query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
the Difference between Mercantilism and Free Trade | [
"At it's most basic core mercantilism is the idea that if a country exports more, they make more profit. That profit is made by selling to others. Free trade turns this idea around. Sure, selling to others is good but not exclusively. If you can purchase something cheaper somewhere else rather than make it yourself... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What is music remastering and how does it work? | [
"“Mastering” in music is the process of finalizing a track. It involves balancing instruments against each other, setting levels, finalizing effects like compression, and ensuring that the song sounds as good as it possible can on the intended sound system. “Remastering” typically means someone went back to the or... | [
"They mean a bunch of different things. A DJ usually refers to someone who plays music at parties, nightclubs, bars, etc. Or it can refer to the guy on the radio who plays music. It has nothing to do with *making music*. With the popularity of electronic music, DJ can also refer to. An electronic artist. This ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why do some toilets have an opening between the sides and some are joined together? | [
"For women Edit. Explanation. the open seat was designed to allow women “to wipe the perineal area after using the water closet” without contacting a seat that might be unhygienic. The U-shaped seat in public restrooms is a requirement"
] | [
"It's so that males don't have to pick up the toilet seat in order to urinate. In the circle shape, there is a possibility for dripping on a seat to occur. In the U shape, the drips just fall into the bowl."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do most public bathroom stall doors have cracks that people can see through and walls and the doors that don't go all the way to the ground? | [
"The partitions and doors are standardized and come pre fabricated, usually. So basically, unless you are careful with your measuring, drilling, and mounting ... there is going to be gaps. The less careful you are ... the bigger the gaps. Then have it installed by the lowest bidder, who is probably paying his guys ... | [
"It's bigger and offers a sense of privacy you don't get when shitting literally within arms length of another person. Also, there are shitting bars in there. You know, those bars on the side for when you really have to push one out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Question about public women's toilets:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Question about public women's toilets:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did people 100s of years ago know the shape of countries? | [
"Generally sight lines between boundary markers. Essentially most territories would use natural features (rivers, mountains, etc) to delineate the edges, but if those weren't available, it was common to set up your own markers. Large piles of stone, wooden construction and the like. When then drawing a map, it was... | [
"The actual reason for this phenomenon is roughly understood. One of the leading theories for this behavior is that it imitates their spaceships. The ones they used over 2000 years ago to make contact with the ancient Egyptians and enslaved them to create beautiful statues."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What does picturing someone naked do for someone mentally who gets nervous in front of people? | [
"It's supposed to make them vulnerable and weaker than you in the mind's eye so they're less intimidating."
] | [
"For the same reason people don't like to be seen naked. It's a private part of the body and the majority of people don't want to be seen. Never mind seen alone on the job, which in and of itself is mildly embarrassing. The same idea goes for being caught having sex. Having sex is an intimate moment between two i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are male victims of pedophilia negatively affected by female predators? | [
"A friend was abused by women when he was young. He felt used and not in control of his body and like he had little value. It led to a long period of destructive behavior: fighting, reckless sex, mutually abusive relationships. Im sure there are a lot of people--men and women--who experience child/adult sexual rela... | [
"They don't, that's just a myth. Many people compare child abuse to pedophilia. Victims of child abuse ARE likely to become child abusers, but victims of sexual abuse is not the cause of pedophilia."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
If governments improve cybersecurity, are they really just learning more ways to access private data? | [
"Yes, but the alternative is probably worse. See the government doesn't give a shit about you on an individual basis. What kind of porn you wack it too, your personal information, even your political affiliations, most governments couldn't care less so long as you aren't planning on *causing problems or are involve... | [
"The state government wants to ban them to make it easier for the NSA (and similar agencies) to intercept texts. Any claims of terrorism prevention are excuses to distract from the real reason."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why doesn’t the earth have as many visual impacts or craters as the moon appears to have? | [
"The earth's atmosphere slows down and burns up a lot of stuff hurling towards it so some things never even make it to impact."
] | [
"It's impossible for a satellite the size of the Moon to be caught in a planet the size of Earth's gravity. Plus the material make up of the moon is similar to that of our crust/mantle. Couple that with lots of simulations showing that another planet had to swipe by the Earth a couple times to put up enough materia... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How was the exact value of pi ever determined? | [
"We don't know the exact value of pi, as it doesn't have an exact value. We can only ever use an approximation, which can be determined using an infinite series such as the Nikalantha Series. However, computers have calculated 13.3 trillion decimals of pi."
] | [
"It's not that they've discovered a number, it's that they've discovered something interesting *about* a number."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
When a star shines brighter than another, how are scientists able to tell if the star is bigger or just closer to us than the other? | [
"They compare it to other ways of measuring distance on the [cosmic ladder](_URL_1_). Questions about the cosmic ladder are [fairly common](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"The moon can block out the sun because it's massively closer than any planets. Sometimes that one really bright star you might see in the night sky is actually Venus. It's just a tiny point of light and it's the closest planet to the earth. Other planets in our own solar system will be even less visible than that.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
what causes the reduce in potency of medicines like ibuprofen after they expire? | [
"Many medicines are comprised of both active and inactive ingredients. The inactive ingredients serve as stabilizers, fillers, absorption enablers, etc. Over time, and with exposure to air and potentially other contaminants, there ingredients begin to break down, degrade, and otherwise change the way the body inter... | [
"the medicine can irritate the inning of your stomach based on how concentrated it is in the cavity. i f you take it with food or water this will dilute the medicine as it dissolves and reacts with the acid in your tummy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What would happen if scientists actually happened to reach absolute zero? And with the idea that there can be no heat, is there in upper threshold where something can no longer get hotter? | [
"On the hot side, you're referring to what some call \"absolute hot\", sometimes called the Planck temperature, or 1.416785(71)×1032 kelvin. We've never measured this anywhere and it's purely theoretical, so there aren't any good models on how matter would behave at such extremes."
