query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What happens when a file is downloaded vs uploaded, and why is uploading so much slower than downloading? | [
"Download: you receive a file Upload: you send a file Uploading is only slower because most consumer internet connections are not symmetrical (download bandwidth is greater than upload bandwidth) Edit: typo"
] | [
"Easiest way is to send and request a small file from a known local test site. These test sites are known to have high internet connections, so most slowdowns will be caused by general high traffic on the net or a problem with your setup. The less time it takes to upload and download the file, the faster your conne... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can space ships constantly accelerate in space? If not is it just materials preventing this? | [
"The more fuel, the heavier the ship, the more fuel you need to accelerate. This creates an infinite cycle. With a solar sail this is more possible. However as you approach the speed of light, time from your perspective speeds up, and from an observer you slow down as you get faster. It's... Complicated"
] | [
"The key is that momentum doesn't get used up. There is no friction. Satellites, spacecraft, and the moon all use this same concept, they are simply moving so fast that they 'miss' the earth as they fall towards it. If they were going too fast, they would fly further away. Too slow and they'd eventually crash. It m... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
if space itself is expanding, inside what emptiness is it expanding? | [
"That is not how expansion works. Space doesn't need to expand into anything else, and there is no \"edge of the universe\". * Expansion of space simply means, that the distance between any two points increases over time, and this increase is faster the further those two points are apart. * There is no \"edge of ... | [
"The universe is not thought to have walls. It's widely believed to be infinite in extent. What is expanding is the space between things in the universe. > We assume that our ENTIRE universe is expanding because we have observed galaxies move further away from each other, but why does that has to mean that the uni... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How does your fingerprint grow back? | [
"And the other question is , \"Are they a genetic trait, passed down - at least for the general patterns of arch, loop and whorl?\""
] | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What causes different waves to have different wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum? | [
"Not sure what you are asking here. Do you mean why we have more than one wavelength? Wavelength is basically another way to express signal's frequency. Different frequencies exists because their sources are different. You can imagine it for example with guitar strings - thicker strings produce lower frequency (i.... | [
"We do see electromagnetic waves. Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. You're seeing the waves right now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How do the SpaceX boosters stay upright when landing? | [
"There are grid fins and cold gas thrusters on the rocker that control the orientation of the rocker. The tocket engine are gimbaled so they can be swiveled side do side so you can control it that way to. When the engine is not on you have to remember that the rocket is mostly empty tanks and the heavy part is the ... | [
"Because of the way rockets launch, when the first stage (they part they are landing) separates from the rest of the rocket, it is flying out over the Atlantic ocean at high speed. It would take much more fuel to kill that motion and fly all the way back to Florida than to just slow down enough to land on the barge... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why the inflation of expenses always more than the inflation of wages? | [
"Your premise isn't true, the percentage of rising cost of education , housing, food, childcare, etc is *not* always more than the percentage rise of wages. Currently, real wages are approximately flat - so the expense growth percentage is about the same as wage growth percentage, not more. And this isn't *always* ... | [
"The risk is that you will create an economic feedback loop that with result in hyperinflation. Inflation increases wages, wages increase inflation, and the whole things spirals out of control."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How do union strikes work? | [
"They are not required to strike, but there is a lot of pressure from their coworkers to honor the strike. Nobody will require them to stand on the picket line. Most of them want to be there. Some may be doing it out of pressure from coworkers. When you are on strike, the company will not pay you. Some unions have ... | [
"If I can ask a follow-up: How did these companies respond to being targeted?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does momentum create balance | [
"momentum can be thought of as a desire to continue doing what the object is doing; or, the more momentum something has, the more force is required to change what it is doing. So an upright bicycle moving forward wants to continue being upright and moving forward and will ignore small imbalances in forces, while th... | [
"I think you will have to define your question a bit more. Are you generally asking us to explain correlation and translation of pressure and forces?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How do we manage to make room for dessert when we are so full from our meal? | [
"I watched a TV show once where they fed a guy in an xray machine. He ate until he was full, but when new food or dessert was brought in his stomach would literally expand when he saw it. Unfortunately I can't find the video, but hopefully someone else who has seen it can jump in here with a link. It was really cre... | [
"A lot of fancy restaurants will offer plenty of courses, you're expected to be there 2 hours, and over that time and a bunch of food courses you should be fairly satisfied. If you go and just order the last course of 4oz filet mignon, you probably won't be satisfied. It's more about the experience than filling you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does someone suddenly develop an allergy to a substance that was accepted by the body previously? | [
"I just saw an allergist for my son a couple weeks ago and asked her how allergies work. Her answer was basically, we have almost no idea how or why any of it is the way it is."
] | [
"Recent studies have shown that if a person isn't exposed to the proteins in peanuts from an early age they will develop an intolerance to them. This can be combated by giving very small doses, like mixing minuscule amounts of peanut butter into their food. Just enough to kick start the immune system into recognizi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What color(s) do your eyes see best at night and why? | [
"Our eyes don’t see colors at night very well at all, so going for the best contrast with black and white is probably the best bet. Our retina cells with the best low light sensitivity don’t have the ability to distinguish colors anyway."
