why would you live in a $3 million home? The median home price in LA is like $800 k"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why is the Michelin tyre company so revered by Chefs across the word? | [
"Apparently the tire company founded a travel guide company as a marketing strategy. The thought was that people would travel more if they where guided properly and thus use more tires. Pretty genius actually. So the travel guide company started reviewing restaurants as possible travel destinations and rated them. ... | [
"I actually found ketchup tastes very different in different parts of the world at McDonald's."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the difference between the storage technology used in SSD's, and the one used in phones and USB-sticks? | [
"Literally - Nothing except the controller in most cases. In those Few cases Technologically, the main differences between the two are in : The underlying technology used to construct the NAND, The quality of the Flash memory controller, The computer connector : USB or SATA. And then the primary difference b... | [
"The main cause of speed differences are the controllers. The controller allows the storage on the drive to talk to your computer. If the controller is not fast enough the speed of the connection to your computer does not matter. This is why an external USB hard drive will be faster than a flash drive. However, you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Is there a practical reason why some brands make phones without removable battery / SDcard, or they're just fucking with us? | [
"If you want to make the battery removable, the entire design of the phone is restricted by that fact. It's a huge design decision that's taken out of your hands as a hardware designer. How do you make a glass front and back like the iPhone 4? Or a aluminum phone like the htc one? Can you make the phone as sturdy i... | [
"Because it allows phones to be a tiny fraction of an inch thinner, and that's all the rage these days. It makes the whole phone need to be replaced when the battery goes bad rather than the easier/cheaper option of just replacing the battery. It make the phone slightly sturdier. It allows for packing components... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
What are horse shoes, and why are they necessary? | [
"Compared to wild horses, domesticated ones * Move less regularly, resulting in the hooves hardening less. * Carry more weight. * Walk on different surfaces. As such they get exposed to more wear and tear on their hooves than wild ones do. Horseshoes are hard coverings usually made of metal that help distribute for... | [
"Actually, when it comes to covering long distances quickly, humans are second only to horses believe it or not. So we got that going for us."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about biology:"
} |
What are the implications of Earth's rotation being 23h 56m? | [
"[This picture](_URL_1_) explains pretty well. A 'solar day' is 24 hours, and this is what regulates our day/night cycles. This is why we don't have issues with those extra minutes adding up. The 23:56 hour day that you're referring to is the [sidereal day](_URL_0_), which is based on the time it takes for the ear... | [
"Several people answered parts of your question, but no one put it all together for you. * The Earth takes 24 hours to rotate 360 degrees (a solar day), but it only takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.0916 seconds (a sidereal day) to rotate from solar noon one day to solar noon the next day. This is because the Earth is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Astronomy:"
} |
Why does artificial cool air feel different than natural cool air? | [
"AC was invented because someone wanted to remove humidity from the air, it was only after they did this they found out that a side effect was cooling. Cali. doesn't have that much humidity and Florida has a more then any human should have to go through. I would say in Florida your noticing the cooling and humidity... | [
"Water is a much better conductor of heat than air. As a result you lose body heat much quicker in cold water than in cold air."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Considering how common cracked phone screens are, why do the the manufactures seem to go out of their way to make the screens so damn hard to replace? | [
"To make phones thin, manufacturers sacrifice modularity. No-gap screens have better optical quality."
] | [
"Even though plastic screens don't crack and cost less, glass screens are more durable in the end. Glass cracks sure, but they don't get scratched as much, which is mostly what happens. Most phones are scratched more often than cracked so it's better in the long run. Think if you had to put your phone in the same p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
If the power of EM waves dissipate over distance squared, how come we can send signals to outer space? Shouldn't the power get practically zero very quickly? | [
"It would if they were beamed in all directions. However, signals sent to distant receivers are focussed into narrow beams, usually with giant dishes (which are also handy for receiving faint signals, too). The emitted beam is never exactly parallel so there is some divergence, which is just as well or you'd never ... | [
"They are designed so that they get reflected back down to earth from the upper layers of atmosphere. One more thing, compared to the speed of light, everything is moving terribly slow. It wouldn't have mattered any way."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Science and Technology:"
} |
Why is the United States allies with Saudi Arabia? | [
"Oil, oil, oil, oil and oil. Did I mention oil?"