] | [
"Perhaps only momentarily, but think about what that means, it means to remove ALL energy from a system or particle. You can keep removing more and more energy, but you only every asymptote to zero, you never actually reach it. Its proven incredibly difficult to remove that last remainder. Since no system is an isl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How do sports commentators come up with ridiculous stats on the fly? | [
"They are being fed the information by stat guys. They are being talked to in their earpieces constantly. There are people in the background whose whole job is providing this information. The announcer does little or none of it himself."
] | [
"By the same token, isn't it more fun to play football yourself? Sure, playing football. But sometimes it can be relaxing and interesting to watch it done by others, while listening to experts discuss the strategies and provide colorful commentary about the game. Or even just to have it on in the background while y... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why/how is rape such a problem in India? | [
"IIRC a lot of it is to due with arranged marriages in their culture. More women are stepping out against it and misogyny causing situations of extreme backlash"
] | [
"You mean as in, why isn't it discussed more as a part of US History education?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If we can’t see atoms, electrons, quarks... How did we knew that matter is composed by those things and what it seemed like ? | [
"We don't. But it doesn't matter. The mathematical models that describe these things allow us to predict observable outcomes that are incredibly accurate. Everything could be a quantum probably field or a vivid hallucination of the mind. But until a more accurate model exist to explain what we experience we'll keep... | [
"Atoms are not smaller than photons. Why would you say they are?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
How is it I'm able to compose sentences, spell, and communicate complex ideas without first having to analyze or double check what I'm saying is right? | [
"There are three important language/speech related areas of the brain that allow us to \"go from 'mush' to 'autopilot speaking and writing.'\" & #x200B; From the time you are a baby, your brain is making lots of neural connections; part of these occur in the these three critical areas of the brain. Babies and chil... | [
"I'm a speed reader. When I glance at a paragraph I see all the words at once, as actual words with meanings rather than just letters on a page. It's worth mentioning that speed reading isn't ALWAYS the same as \"speed comprehending.\" If I'm reading something with a lot of dense concepts or confusing phrasing, I h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do showers screech sometimes? | [
"My shower had \"screeched\" for sometime before I got fed up and just had to fix it. After doing some research I found that adjusting the water pressure or cleaning the pipes/shower head was the best option (In case you were looking for a simple fix as well). As for the science, it is as follows: Sediment can buil... | [
"It seems to come as a surprise to my dog, every time he farts the noise spooks him. Also do you go sit on the toilet or go outside every time you fart?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
You are terrible at figure skating, rollerblading, and skateboard but through practice you become world class. What process does the body and mind go through that acclimates you to the balance and physical prowess needed to be "better"? | [
"There is a portion of the brain called the cerebellum. The cerebellum takes motor inputs, sensory inputs, and equilibrium inputs from your body while doing movements. If the movement you did doesn’t exactly match the movement you were going for, the cerebellum adjusts pathways which in turn improve your future mov... | [
"Has the guy you know ever done sports or dance seriously? Often the motions that you train in those domains can carry over into martial arts domain; for instance, the balance and ability to turn that one learns in ballet become very useful when learning how to kick. Additionally, there's a skill to rigorously lear... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How is it possible to experience physical symptoms from having your heart broken? | [
"[takotsubo heart syndrome ](_URL_0_) . This should answer your question. The answer is yes it literally tugs on heart strings and can make valves fail. You can die if it’s bad enough"
] | [
"Everything you feel is chemical reactions in the brain and across the nervous system. From terror to love."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why do people answer questions on here with such gusto and uncertainty, even if they are have no idea what they are talking about? Every thread contains a wide variety of answer, with the consensus depending on the time of day being occasionally reckless and irresponsible. | [
"I'm going to assume you meant \"certainty\". 1.) Many (most?) people think they know more than they do. 2.) The most interesting questions have multiple reasonable answers. One of those responders that you assume is clueless might actually give you the right answer. Others might be responding in good faith but not... | [
"There is one other category of question that is likely to go unanswered (maybe a sub category of \"bad\"). Suspect questions - I see these a couple times a week. These are the questions that seem to have some sort of skewed slant, or are blatantly trying to invite discord or target areas of history that are well k... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do almost all FM radio frequencies have an odd decimal value? For example: 100.3, 91.5, 101.1 | [
"So the stations don’t interfere with each other. 101.3 and 101.1 can be 2 separate stations but it would overlap with 101.2. If you have the capability you can hear this happen if the station you want is 101.1 and you tune to 101.2 you can still hear a bit of the 101.1 through the static. Why the numbers are odd ... | [
"The fibonacci sequence is what you get when you start with 0 and 1, and add the 2 most recent numbers to get the next one 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765 As you go further and further, the ratio between numbers gets closer to the golden ratio - 1.6180339887.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about mathematics:"
} |
Why are there so few words that begin with the letter X? | [
"Its not a good letter traditionally to lead off with because it is very unnatural off of the tongue. Most instances have the x following another letter which helps to segway into it. \"Experience, Example, Axe, Axis)"
] | [
"The first is pronounced \"eh\" as in the word \"met\". The second is pronounced \"aiy\" as in the word \"ate\". EDIT: Apologies, for some reason I assumed we were talking about French! As mentioned by others, it does vary between languages."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What happens if you get stranded in a foreign country? | [
"You go to your country's embassy. They prove you are who you say you are and get you on a flight/issue a temp passport. Not sure who covers cost, but I know that'd be the case. I think country covers, but could be loan based."