] | [
"People tell me that this happens to mine as well. Green eyes if I'm wearing green, brown otherwise."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why does plastic when bring stretched or ripped get warm? | [
"Friction between the molecules making up the object, this is not unique to plastic, any material will warm up when being bent or stretched because you are causing movement and therefore friction"
] | [
"They keep on producing new slime. one layer of glue will stick two surfaces together, but if one of the surfaces is able to squeeze out new glue in between it'll get loose again."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
how do these debit card paychecks work? | [
"It's often a scam where they want to charge unreasonable fees for you to access your money. Your employer becomes your bank, but they're a shitty bank worse than even Wells Fargo or Bank of America. Edit: I'm getting downvoted, but if you live in the US this is 100% it. Demand a check and look for local credit uni... | [
"1. fees. do you really want to subsidize amex or visa with dollars intended for roads and bridges? 2. transaction processing / approval times are too slow - causes traffic."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How come LEGO sets (almost) never miss a piece? | [
"Good industrial engineering. (A well designed factory with a reliable packaging process honed through decades of practice) They also often include a few extra smaller pieces which I assume are easier to lose during packaging, so if one gets away once in a while you're less likely to realize it. OP: Here's an expla... | [
"The actual brand most likely. There isnt really rules based on if you can claim that or not, so most companies will write that on there as a kind of buzzword. Same reason movies can all say #1 movie of 2015 or something of the sort"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why does the bitterness of drinks like orange juice only hit the second you stop drinking? | [
"The way we taste bitterness differs from the way we taste other flavors. Bitter chemicals need to spread across multiple tastebud cells in order for a signal to be sent to the brain. It takes time for the chemical to spread out, so the taste is delayed. Meanwhile, the intense sweet and sour tastes in, for example,... | [
"If you drink some grapefruit juice in the morning before your coffee, you will notice the coffee's effects last longer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What exactly did Julian Assange do, why did he choose to hide in the embassy instead of prison and why did Ecuador offer him asylum? | [
"America wanted to charge him with crimes relating to the stealing and release of classified documents, Sweden wanted to arrest him for sexual assault. The UK was prepared to arrest him and send to Sweden on the sexual assault charge, but released him on bail while that was sorted out. Assange feared that once sent... | [
"Edward Snowden is living in Russia and is supported by the Russian government. As he has FSB bodyguards on him 24/7, it is unlikely that unless the Russians give him to the US voluntarily, or he can be tricked out of the country somehow -- *so the CIA or FBI can arrest him* -- he will likely be living in \"exile\"... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How exactly does untreated cancer kill you? | [
"A) The tumor grows so large and consumes so much that it physically or chemically chokes out the nearby organs and destroys important tissues. Or B) The cells eventually start breaking off from the main tumor and \"metastasize\" to other locations by traveling through the blood or lymphatic systems. Then they anch... | [
"Your teacher is an idiot. Talk to a doctor about the best way to beat a type of cancer. That being said, a diet high in vegetables and low in red meat would lower your chances of getting cancer in the first place."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do certain scents give us headaches? | [
"from what Ive found, the question has to many variables to nail down exactly, as each case is typically different. some research says its the swelling and shrinking of blood vessels, while others attribute it to memory association. In short, its a well documented phenoma with a variety of reasons and speculations ... | [
"A lot of nerves in your ear canal link to most of your body. Tickling them makes your blood pressure drop and thus leads to pleasure. At least that's what I read. Correct me if I'm wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and wellness:"
} |
In the age demographic of 10-14, is it possible to love someone as two adults would love each other, despite raging hormones? | [
"Not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure the emotions can absolutely be there and maybe even stronger. It just isn't likely to be successful long term cuz you gotta have life experience and your frontal lobe better developed cuz relationships aren't easy"
] | [
"> If emotions are chemicals in our brain, does that mean we can build a tolerance from emotions? Yup. > So elderly people are more indifferent toward emotions while young children tend to be more emotional. No. Elderly people are indifferent to problems that would make a 15 year old emotional, yes. But The older ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do antibiotics target active pathogens without harming the body? | [
"Bacterial cells and human cells are different in several fundamental ways. For example, a human cell membrane is made of phosopholipids whereas a bacterial cell wall will usually be peptidoglycan. So it's easy for an antibiotic to not target a human cell, they are really very different in many ways. But as for tar... | [
"Bacteria can produce toxins like Cholera toxin, which messes up with your cellular machinery and causes diarrhoea / dehydration. Viruses destroy your cells in order to reproduce, so a runaway infection will lead to complete destruction of an organ / organ system. All organisms need resources to grow, and these pat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Medical:"
} |
Why do so many of the men in older movies have such deep voices? | [
"Due to early microphone designs, people had to learn to speak a certain way in order to maintain clarity in the recording. I like to call this \"the radio voice\". Even though microphones improved, dictation remained as an important skill for actors for a long time. Very few practice it now which is why people sou... | [
"That's actually a false stereotype. Many of the great divas are quite petite."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what is the point of having fingerprints? | [
"Grip. They help with grip. Also, when your fingers get wet and go all puffy and the finger prints become engorged, that's NOT because they absorbed water. We have blood vessels that expand to make them go like that when we are in water. Again though, for grip."