] | [
"North Korea is on a whole 'nother level compared to Saudi Arabia and Qatar."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does reggae music seem to mention Zion and Babylon a lot? | [
"Reggae is closely tied to the Rastafarian religion. Babylon represents the evils of modern society & oppression while Zion represents the promised land to which they want to escape."
] | [
"There are a lot of different reasons they believe that. One is the Kebra Nagast. It is a book written about 700 years ago by Ethiopian Christians. It talks about how the Queen of Sheba(current Ethiopia) met and had a kid with King Solomon....blah blah blah...that blood-line eventually made it down to Haili Salassi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Blackjack House Edge | [
"Because you have to act *before* the dealer. The odds of you busting before the dealer has to do anything gives them the upper hand."
] | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can small organisms that bite (such as spiders or some forms of insects) detect that they're standing on a living organism? | [
"You'd be surprised at how good these animals are at knowing when they are close to a meal. Don't forget that things like mosquitos (and their ilk) have the advantage of millions upon millions of years of evolutionary selective pressure that have made them into blood sucking machines. They are extremely good at det... | [
"They are in the mite family. They bite you because they're feeding off your skin. They're difficult to see with the human eye."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why does prion disease only affect mammals, and the majority of the time, mammals of the same species? | [
"You need similar proteins to be susceptible to prion diseases. They cause a protein to mis-fold in a chain reaction that causes sticky aggregates of mis-folded proteins. If the prion does not have a similar protein to convert to its prion form, it cannot \"infect\" an individual. Are you sure that prion diseases d... | [
"Meat is meat, but different meats carry different diseases. When you eat a person, you are eating all the things that can thrive in a human host. One of the most famous diseases associated with cannibalism is Kuru. It's a prion diseases, meaning it's a protein that converts functional proteins into more of itsel... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If a doctor suddenly had a heart attack while doing surgery, would the other doctors work on the doctor or the patient? | [
"Doctor would be removed from the operating room and the assisting surgeon would take over. The heart attacked doctor would be taken outside and treated somewhere else in the hospital"
] | [
"One of the less irrational reasons: The fear that if doctors know you're an organ donor, instead of doing everything to save your life if you're in an accident, they'll let you die to get your organs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why are sausages usually "bent" while hotdogs are "straight" | [
"Hot dogs are usually made from artificial casing, which is a straight tube. Other sausages are made from animal intestines, which are naturally curved."
] | [
"\"Bratwurst\" (the singular of \"Bratwürste\" -- note the umlaut only appears in the plural) is simply the German word for a sausage designed to be fried or grilled. A hotdog is a snack made from a Frankfurt sausage in a soft bread roll. A frankfurter is not for frying: it's cooked by simmering in water, and is ma... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why people hate Steve Jobs | [
"He ignored his daughter, didn't acknowledge his biological parents, rarely donated to charity, and attempted to cheat his partner, Steve Wozniak out of money."
] | [
"Too catchy to ignore, too generic to like."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why are psilocybin mushrooms illegal and listed under Schedule I when they have lowest harm rate Vs. alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, and tobacco and also have profound proven medical benefits? | [
"The same could be said for Marijuana or even ecstasy and LSD. In truth American drug laws haven't receive a serious restructuring on a national level in a very long time. That is why a lot of drugs with medical benefits or low risk of abuse are still classed as Schedule I."
] | [
"Caffeine actually is a drug, as are alcohol and nicotine. They are just culturally accepted. In terms of 'substances' they are generally chemicals with psychoactive effects - they have an effect on the brain. This includes a huge range of things from caffeine to paracetamol to anti-depressants to methamphetamine o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why does YouTube give me ads about alcohol when they know I'm in the U.S. and under 21? | [
"Because you’re gonna turn 21. And you’re gonna party. And JackAndCoke™️ is your thing. Unless you’re the most interesting man in the world. Or you’re thinking SoCo and Lime is gonna get you close to the honeys. Bacardi! Because you’re on a beach. Or you will be, once your SoundCloud takes off. All liquor marketing... | [
"You realize the drinking age is lower in most parts of the world. I don't think it's 25 anywhere"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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