] | [
"Great idea. Just my luck to find myself at the other end of the country as soon as something interesting to do crops up back in London."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why does our ear(s) randomly ring for a short period of time and slowly recede? | [
"Your ears are actually just a lot of small hairs that detect noises around you. Some detect very high, some low, and many varying from loud to really quiet. When your ears are ringing, it usually means they are retuning. This might mean a difference in air pressure outside, or because you went from a silent space ... | [
"This happens to me as well, but I highly doubt it's a medical issue. One ear just becomes red and warm, but not in a painful or troubling way... I always assumed it was some type of heat regulation system at work. It's just usual that it's isolated to the one ear at a time. I also will occasionally have a patch of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Would it be beneficial for neighbouring countries to unify, specifically if they are currently not doing so well? | [
"It could indeed be beneficial. But people are not that logical and national pride, personal political power and economic interests all play a mayor role in preventing any unification, often even preventing stable governments at all."
] | [
"Basically, they have very little to offer either country if they were to be conquered. Both countries like having Mongolia there as a sort of buffer between them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is the vertical axis represented with a Y and the horizontal axis with an X and not other letters or symbols? Does it have any history or reason to be? | [
"From wikipedia: The axes may then be referred to as the X-axis and Y-axis. The choices of letters come from the original convention, which is to use the latter part of the alphabet to indicate unknown values. The first part of the alphabet was used to designate known values."
] | [
"There aren't enough symbols! We have greek symbols and letters from our alphabet and that's not enough for all the different things we need to represent with symbols. It's really not difficult though, for example 'I' can mean moment of inertia, which is only relevant to equations to do with rotational motion, and ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Mathematics:"
} |
How does cable work? I know streaming shows and movies downloads bytes but does cable use bytes? Are cable recorded shows just files to be played back? | [
"In the old days, cable contained analog signals. There are still some of those systems around. Cable now sends digital packets to the box. The box is simply a decoder. The digital packets contain bytes of digital information. Yes, the recorded shows are simply files. The files are broken down into packets. The pac... | [
"Cable sends the exact signal you need for a tv show and has been optimized for that functionality. The show actually comes through the cable in a direct signal and is pretty much a direct line to your cable provider. Each channel has its own signal coming from the provider so all you have to do is tune to that sig... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How and where does your body heats itself up and how does it carry the heat to every inch of your body? | [
"The metabolic activity within every cell, the use of chemical energy that makes every cell function, releases heat as a byproduct. This heats every living cell of the body, but also the blood flowing through our bodies tends to distribute this heat fairly well (less effectively to the extremities of course)."
] | [
"Both of them are colder than your body temperature, and water is a better conductor of heat than air. Or in other words, it's better able to take body heat away from you."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The switch from BCE to AC | [
"First, it is BCE for \"Before the Common Era\" and CE for \"Common Era\". Or prior to that it was BC for \"Before Christ\" and AD for \"Anno Domini\" or \"in the year of the Lord\". AC is for air conditioning or alternating current. > but how did they measure the years at the time? It depends on who you were talk... | [
"Arbitrary, likely measured from FPOC with the surface."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Science:"
} |
how can we still walk/drive like on auto pilot while our mind is focused on thinking about something? | [
"Even though you’re thinking about other things, your eyes, ears, and other senses are still gathering information and your brain is still processing it. It depends on how long you’ve been walking/driving, but the motor skills section of your brain can function without direct input, meaning this information from yo... | [
"Not a scientist in any way, but I read its line a disconnect between what your mind sees and your body feels. Like your body feels like your staying still but your eyes show that you're moving"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do computers accurately keep time? | [
"They have a tiny quartz crystal in them that vibrates at a constant speed (thousands of times per second). The computer counts the number of vibrations and knows a second has gone by after it reaches a certain number in its count. TL;dr piezoelectricity."
] | [
"Because we have developed (slightly complicated) formulae to accurately tell where each planet and moon is at any given time. If you ask the question where will the sun moon and earth be tomorrow at 12:00pm, we can probably get it right very close. People used to have lengthy tables to make the calculations easier... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How come we can experience diarrhea so quickly after eating something? If the normal process of digestion usually takes several hours to complete, what causes the body to push this food out of us so fast? | [
"Because what you just ate is considered by your organism to be a poison and it's doing everything it can to get rid of it."