] | [
"They have been reading lips, same thing now add sound."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How do alcohol tests (as part of a workplace drug and alcohol test) work? If I have a drink the night before a test will I fail? | [
"Most places don't test for alcohol, they do the cheapest blood test, which is a \"5-panel\": - Cocaine - Opioids, like Heroin and Oxycodone - PCP - Amphetamines - Marijuana There are more expensive tests available such as a 9-panel, and there are more comprehensive tests such as a hair test, which can go back mont... | [
"They can still do drug testing, and those tests can be used to terminate an employee. Just because it's allowed for recreational use doesn't mean employers can't have a no-drug policy. If you showed up to work drunk and they gave you a breathalyzer, you could still be fired if you failed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the purpose behind very lengthy prison sentences of 150 years, 200 years and more when the average human lifespan is 70 years? | [
"It is to express the Court’s disapproval of a certain offence and the gravity of the person’s offence."
] | [
"If they are guilty of multiple homicides and one is overturned, the remaining sentences still stand. In some places, a life sentence can still mean parole after 25 years. It doesn't strictly mean \"you will remain in jail until you are no longer living.\" Someone who commits a double homicide who is then given bac... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Law and Justice:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Law and Justice:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Law and Justice:"
} |
Why does cinnamon in baked goods taste so different from cinnamon in liquor and candy? | [
"Because it's actual cinnamon from the plant in baked goods whereas in candy, it's a chemically produced flavoring in the form of a syrup to resemble cinnamon. Usually..."
] | [
"Cinnamon is absolutely not a sweet spice. It is a very fiery spice. It only become sweet when you mix it with a lot of sugar for things like cinnamon toast."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why heart muscles can work 24/7 nonstop but other muscles like biceps can't and get tired to they point the can't contract more? | [
"Cardiac muscle has a very different cellular architecture than skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscles get tired and lose contractility because you deplete the muscles' stores of glycogen (basically the stored form of sugar). They lose their easy to access energy source and stop working as well. Cardiac muscle feeds pr... | [
"You mean like after a workout? In ELI5 terms, working out causes your muscles to break down a bit. So when you sleep, your body uses protein to repair your muscles. But each time they repair your muscles, they get larger and stronger to accommodate the physical task. If our body didn't do this, repeatedly doing th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is the rule of 3 so common in so many different forms of media like games, movies, comedy, etc. ? | [
"Perhaps because three is the minimum number required to establish a pattern and then break it."
] | [
"For the same reason they're socially acceptable in movies, television, advertising, video games and literature - because they sell."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Entertainment:"
} |
Why do humans bond with and love pets/other species? | [
"To some degree they imitate human babies, which of course we have an instinct to love. But frankly, humans seem to have an instinctive love for livestock animals and similar animals. Presumably because this behavior helped our ancestors to survive."
] | [
"Its not just humans. Lots of animals torture each other and other animals for fun."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does tree bark grow as chunks that can be easily pulled off rather than a continuous protective "skin" that would be hard to break in large pieces? | [
"Animals rub against and claw at trees all the time, and if bark peeled like a tangerine skin, the tree could be debarked easily by one animal. In fact, it could be \"ringed\" even easier. That's when you carve a ring around a tree trunk, creating a small gap in the bark all around the tree. This cuts the vascular ... | [
"In my experience scabs first form as a complete sheet that is semi flexible. It then starts to dry out and hardens. As it dries it also contracts a little making the skin around it contract. That's what''s giving you that \"lumpy\" look. If the scap is on a knee, elbow or other location that sees a lot of movemen... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How are clothes for activity made sweat wicking and feel cool/comfortable despite heavy sweating? Why aren’t all clothes made to handle sweat like that? | [
"The material is more expensive than cotton or blends. For instance the company that makes the Under Armor textile makes a wound dressing that if you put it on one way and put fluid on it, it passes through to the wound. If you put it on the other way, it pulls fluid out. All due to the way it’s woven and the compo... | [
"The gloves may soak in moisture, which makes your hands cooler. Better gloves are moisture resistant."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Textile technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Textile technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is a sneezes volume/style hereditary, learned behavior, some other influences or are there no influences whatsoever? | [
"Style is definitely learned. We attache some syllables to the act of sneezing that vary by geographic location. _URL_0_"
] | [
"I am not an expert here, but I believe most experts are not certain. The best guess is that human personality traits are a product of genetics, environmental factors, and something else we aren't sure of. Essentially how your parents raise you in addition to the hereditary factors leading to some people to be anal... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How come your eyes don’t notice the smudges on your glasses unless it’s really bad? | [
"Same reason you don't notice the bits of stuff floating in your eye, the brain can filter out the noise."
] | [
"It's because you close your eyes when you rub them, letting no light in. And if you are not closing your eyes when you rub them, you are going blind because you are sticking your knuckle in your eye."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
After dying and decomposing, the bone is the only part that will remain in our body. Where do the other body parts (skin, muscles, brain etc.) go if the body is secured in a coffin? | [
"It decomposes into goo. The coffin will, in most cases, decay as well. The liquid drains into the ground, fertilizing it."
] | [
"It stays in your body for a while until you start decomposing. Bacteria, insects, and animals will start eating your body, consuming your energy, and you become dirt. That dirt, still having a little energy left, gives nutrients to plants, finally fully exhausting itself."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does yellow light penetrate when raining, but white light doesn’t? | [
"Different colors or wavelengths of light reflect and refract differently. Generally the shorter the wavelength (think red side of the rainbow) refracts and reflects at a smaller angle so it'll cut through the rain better as the light doesn't get as scattered. White light is actually made up of all the colours so y... | [
"It's because not *all* of the light passes through the glass. Some is reflected off it otherwise you wouldn't be able to see that there was anything there at all. It's also why you can't see out through windows when it's dark outside and light inside and vice versa. So because some of the light isn't getting thro... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
why does the scientific community Frown upon genetically edited babies? | [
"You don't know it'll work and the baby cannot consent, so you're performing a risky and unknown science experiment on a person without their approval. Should you fail, the genetic damage will carry on through their life and possibly to their children. And of course, the eternal eugenics debate when someone tries t... | [
"There's still much progress in this area. [Scientists Create First Cloned Human Embryo](_URL_1_) Whether you agree with it or not, human cloning will be a thing in the future. Related to this is the concept of genetically altering human DNA. [The World’s First Genetically Modified Babies Will Graduate High School... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the weird feeling in the seat of your pants when you rapidly descend in altitude? | [
"Absence of weight, basically the same principle applies to the astronauts that live in the space station."
] | [
"Because you have a natural tendency to want to stay in the same motion. Your stomache wants to stay where it is while the plane is pushing your body upwards or letting your body fall downwards."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
what is "zoning out" and why does the brain do it? | [
"[_URL_1_](_URL_0_) here's a good thread from this subreddit about it."
] | [
"you might be like me in that you don't know the best way to put what you are trying to say into words because of all the thoughts running through your head. that's my 2 sense"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Speech and Language:"
} |
Why is there height restrictions on amusement rides? | [
"Tall person bang head on pole, small person slip out safety restraint. Both not ideal scenario."
] | [
"Does it matter if there is water instead of roads between a number of small towns? We have boats and bridges."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How does sunblock work? | [
"Paint a black mark on your skin. The spot appears black because the visible light that usually reaches and is reflected by your skin is instead absorbed by the paint before reaching the skin. Sunscreen is like that, except instead of being opaque to visible light, it's opaque to UV light."
] | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why is speed of light equal to 299,792,458 m/s and not some other value? | [
"The speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant. M/s are a man made unit invented to try and describe the universe around us. It just happens that when we use those units, that is the value we get for the speed of light in a vacuum. If things were different, many things were different. But those are the law... | [
"It doesn't matter The Radio waves are moving at 3x10^8 m/s, thats 300,000,000 m/s. If you travel towards a cell tower at Mach 10 you'll be moving 3,430 m/s and change the wavelength by 3,430/300,000,000 or 0.0011%. You're not traveling anywhere close to Mach 10 so the impact is truly insignificant"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what causes hail to form instead of snow? | [
"Hale is rain that freezes on its way down. Snow is tiny frozen water molecules that clump together to form fluffy flakes."
] | [
"Sometimes there is and it's called Thundersnow. Most of the time there isn't because the conditions that cause lighting aren't typically present during a winter snowstorm. Most of the time a snowstorm is just....lots of snow. Sometimes it's snow and really bad winds. But neither of those are the conditions to prod... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does liquid from inside a cup end up at the bottom (hence the need for coasters)? | [
"If it's actually liquid from inside the cup, it's because of a leak in the cup or some of it was on the side of the cup when it was poured in there. & #x200B; Most of the time, the liquid isn't from in the cup, it's condensation. & #x200B; Warm air can hold more water than cold air, so if you have a drink that i... | [
"If it's on the surface, then it'll run downhill away from your spoon. Downhill? The contact between the spoon and the liquid has what's called a meniscus - a curved join, as a result of the surface tension of the liquid. If it's below the surface, then as you approach it, the liquid has no choice but to flow away ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do some pots and beakers pour well while others cause liquids to drizzle down the edge, resulting in a mess? | [
"It's to do with the shape of the lip. If the lip is too smoothly curved between the inside and the outside, the forces that keep water on the surface of the pot/beaker will be enough to overcome the force that pulls the water away from the surface. If you just have a lip that has an abrupt edge rather than a smoot... | [
"because it runs smoothly down the side of the glass instead of hitting the bottom of the glass violently, causing it to bubble."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Will there ever be a time where money isnt essential in our lives and where we dont have to wake up to work anymore? | [
"It's the old star trek question. When we invent food replicators, that synthesize food from nothing people will find wealth in personal growth and not in a monitory number."