] | [
"It's not the pizza, but the meal before the pizza being ushered out that's causing the diarrhea. Basically, the pizza is rushing through the system and your body needs to make room for it so it forces out the other stuff before it's ready. Also, that food would be getting rushed out of the large intestine. The ma... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do mint flavours (like polo mints and toothpaste) make your teeth sensitive to cold drinks? | [
"They're not really making you more sensitive, but the menthol (which causes the minty flavor) activates the same receptors in your mouth which are responsible for transmitting the feeling of cold. Due to the menthol staying in your mouth for a few more minutes after you finished the mint drop or spat out tht tooth... | [
"That taste is actually the taste of the toothpaste. Toothpaste can be flavored in a number of ways but very often they use mint. Some people actually like the taste of mint! A lot of other things are mint flavored like bubblegum and mojitos. If you do not like the taste of mint you could switch to a brand that is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Dentistry:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Dentistry:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Dentistry:"
} |
We determine the distance of stars and galaxies via redshift. But therefore we need to know the true emmision spectrum. Which should be an unknown variable as we only see the already redshifted light. How do we determine the spectrum of an observated object? | [
"You need only know the emission spectrum of hydrogen, which is the main constituent of basically all stars. Hydrogen, and indeed all elements of the periodic table, emits light at very specific frequencies. You can detect these peaks with a spectrograph, provided you can collect enough light from a distant star. T... | [
"The actual universe is expanding. It is often made clear by a methaphor of a ballon. Imagine the surface of the ballon is the universe. When you pump up the ballon the distance between any two points on the surface gets larger. The same thing happens to the universe only in one dimension more. We know that it actu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
What happens to the space on a hard disk that we're unable to use? For example in a 1TB hard disk, we get about 930GB of usable memory, what happens to the other 70GB? | [
"There are 2 values of data. TB (terabyte) and TiB (tebibyte). the \"ra\" ones are using multiplies of 1000. the \"bi\" ones are using multiplies of 1024. I will do some math for you: 1 TB=1000\\^4B=1000000000000 B 1 TiB=1024\\^4B=1099511627776 B 1 TB=1000000000000/1099511627776 TiB=0.931322575 TiB Hard disc that h... | [
"If you overwrite the disk once, nothing remains. If you just format the drive, all it does is overwrite the beginning of the drive, which tells operating system what file system is being used, where them files at etc. All the files and their data is still there, but the index that described where to find them is l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does biting your tongue on accident hurt more than if it was intentional? | [
"It takes the same strength of biting a carrot to biting your pinky off, but your brain won’t let you😂"
] | [
"I'm not certain that it hurts any worse than any other injury, per se; instead, you are just more likely to stub your toe badly than you are to do a lot of other painful things. You need a hammer to hit your finger with a hammer. You can stub your toe at any time, if you don't have closed toed shoes on. Does stubb... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why has there always been so much more population in China or India than in,for example, Europe? | [
"less harsh climates. western europe as is, owes a lot of its livability to the north atlantic current bringing warmth to those northern latitudes"
] | [
"A follow-up and related question: how about young people in other parts of the world in this time period? I.e. South Asia, China, West Africa, South America?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does the human body tend to itself when you havent eaten for days? What about havent drank? | [
"There's a general rule of threes for your body's survival. 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water and 3 mins without air. Without food, your body starts to consume its reserves. First to be consumed is the sugar reserve kept in your liver (about 500 grams). Then the body will try to breakdown the body's fat an... | [
"It most likely affected your appetite causing you to eat more than you used to. Have you had any changes in how active you are?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why can’t we see/feel the earth spinning? Is anything effected that we don’t easily notice? | [
"> why dont we feel the earth spinning. We cant feel velocity, because velocity alone doesn't create a force. In order for us to be able to feel something it has to have an acceleration. Its like when your in a car going a constant speed, and you dont feel like your moving until you either speed up or slow down. It... | [
"do you mean the earth's rotation? or revolution? If rotation, the sun would rise from west to east, instead of east to west. Besides that, I don't think much would change."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How come some images can take like 10 seconds to load but videos load fine? | [
"The video website was ready but the image one wasn't. Whenever your phone/computer does anything to do with the Internet it's ultimately connecting to a machine at the other end that's not much more powerful. Sites like Youtube have thousands of machines ready with the most popular videos already in RAM or close t... | [
"You get it wrong. They can't change quality over time. Jpg is just many 0s and 1s. They lose quality if you \"process\" them over and over. If you download pic from Facebook and upload it again it will lose quality, because Facebook is degrading quality to save a bit of place on their servers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do our nails grow without hurting our skin? | [
"Your nails are produced from specialized hair follicles, which reside on the surface of your fingers. Sometimes your nails do grow to hurt your skin, which is an ingrown nail."
] | [
"Your toenails grow faster than your fingernails? That does not align with my experience."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why are we typically so aggravated by those slightly less intelligent than us, yet compassionate to those much less so? | [
"Expectations. It's worse with people that I expect to be smart and then do dumb things that I expect they would know better."
] | [
"Humans like to educate. No matter how seemingly minuscule the information, it makes us feel good to think we're benefiting the community somehow by informing other people. A less altruistic factor is our desire to be deemed intelligent by others, and we feel personally well-received if we manage to impart informat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does stropping a blade with leather make it sharper? | [
"Basically, when you use a blade, the edge gets tiny imperfections which bring the edge out of alignment. Stropping realigns the edge of the blade without removing any material like a stone would. [This](_URL_0_) website is great for visualising what is actually happening, as it has pictures of blade edges using a ... | [
"That's not a sharpening rod, it's a honing device. It's job is not to take off any material, but to straighten the edge back to true. If you properly hone a knife, it will last much longer between sharpenings."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Kosovo and Serbia -- ideally with a pop culture metaphor | [
"Yugoslavia used to be one big group like One Direction. & #x200B; Then it broke up with all the various states going solo like members of one direction going solo. Some solo acts were easier than others but there were some epic fights. & #x200B; Kosovo is still trying to break out as if it wants to go solo but S... | [
"ELI5 as possible: Kosovo scenario again. Meaning Albanians will take a part of Macedonia and make it a new state. And that was not a protest, but a terrorist attack."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is there a specific name for what people in groups experience in an accident or tradegy that causes them to swarm or stampede out of a place without any logic? What happens in our brains that makes us do so? | [
"A mass panic might be a description. Often these can end up causing more harm than the real or imagined threat."
] | [
"I imagine that their sense of bullshit is overwhelmed, leading to loss of consciousness. On a serious note, the human brain can do incredible things. In this case, their belief is so strong that it leads them to act in completely irrational ways. People have been shown to have the ability to ignore pain, why shou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does breathing become more difficult once we start focusing on breathing? | [
"The brain doesn't like it when we are observing him. Then he gets uncomfortable and that's what we feel."