] | [
"Humans. And I don't mean that as some kind of hippie statement. Everyone has private interessts, they want to consume and they want to have as much as they can. They are rarely satisfied. If you were offered a raise in pay at your job that would double your income, would you ever say \"No, I really have all I need... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why are plastic items never completely dry after I run the dishwasher, where glass and ceramics are? | [
"This is a result of the heat capacities of those items. Because the material of glass has a higher heat capacity than plastic it can store more heat inside itself than a piece of plastic the same size can. This extra heat in the glass can evaporate more water than the plastic items are able to"
] | [
"fill up the sink with water. wash every dish using that water. then drain, then fill it up again and do the same thing to rinse. it'll clean it just as well. if the rinsing water gets too dirty you can drain it and fill it up again."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are people able to get their debt removed or forgiven so easily (or not so easily)? | [
"If you go bankrupt you have to be willing to give up anything you own of value in addition to accepting payment of what is determined to be a reasonable amount by who ever manages your bankruptcy. Yes it will forgive much of your debt but you don't get off free. You are still forced to pay the maximum that is reas... | [
"If they cannot pay it all now their wages will be garnished from now until the point that the debt is paid. Not all debts can garnish your wages, but governmental debts and legal fines can. These types of debts cannot be discharged via bankruptcy either. Odds are they will be paying for this crime for the rest of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why are there so many craters on the moon but none on Earth? Do asteroids hit the moon constantly? | [
"This question has been asked before! I searched this subreddit for you, so [here's your answer!](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"The moon probably used to rotate more independently, but the gravity of earth has tidally locked it so that it only rotates once per revolution. The Earth could become tidally locked to the moon, but it would take so much time, the sun would burn out before that happened. It's also mostly referred to as the far si... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How did right to left written languages come about at a time when a quill or fountain pen was the likely writing instrument? | [
"Writing utensils vary widely - when using a brush for example you're not dragging your arm across the page"
] | [
"Most languages originally wrote in all-caps, but they're cumbersome. Scribes expected to take notes at speed invented cursive writing, which is much faster but doesn't use capitals, instead using another form of the letters adapted for speed. Capitals were reserved for important letters, such as proper nouns and t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do people who throw knives and axes really well always manage to hit the target with the sharp bit instead of the handle of the thrown object? | [
"I know the answer to this! Because last year one of my bestest friends bought me axe throwing lessons for my birthday. You practice until your throw is consistent, and you adjust the distance from the target to match the way you throw. It takes a great deal more work to learn to adjust your throw for a little more... | [
"It's one part illusion and one part a lot of practice. First of all, they don't use battle-ready swords. They're not at all as sharp as a weapon should be. Half of of the trick is making them *look* like swords. Second, your neck needs to be straight as an arrow and, after a lot of practice, you can just kind of s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do prions reproduce? | [
"They don't. They're not alive. I'm not a professional but my understanding is that they are misfolded proteins and they spread by triggering other proteins too misfold. No idea how that's accomplished thought."
] | [
"They need the cellular machinery in your body to reproduce. Viruses can't replicate, they can only instruct other cells to make copies of the virus. You're their reproduction vector."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what does the 'frozen' button on the toaster change? | [
"I’m no toaster expert, but I bet it lowers the temperature of the coils so that the bread can defrost and heat up evenly through."
] | [
"Nope, doesn't do anything. Do a side by side trial sometime and you'll find that there's no difference between a tapped and an un-tapped can."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why do people get carsick when they are a passenger in a car, but not when they are the driver? | [
"Motion sickness has to do with your eyes and your inner ear (which tells your brain how you are moving) disagreeing. A driver is always looking where they are going. But a passenger isn’t always looking straight ahead. They’re reading or on the phone or looking somewhere off to the side. In these cases, the inner ... | [
"you can be handicapped and still drive, might have a bad hip or knee. the physical is to make sure they're not going to pass out behind the wheel from a seizure, heart attack etc i believe"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How to fireworks stay lit under water | [
"Gunpowder (commonly used in fireworks) does not need an external source of oxygen to ignite. The mixture of Gunpowder contains saltpeter (KNO3) which supplies the oxygen for the reaction while the charcoal and sulfur serve as a fuel. Since wet gunpowder can't ignite, A proper water resistant material is used for t... | [
"They are to mark what type of soda is in the cup."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How do Parrots "talk"? | [
"Parrots can mimic a variety of sounds using their vocal abilities. This allows them to produce sounds which are similar to those produced by human voices, and by copying what humans say they can \"talk\". Of course they don't form a broad knowledge of language in order to actually speak intelligently, but they can... | [
"Avast, 'twas oft asked here. Ye may enjoy these: 1. [ELI5: why Dont Babies Drownsuffocate in the Womb...?](_URL_3_) 1. [ELI5: How Babies Breathe in the Womb and How They...?](_URL_7_) 1. [ELI5: How do Babies Breathelive During The...?](_URL_1_) 1. [ELI5: If You Can Survive Without Breathing While...?](_URL_0_) 1.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:"
} |
Can having an extra finger give you an advantage with grip strength? | [
"I would think it would depend on if your forearm developed the extra musculature to use the extra finger in the same way as the rest."
] | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is the glass on our phone screens more slippery than the glass in windows? | [
"The glass in your phone has special coatings to make it slippery. You drag your finger across it constantly so it needs to be slippery. Window glass need to be glass. That’s it. Were you to make windows out of iPhone glass they would be prohibitively expensive."