] | [
"Part of it is preventing hyperventilation. If you inhale and exhale too quickly then you aren't giving your lungs a chance to absorb much of the oxygen, which can be a vicious cycle of feeling short of breath and therefore breathing more rapidly leading to even more shortness of breath. But mostly this is a kind o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Health and Wellness:"
} |
What makes dollar store headphones sound so cheap and muffled? | [
"Low quality components. Speakers work by having a small magnet attached to a membrane. When electricity is pushed through the wires to a coil around the magnet, the magnet pulls back on the membrane. When the current cuts off the magnet is pulled forward by the membrane. This shaking is what created the sound you ... | [
"A better pair of headphones will: * have less distortion * amplify evenly over a broad range of pitch and volume * be more durable * fit and stay in your ears better * block out external noise * be more stylish * have special features, like water and shock resistance There is a also a good deal of marketing and au... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do golf balls have dimples on them? | [
"The dimples trap small pockets of air around the golf ball, this reduces the friction and let's the ball fly farther."
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why do you feel a distinct difference between old places vs new places? | [
"First off, I’ll have whatever you’re having. But I think it’s mostly psychological. When you’re told something is old you are already under the assumption that it’s old. I wonder what would happen if I gave you an “old relic” to hold and in reality, it’s just a prop piece. Would you get that feeling then, just bec... | [
"the world is big, buildings are not see through, and the stores may not be as centralized as you think"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
If polymer is long chain of molecules how do they create 3d object? Is there bonds between chains? | [
"They twist. it's not a flat chain, think - crudely - like a tangled phone cord."
] | [
"You're breaking the bonds. Often bonds are stronger in 1 direction (simplified down) rather than another direction due to the bond type between chains (kinda like a string is the chain, then secondary bonded to another stribg to make rope). It's easier to pull the 2 strings apart, compared to breaking the one stri... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How did graphic designers enlarge images before computers? | [
"Grid enlargement, where boxes are drawn on a picture and the stuff in the boxes is drawn on bigger boxes so they match. Projector enlargement, where a really bright light shines through the picture onto a big space and a special piece of curved glass called a lens makes the picture look good enough to trace where ... | [
"It was a really easy way to get clipart into documents before clipart was easily inserted."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What does it chemically mean when something is toxic or poisonous? | [
"It doesn't mean anything *specific* chemically. Toxicity and poisonous are qualities that describe any negative effect on an organism, which implies it somehow interferes with the life-process reactions. There are too many specific cases to be more specific."
] | [
"It's not used as a source of energy. Hence it has no calories, no nutrients, or anything of the sort. It's just a solvent that we need."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why are humans more susceptible to sickness than our pets? | [
"Part of the answer is most animals don't display sickness the way humans do. When our ancient human ancestors displayed sickness, their tribe members would feed them, take care of them, and help them rest and get better. When our pets' ancestors displayed sickness, they were left to die rather than compromise the ... | [
"we know that it happens to all living things eventually. We also know that from a physiology standpoint death is no different for humans as it is for dogs, or ants, or elm trees."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does the thought of eating something sour recreate the feeling of actually eating it, especially when other flavors don't act that way? | [
"it's such a strong feeling that your body recreates it slightly, like how some people feel sick after looking at alcohol days after getting blackout drunk. you can feel the same thing slightly with very salty or bitter foods."
] | [
"Your nose and throat are connected, so a lot of that 'taste' is actually smell. The sense of taste itself is just the initial feeling of sweet/sour etc that prepares our body for different types of foods. This is why it can be much more bearable to eat or drink things we don't particularly like if you have no sen... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how does nausea work? Does the level or degree to which you feel nauseous have anything to do with surface area of your stomach? Or what mechanism determines how nauseous you feel in a given situation? | [
"Nurse here. Part of our brain (known as the medulla oblongata) senses substances (or chemicals) that tell our bodies they are sick or under extreme stress. When these substances are detected it triggers a warning to stop whatever you’re doing eating, spinning around fast, etc. That warning is nausea. There is a se... | [
"To specifically address the lack of appetite, it's usually inflammation-related. Alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach and intestine. The brain takes those sensory signals and says \"something's not right in the GI tract, let's not put anything else in there until we're sure everything is ok\". Alcohol also ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do many modern cars have a headlight that turns off when the turn signal on that side is activated? | [
"Having a light on next to the turn signal makes it harder to see the blinking. This could contribute to an accident by hiding the signal."
] | [
"A lot of modern cars use LEDs, now LEDs don't really dim, they actually just flash on and off really fast to give the perception of them being dimmer. So, if the same bulb is used for the high beams, then the regular headlight brightness will be achieved by dimming."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
how can someone have an allergy to eggs but not to chicken? | [
"Allergies are almost always to specific proteins. The proteins in eggs causing the allergic reaction are different from the proteins in the meat itself"
] | [
"I think that's a question best answered by your doctor, and not random people with questionable google search skills. As you already know, people with strong allergies can have fatal reactions to the allergy. Edit: There are people who can get an allergic reaction to the airborne peanut dust from someone else eati... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why are Ivy league colleges considered better than other colleges when the quality of education is subjective? | [
"They have extremely selective admissions and only the very best (or richest apparently) students get in. The actual quality of the education is more debatable, especially in recent years as some programs seem to have lost the plot. Some programs like law have actual tests the graduates must take for licensing, and... | [
"Colleges and graduate schools in the US are top-notch. Other countries send their best students here. Its the grade schools and high schools that stink."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
why do men bald but women dont, atleast not as much. | [
"Because the genes responsible for balding are present on the X chromosome. Since men have only one X chromosome their chances of having the recessive balding gene without a corresponding dominant balding gene is much higher than women who have 2 X chromosomes and thus a greater chance of getting the dominant gene ... | [
"I too have this problem. Blonde/brown hair. Black body hair and a ginger beard, that is the worst man. edit: also seems like I'm balding :("
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why depressed people tends to sleep way more than the average person? | [
"Depression is difficult to explain unless you've experienced it. You literally care about nothing. You don't care to do things, therefor you do nothing. It's like the only thing you can do where you're pretty much doing nothing."
] | [
"There are about a thousand different reasons why someone might sweat while they are asleep. i.e. the answer is going to vary from person to person."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Sleep and fatigue:"
} |
Why do parts of our bodies heal faster/differently than other parts of the body? | [
"There are three basic types of cells in the body: Labile, stable, and permanent. Labile cells are cells that are almost constantly turning over, including skin cells, GI tract, and bone marrow. Injuries in these areas will generally heal well because of quick turnover. Stable cells are cells that are not constan... | [
"You have a higher concentration of nerves in your hand than you have in most other places on your body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What is a codependent relationship? | [
"A codependent relationship is one wherein the two people are reliant on eachother to a degree that's unhealthy. Which, might sound counter-intuitive as a lot of societal messages seem to encourage this sort of relationship. In reality though, when you're so reliant on someone else that you can't function effective... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why is there a "gulp" sound when drinking but not when eating solid foods? | [
"I hear a \"gulp\" when I eat solids, but it's much higher pitched. It's like liquids form a volume / chamber that can produce a deep sound. But solids need to go down in smaller amounts, unable to make a big chamber for sound. Also, liquids being swallowed are displacing air and creating bubbles. Solids can't form... | [
"Because the same air is coming out of your lungs and back out of your nose. Like asking why you taste food when throwing up."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Health:"
} |
How does matter hold information. | [
"We assign meaning to a specific state of matter. This can be a position, or an electric charge, or some other property that we can manipulate and measure without damaging it. A computer hard drive uses a powerful magnet to write your 1s and 0s to the disk by changing the magnetic direction of each designated space... | [
"time is a measure of change in the universe."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
If molecules are packed more tightly together in solids than in liquids, why is it that solids can be compressed and liquids cannot? | [
"Liquids can be compressed. Incompressible liquid is a common assumption to make for certain flow calculations because for example the compressibility of water in a river has virtually no impact on the flow. In high pressure hydraulic systems the compressibility of the oil can be important"
] | [
"There are two parts to this question. First I'll start with liquids and gases. It is possible to force a little bit of gas to dissolve into a liquid by increasing the pressure of the container. When you release the pressure, some of the gas is forced out of the liquid and you get the fizz that everyone is familiar... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
- What allows humans to live so long compared to most other animals? | [
"It's complicated, and we don't really have a definitive answer yet. But the best answer right now has to do with how DNA repairs itself. All animal cells are constantly being copied and replaced with new ones, but when you make a copy of a copy of a copy, the DNA starts to break down. How many times an animal's ce... | [
"It's quite possible that they do nothing for us. Remember, most life on Earth is not aimed at benefiting humans."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does sibling in laws work? | [
"It's stop after the first level. I have a brother-in-law, my wife's brother. When he gets married, his wife is not my sister in law. she is just my brother-in-law's wife. Siblings in law are your spouses siblings and that is it."
] | [
"On that note, would the gender of you or your slave make a difference?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do barcode scanners display the correct barcode number even when the barcode is upside down? | [
"The first block of lines and the last block of lines are a set symbol and aren't the same so it's easy to tell if it's reading left to right or right to left."
] | [
"Barcodes are just a number that is easy to scan into a computer. The computer says weather or not the item corresponding to that number has been purchased."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How are hand sanitizers still effective? | [
"Hand Sanitizers work in a very different way than, say, antibiotics. Hand sanitizers are mostly alcohol, which alter proteins and destroy cell membranes - literally destroying the organism. It's the same reason that humans haven't developed resistance against spears or swords over the past several hundred generati... | [
"Antibacterial soaps have chemical additives, like triclosan, that kill bacteria. Regular soap simply washes them away, which is typically just as effective. A quick google search says that the antibacterial agents in soap need to be left on for 2 minutes to be effective, so they are likely not doing anything benef... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:"
} |
Why do planes fly really high when they could get to their destinations faster by flying lower? | [
"My understanding is the lower air pressure at higher altitudes greatly reduces friction and drag, resulting in faster, more efficient flights."
] | [
"Those are just normal jet airplanes, like the ones people get into at airports. They take people and things from one place to another very quickly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What is the purpose of the mats/pads you see covering the grille on some diesel vehicles? | [
"It's because a cold diesel is noisy, inefficient and at road speeds the forced air that bypasses the radiator can extend the time necessary to achieve cabin heat and maximum possible efficiency. Think of it like a winter blanket without it your cold, grumpy and not really wanting to do anything. If you're dressed ... | [
"Sand is spread on the track when the train needs extra traction. Under the seats along the sides of the carriage is just a convenient place to store the sand."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How can a place run out of water? | [
"Demand exceeds supply, currently demand for water is increasing and future supply may be altered by global warming decreasing rainfall."
] | [
"Because in a lot of places, like where I live, there is literally not an alternative to Comcast."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why can't we sneeze with our eyes open? | [
"The exact reason is currently unknown, but it is speculated that it is an evolutionary reflex so that you don't get whatever is irritating your nose in your eyes."
] | [
"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 about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do hummingbirds manage to flap their wings so fast? | [
"A hummingbird's chest muscles account for more than 25 percent of its body weight, a higher percentage than any other bird species. Just like with humans who have evolved to use 25% of their energy to power their brains, these birds have evolved to use more than 25% of their weight in muscles to flap the wings tha... | [
"Conserving energy. Life is a struggle to maintain a balance of energy in/energy out, and many animals spend much of their time doing absolutely nothing until they need to eat again. Snakes, for example, may only eat once every few weeks and spend the rest of their time not doing much of anything. Other species, l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do roller coaster simulators at theme parks fabricate the feeling of motion? | [
"They move a little (tilt in place) and play a video so your brain fills in the rest. Not like a real coaster because it has no g forces, but cool."