] | [
"It keeps water from sticking to the inside of the lens. Same thing as soaping up a mirror in the shower."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How do seedless plants work? If those watermelons or grapes didn't make seeds, where did they come from? What do their parent plants look like? | [
"as another user said some hybrid crosses make infertile offspring (like how a lion and tiger can have a baby but that offspring is in fertile)"
] | [
"Because pollen is not the same as seeds. Pollen is just the way that plants fertilize each other and spread DNA. If the pollen floats around, lands on another plant, and that plant is successfully fertilized, then it will drop seeds and the seeds grow into new plants. But pollen does not directly turn into plants,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are we able to decipher acronyms and initialisms so easily? | [
"They seldom occur without any context. This gives you plenty of hints about what they might mean if you'd never heard the words before and had no context, it's be impossible to tell between CPU and scuba"
] | [
"Believe it or not (according to what I've read), it's not that hard to pick up once you're trained to do it. In WW2, morse operators were often able to recognize and distinguish between the morse code signals of different senders. It becomes no different than any language. Occasionally, when we speak or write, we ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Language and Communication:"
} |
What powers commercial vehicles | [
"Trains run off of massive diesel engines connected to a generator that powers a motor. Not too sure why they're wasting energy on conversion. I think it's cheaper/easier to do that than design, build, and maintain a transmission that can handle moving that much weight from a dead stop up to their maximum speed. La... | [
"Employees, analysis, electricity, patient backup (other patients waiting...) etc. not so much money as resources."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How do guitar pickups work? | [
"Guitar pickups are bar magnets. The magnets are wrapped with a coil of wire and this makes them an \"inductor\". Electric strings are usually made of nickel, which is a metal that interacts easily with magnets. So the metal strings vibrate and those vibrations are felt by the pickup because the pickup is a magnet... | [
"If magnets are magic, is gravity magic too? Fundamental forces, yo. They run the universe."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
how does welding work? | [
"We there's different types of welding. Soldering operates at a lower temperature think like 400° C and basically melts a substance (typically called filler material) and that acts as a glue and binds two things together. Soldering is usually used in electric components. Then we have welding, the one most people kn... | [
"Maybe let's start with: what is ring tone rap?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Science and Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Science and Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why can't we have a universal format for all video files? | [
"[relevant xkcd](_URL_0_). Everyone format is trying to be the universal format, but each format is gonna have its on intricacy that some people find incredible useful and others find insufferable. The end result is that as long as competing formats exists someone, somewhere, is gonna demand that all work be done i... | [
"It would be nice if there was someway to block these signals."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How have people been "sliding" things onto walls and such | [
"As near as I can see from the video, what we're looking at is something called popcorn drywall. When he shoves the pencil against the wall and drags it upward, the paint on the wall surface and the paint on the pencil abrade each other slightly, creating jagged edges that dig into each other. Tugging it back down ... | [
"yeah and why is it that this never happens for advertisements and they load perfectly"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What evidence do we have of the existence of an Indo-European language? | [
"Proto-Indo-European is a reconstructed hypothetical language acquired using the comparative method. We have no solid evidence of this language being spoken or written, and thus rely upon similarities between other languages grouped together and systematic sound changes. Greek has some words that may have a non-Ind... | [
"They were a group of indo-Europeans who went over to present-day India and essentially conquered the Dravidian people."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How does salt water from the oceans turn into fresh water in rivers and lakes? | [
"When water evaporates from the sea it leaves behind the salt, so when the clouds rain it onto the mountains it's fresh with no salt in it"
] | [
"From the same place all fresh water comes from, the water cycle. Water from the ocean evaporates into the atmosphere, forms clouds, and travels in weather patterns. Mountains, being the tall obstacles they are, catch a lot of that moisture and it is deposited as snow. When the weather warms up, the snow melts and ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it okay to eat steak medium-rare, but ground beef needs to be cooked well done? | [
"Bacteria on a steak is on the surface, and when you cook it, it'll kill the bacteria. On ground beef, because it's minced up, bacteria are on every surface that has contact to air. Cooking it less than well done leaves parts that are uncooked that have bacteria and can make you sick."
] | [
"Because beef is a very dense meat, poultry is not. Since beef is very dense, it's rare for bacteria or viruses to live on the inside of the meat, generally they only live on the surface. That's why you usually sear the outside of a steak to kill any bacteria that may live there. Since poultry (and pork) are less ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why is yawning something most animals have in common? | [
"It's theorized to be a way of the body trying to give the body more oxygen during times of sleepiness before the brain has fully decided it's safe and time to sleep."
] | [
"You might want to post in /r/askanthropology as well. > Is there anything that is universal among all cultures? Some sort of religion and marriage is observed in every culture we know of so far. Then there are behaviours that are thought to be universal because they are based on instinct, such as smiling, laughi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How do casinos know and prove that someone is counting cards? | [
"Dealers themselves are trained to count cards. That way they know when the deck is positive or negative and they just look for people that changing their bets to suit. If the deck is very stacked in the players favour and someone ups their bets from $50 to $500 then back down to $50 the dealer knows they are coun... | [
"It gives you an advantage over other players and takes the \"random\" part of the game you're all playing. Card games are designed so that you don't count cards so that all players have the same odds of winning. There is a limit to what a human can remember about cards that have been played already. Counting cards... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do we know how to throw something so accurately (e.g. how much power, at what angle/curve)? | [
"It is actually an evolutionary thing, not learned as someone said before. Early Humans needed accuracy for hunting because we were not strong enough to kill an animal in close combat so our brain learned how to throw accurately.We can learn to throw more accurately but even without that humans can throw pretty goo... | [
"The first thought is that it is a lot harder than the movies make it... There are two ways of throwing a knife: You can throw it so it travels blade first without rotating, which is harder to do with the same accuracy/power, but means it should always hit properly. The alternative is to throw the knife so it rotat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How in the world is Uber losing so much money? | [
"It's expanding more rapidly than it's making money, and it pays out to it's drivers more than it can afford. It's a bit of an infrastructure clusterfuck from what I understand. It stays afloat mainly because of investors, as apparently people believe that once Uber figures out how to balance it's books it'll net h... | [
"Netflix has over 60 million subscribers. Multiply those by the $8 per month and you're looking at revenues of nearly half a billion dollars. Every month. Given that, perhaps your question should be rephrased as \"how on earth is Netflix **not** profitable\"?!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do animals teeth not rot away if they can not "brush" them like humans? | [
"They can, to an extent. But the diets that animals live on don't contain the kind of refined sugars we're used to. If you compare the teeth of people before sugar plantations and refinery became a thing, to those after, you'll notice a huge difference. Refined sugars are a superfood for bacteria, and that means th... | [
"Bacteria eats sugar and poops acid into your mouth which burns your teeth. Brush and floss and see a dentist."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Dentistry:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Dentistry:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When a computer is having Domain Name Service (DNS) issues, why can't Windows troubleshooter find a solution? | [
"Usually if there is an issue with accessing the DNS, you don't have a stable uplink to the internet. DNS is the first part of going to a website, so is the part that will have issues first if you can't properly access the internet. I don't know much about Windows troubleshooter, but it's often an issue with your r... | [
"A 169.254.x.x is an APIPA IP address. This generally occurs because there was a breakdown in communication/response with a DHCP server. The usual fix is to correct any network configuration issues to ensure access to DHCP server or correct any DHCP server configuration issues. Quick and basic things to check on th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is bottled water labeled anything other than "drinking" water held to the same standard? | [
"So there is such thing as water sold specifically not for drinking. This is typically labeled as “non-potable”, which means not for drinking. It’s not sold by the bottle though and that is because non potable water is used for things like pressure washing and other industrial/commercial applications. Instead you’l... | [
"The taste of tap water is determined by your local geographical area. For example if you go to Las Vegas they have terrible tap water whereas where I live we have essentially tasteless tap water. The minerals in the rocks of the resivoir and rivers make that difference Bottled water is filtered water so it filter... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
why are anti-biotics prescribed over 10 days? | [
"Because not all bacteria die at once when you take a pill. It is important to really really kill all of them, because bacterial growth is very fast. When you stop after 99 % are killed the infection will come back quickly. Building up AB resistance is also a problem, why you want to strike hard on bacteria."
] | [
"Because over use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistant bacteria like MRSA. Doctors already prescribe them too much, imagine what a layperson with no medical knowledge whatsoever would do. By the way, the flu is a virus; antibiotics have absolutely no effect on them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why is there always a tiny gap for the roots when people get highlights? Why not go right to the root? | [
"Also, the scalp generates heat so it processes color faster than the length of hair. If you went all the way to the roots, you could get an ugly two tone colour - lighter, possibly over processed by the roots, and the normal color on the hair shaft."
] | [
"Idk what you're talking about, I got hair from head to toe. Literally, there is a path of hair from my head to my toe"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why are white Americans not called European Americans? Similar to Asian Americans and African Americans. | [
"We should not use any of these segregating terms. We should simply use the term Americans instead."
] | [
"Race really came from that time in history we were really wanted everything to fit into nice taxonomic groups. But the groups we choose are pretty damn arbitrary, even to this day. What does it mean to be white? European? How close are Italians to Finnish to Romanians to Spanish? What about Asian? Asian including ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
how/why do pot holes randomly form in the middle of straight flat roads where weight from vechiles would be evenly distributed? | [
"It has more to do with the stability of the earth underneath the pavement than the distribution of weight on the surface. Spaces where the earth can compact faster than surrounding areas will \"sink\" faster than more densely packed earth, and the asphalt above will be less supported. It happens more frequently wh... | [
"I'm not a civil engineer but I think it has to do with the amount and type of traffic the road is under. A residential street will only have to endure slow infrequent traffic but a major interstate has cars on it 24/7 including everything from motorcycles to your neighbors new double wide house. unlike concrete, I... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can our teeth fall out and grow back only once? | [
"they don’t ‘grow back’ so much as they’re already there. everyone is born with 2 sets of teeth (with very few exceptions where some people have a third set of adult teeth). you can see in the skulls of children that the adult teeth are already present in the jaw bones"
] | [
"Yes, burning your mouth will almost certainly kill the taste buds in the affected area. However, don't worry too much about it. Taste buds have a natural regenerative life cycle of about 10-14 days (very similar to skin), so they'll be dying off and coming back whether or not you burn your tongue."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is objective reality and the experiment that proved it doesn’t exist? | [
"Objective reality is simply material things (so far as I know) or \"sensibles\" as Plato referred to it. It's simply the world around us, at this very present moment in time and nothing else. I can't point you to one specific experiment that proved it, but if you count The Allegory of the Cave as possessing more v... | [
"Faster than light travel doesn't exist, so your guess is as good as anyone's."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it that milk can be good to drink for 10 days, but then suddenly go bad with no in-between? | [
"You're just not noticing the in between. Milk certainly does start with a slight sour smell, then a growing sour taste. Eventually it will fully sour and separate."