] | [
"There are two things at play here. To start with we do not every feel how fast we are going, we feel the *change* in speed. When an airplane speeds up down the runway to take off you feel yourself getting pushed back into your seat. But once it is at a steady speed you no longer feel that. The other aspect is wi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
. Why does laying down/closing your eyes when you’re drunk make the room spin? | [
"Alcohol gets your inner ears drunk too! When you don't have your vision to tell your brain that you're standing still, your drunk inner ears (responsible for balance and knowing which way is up) don't know what's going on. That causes the feeling of spinning or being on a boat."
] | [
"Because you push out a lot of air in your lungs and ypu limit the blood flow coming to your brain. This makes you feel really tired / think you're gonna pass out ( you actually can)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is the internet stored? Are there people who have like a million hard drives to store all of the internet so it can be accessed wirelessly? | [
"\"The internet\" isn't all in once place. Each site is stored by different entities, often in many different places. So there are millions of hard drives but they are also in millions of places. Also the \"so it can be accessed wirelessly\" part doesn't make any sense. Wireless access is generally just a question ... | [
"Yes Google and Imgur have massive building that have hundreds of thousands of computer that's sole purpose is to store their data on hard drives. What's even scarier is because loading something from a hard drive can be slow they also have hundreds of thousand of computer that store the most looked at images and v... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why are ACL injuries so difficult to repair properly? | [
"Most injuries cause the entire thing to tear, with the ends not connected at all anymore. That will never heal without surgery, because the ligament has no mechanisms that allow it to fix itself when fully torn apart."
] | [
"Scientific advancements in ER the past few decades still don't change the fact it costs a ton of money to go out there."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's the difference between the Y chromosome and the other chromosomes? What would happen if a man lost his Y chromosome? | [
"The Y chromosome, compared to the X chromosome, is actually missing a tail. That's why it's called Y, it looks like a Y under a microscope. It's also missing a lot of genes compared the the X chromosome, which is why certain genetic disorders such as Male Pattern Baldness and Adrenoleukodystrophy (what Lorenzo had... | [
"Most of the baldness you see is caused by a gene on the X chromosome. If a man has the gene for baldness in his X chromosome then he will be bald. If a woman has the gene for baldness on an X chromosome, she has a second X chromosome that most likely will not have that gene so it is suppressed and she will not be... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can’t we die just by holding our breath ? | [
"Breathing is a reflex action. You do it without actively doing it. Even if you held your breath until you passed out, you'd start breathing again as your default behaviour kicked in."
] | [
"Isn't it just another way to take your mind off it?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Health:"
} |
. They are finding more bodies on Mt. Everest, but it is difficult to retrieve them. Why can't they just helicopter them out? | [
"Flying a helicopter near a mountain is very dangerous. Winds go at odd angles and can shift rapidly. The air is also thinner so the craft does not fly as well. Additionally there are virtually no places for helicopters to land on the mountain so they would have to remain in the air and have people repel down to at... | [
"No. Pressurized means that the suit is sealed, which means it is a full body suit, thus bulky. Winter clothes and an oxygen bottle do the job very well. Winter clothes keep you warm, while oxygen bottles keep you concious near the peak. Frankly, the real issue isn't the gear. The problem is that tourists with no p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
With leaves converting sunlight to supply nutrition to the tree, how do deciduous trees after losing all their leaves survive and rejuvenate? | [
"In the fall when you see leaves changing color, it is because the plant is working on sucking every bit of nutrients it can out of the cells of the leaf and then storing those nutrients in the roots for the winter. In the spring the longer days tell the plants that it is time to send those nutrients and a bit of ... | [
"It's usually not the cold weather, it's the lack of sunlight. In the winter, as the days grow shorter, there is less light for the leaves of the plant to collect and turn into energy. Having the leaves costs the plant energy and if they aren't collecting enough from the sun, then it's not worth it to have them. It... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why is it that the 2$ bill is so rare, and why don’t more people use it more? | [
"There’s actually a gentleman’s club where I used to live that gives you change in $2 bills. So if you break $100, it ALL comes back to you in $2 bills. It makes sense, the girls make twice as much as surrounding clubs. Makes buying a sandwich for lunch at a restaurant the next day a little awkward because everyone... | [
"I see american change all the time in circulation (south bc) its just out there from tourism/cross border travel and canadians dont seem to care that much i dont think vending machine take american quarters and a bank probably wont take rolls of american coins as canadian but from what ive seen they pass no one ma... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How does bud light use miller lite’s trademarks in ads without repercussions? | [
"There's nothing wrong with showing another brand in your advertising, as long as you are using their brand appropriately and such (although even there, you can go far). Nothing wrong, not illegal, nothing to see here. Its really as easy as that, and you don't have to think about it anymore. It's fine."
] | [
"Many things are difficult to portray on television - like smells as poly brought up. There is no real way to portray smell through pictures so old spice has terry crews screaming to create some sort of memory for their intended audience. Other times the product being sold isn't what the obvious. Nike isnt really s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can’t we digest corn? | [
"We can digest most of the corn, just not the outer shell. Most mistakenly believe that it's the whole kernel because no one would want to investigate further."
] | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what exactly is a beauty/birth mark, and why do they happen? | [
"Birthmarks are blemishes on the skin that are noticeable at birth, or shortly afterwards. A significant proportion of newborns have a vascular birthmark - a red, pink or purple blemish that is caused by abnormal blood vessels under the skin. Some people are born with*pigmented birthmarks*; these are usually brown ... | [
"They get one from a child and it grows as they grow. I don't know if it's the same for every organ but I assume so."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why cigarettes calm people down when nicotine is a stimulant, not a depressant? | [
"Common misconception - stimulant/depressant classification does not refer to effects on mood or behaviour, it refers to the effect on the central nervous system: Stimulants increase nervous activity and depressants reduce it. The actual effect of this modification can vary quite a bit, both stimulants and depressa... | [
"A depressant is not something that causes depression. A depressant is the opposite of a stimulant, it makes you less focus and drowsy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How does the automatic shutoff/ restart function on many newer cars work? Does it provide any actual benefits? | [
"Fuel savings. The engine is designed to require minimal effort to start, thus shutting off the engine at stops can result in a small fuel savings."
] | [
"You are correct. Many of those controls are in case the digital controls aren't working properly. Better to have a second way to control everything, than lose control of your vehicle."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how do things rot without oxygen? Like inside a vacuum sealed bag. | [
"Rotting isn't due to oxidation but rather due to the action of bacteria. Many bacteria do require oxygen but some, aptly called \"anaerobic\", do not require oxygen to survive and can rot things without access to oxygen."
] | [
"through the cracks in the walls and windows. Elevators and cars are not airtight, they are just more confined than a big room or an empty countryside. EDIT: yes, if you catch a fart and seal it in an airtight jar, it wouldn't dissipate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do mouths squirt spit when we eat something tasty | [
"Salivation is the beginning of the digestive process. Starts in your mouth, continues in your stomach, gets absorbed in your intestines. > Why do mouths squirt spit I've never heard it said this way, but I laughed."
] | [
"That's interesting. My butthole isn't too fussy about spicy foods, but it really puckers from lots of lime juice and cotton candy gets it squawking like no tomorrow."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What causes the moon to appear to be two different colors? | [
"When you look at the Moon, you will see dark and light areas. [The dark areas](_URL_5_) are young [plains](_URL_3_) called maria and are composed of [basalt](_URL_4_). The basalt flowed in and flooded the area created by a huge impact with an [asteroid](_URL_2_) or comet. The light areas are the highlands, which a... | [
"Because the moon is continually orbiting the earth. The moon doesn't follow the night when it orbits, so sometimes we can see the moon during the day."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
what happens when you “pop” your ears. What makes that crunchy sound? | [
"Your ears pop when pressure is Eustachian tube is released. This is a tube that is behind your ear drum the runs in to your throat. Pressure can be built up in this tube, the part that goes in to the through can close, the “pop” happens when the pressure is released from this tube. The pain you feel is from the pr... | [
"There's a jelly between the bones and that jelly creates air bubbles. When you crack your knuckles, the bubbles pop and that creates the sound."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Health and Physiology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Physiology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Does looking at something through a tunnel with a small radius improve the visual quality of that thing you're looking at? | [
"Yes. He is causing the light to enter into his eye more focused, since he is concentrating it though a pinhole. I’ve done it as well as my eyesight is shit and I didn’t have my glasses"
] | [
"It is due to the decreased focal area you are looking through when you squint. With you eyes wide open you are looking at a larger picture. When you squint, you are basically narrowing the picture to a finer point."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Science:"
} |
How do city buses get their route numbers? | [
"Since I don't know for which country you're asking, I'll answer it for the systems I've seen in Germany. If a city has busses and a tram, the trams usually get single digit numbers, the busses that only drive inside the city's perimeters get two digit numbers and the busses that drive to other city's get three dig... | [
"It's a big system. It also carries a bit from state to state. Are you interested in the application process? Policy? Logistics?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How do electronics with battery indicators "know" how much battery they have left? | [
"I’ll do my best to ELI5, I’m usually horrible at this. The battery has available power at full charge. We measure this in Amperage and each battery is rated or designed for a certain amperage rate. Using a tool that reads amps, we measure what the battery has and compare it to what it can have. The difference is c... | [
"Most modern electronic devices use lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion batteries cannot be recharged if their charge gets too low. So most modern electronics that use lithium ion batteries have mechanisms in place to turn the device off before this happens. Windows laptops for example automatically shutdown at 5% b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Are we ABSOLUTELY sure or PRETTY sure that nothing can outspeed light? | [
"\"Speed of light\" is a misnomer, in that it is the maximum speed possible and light just happens to move that fast due to being massless."
] | [
"So to add a bit onto this thread, does anyone else FUCKING HATE how they sound?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Language and Communication:"
} |
Why do digital (and non digital cameras for that matter) output photos in the standard rectangle or square format? | [
"The recording medium, whether that is film or digital, is generally a rectangle. I don't know why, probably because the first cameras were wooden boxes. Rectangular images probably just caught on. You're right about the lens producing an image circle, with the medium only occupying part of that space."
] | [
"It's not the lense that captures the image, it's the cameras image sensor. The shape of that sensor usually is 4:3 (like old TV's). For different shapes the camera/phone digitally crops the image."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If global see levels rise, why can't we drain the "extra" water into the Sahara desert to make it go down to normal levels? | [
"Because it would take enourmous amounts of energy to transport the water, and the water would quickly return to the ocean through the natural water cycle."
] | [
"No, not given the current water supply and the current rough terrain of the land. Even if all the ice in the world melted, and all the rain fell, the seas would not rise enough to cover *nearly all* the land."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Is a strawberry that is less sweet healthier than a strawberry that is sweet because of the sugar content? | [
"If you're trying to reduce your sugar intake, then yes."
] | [
"Who says honey is good for you? The sugars are a little more complex, but it's still sugar and you shouldn't eat too much honey."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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