] | [
"They kind of do, actually, your stomach acid immediately curdles milk after you drink it. I know this because I've I drank milk and later threw up something like cottage cheese. I mean going bad generally means bacteria within the milk have reproduced beyond healthy levels, so not that - just the part where it cu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Food Science:"
} |
why are rockets launched in parabolic trajectory? Wouldn't we be spending less rocket fuel, if we launch it straight up, reach the desired altitude, reorient the rocket to be parallel to the ground and fire boosters again? Kind ok like the vertical take of fighter jets. | [
"Imagine being on your bicycle in a giant concrete bowl. Try to ride out by going straight up one side. Your body and bicycle would be ill-designed (including heavier) to provide the burst of power needed to go that way. Next, imagine riding in an ever-growing circular path. It may take several rotations, but you'l... | [
"anything orbiting earth must be traveling that fast (the exact speed varies by orbiting height, lower you are, faster you need to go to orbit), infact reaching that speed is a substantial part of the rockets job. Its why we cant just float up on a balloon or plane and chill, once your at altitude, you still have t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why can't we replace humans' eyes with falcon eyes and just casually see ants on the top of a 10 storeys building? | [
"Because the eye has so many little tiny nerves which is near impossible to do by hand, we have developed artificial eyes for the blind which can help but we cannot make the replacement eyes work with 100% clarity. (Not even 10% as good as a proper working eye, i cannot find the article but they simulated what you ... | [
"The Earth is really big and those satellites are really small. Imagine a photo of Earth from high orbit. You can't distinguish whole cities (10 miles across), how would you expect to see something that is somewhere between the size of a mailbox and a car?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some memories stay with you forever and some you forgot? Also how can you forgot a memory for a long time and then suddenly remember it again? | [
"Memories are basically just pathways in our brains. The more you recall something, the stronger related pathways become. Likewise, if a pathway goes untriggered, it becomes weaker but doesn't disappear. Its part of why recalled memories can be twisted or overwritten. And makes wilfully forgetting something such a ... | [
"With the right techniques it's easy to recall all sorts of information from the past, but 95% of it might be fake. Memory's a funny thing, you form memories as you think about them, so over time its tougher to tell what's real and what's not. The more you think about something that didn't happen, the realer the ex... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do wind turbines only have a few, thin blades and not many to catch more air? | [
"You basically answered your own question. It's not as effective. Modern wind turbines don't work the way a sail works. The wind doesn't \"push\" the turbine. The \"sails\" are shaped and work like airplane wings. The wind blow \"at\" them and creates the same pressure difference. Additional note. Modern wind turbi... | [
"A windmill with 10m radius covers more area than two windmills with 5m radius, which means it is more effective. Plus (to my knowledge) it's cheaper to put up a few larger windmills than many smaller ones."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Who pays for the plane ticket back to your home country if you’re denied entry to a country? | [
"The passenger legally has to pay, but the airline is required to take them back no matter what. If the airline will actually get their money is another question."
] | [
"To ensure that your passport doesn't expire while you're in that country, since most countries limit the amount of time tourists are allowed to stay there."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why and how is gold a factor in modern economies? | [
"> (except of course nowadays gold is used in electronics) You say that like it's a minor thing. Electronics make up [34% of gold use in the US](_URL_0_). [This website](_URL_1_) suggests that there is about $9 worth of gold in a desktop. In 2018 [259 million PCs shipped around the world](_URL_2_). Assuming $9 of g... | [
"Gold has a lot of industrial applications in electronics."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What happens to aspirated solids and liquids? | [
"Depends on what it is. You can cough most things up. Smaller particulates and liquids are carried out by the mucociliary escalator. Basically you have a sludge like mucous being produced in your lungs and your lung lining is microscopic fibers that slowly push it out and dump it down your esophagus. Things get cau... | [
"> How do our bodies separate solids from liquids during digestion? Everything is absorbed through the intestines into the bloodstream. The kidneys then filter liquids and wastes out of the blood and produce urine. There is no direct connection between the digestive system and the kidneys/bladder so there is no way... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What is the process for illegal immigrants in America? | [
"There are several ways to be in country illegally. The predominant way across all immigrants demographics to come here legally via air, plane, car, pass thru immigration with a vacation visa or student visa or etc. And once the Visa expires, never leave the country. For the much talked about southern border, t... | [
"Contrary to popular belief, if an illegal immigrant has a kid in the US, they're still at risk for deportation if caught, in which case the child is sent back with them. Also, pregnant women sometimes have difficulties getting Visas (particularly tourist Visas) in order to dissuade people from trying in the first ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are there so many knobs and buttons in a plane cockpit? | [
"There's a lot of circuit breakers there too. Kind of like circuits in your house, or fuses in your car. There's a lot of electronics in the air craft and a lot of fuses can be blown. They need to be easily accessible to be reset."
] | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What is the difference between a lab grown diamond and a cubic zirconia? | [
"One is a diamond and one isn’t. CZs are not made of carbon but made from zirconium dioxide."
] | [
"Assuming we're talking about white diamonds (as opposed to the various colored varieties that exist), I'm pretty sure you can't tell if a diamond is conflict free unless 1) the diamond comes with a certificate saying where it came from or 2) the diamond came out of a piece of jewelry predating the wars that produc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What is the benefit of space programs? | [
"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... | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are names of molecules and such in chemistry so long and convoluted? | [
"If you are familiar with your IUPAC naming conventions then the big long name actually tells you exactly how to draw [the molecule](_URL_0_). There are two(di) methyl groups (CH3) off to the left, thus Dimethyl. There's a 5 carbon long string(pentyl) with 4(tetra) OH(hydroxy) groups coming off the side, thus tetra... | [
"It has to do with the number of oxygens in the compound. -ate compounds have one more than the -ite compounds. Most -ate compounds you encounter have 3 oxygens. **Most**. There's no rule, you just need to memorize the unusual ones."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
While programming a game, how do image textures like this work to make an actual game? | [
"When mapping textures to the 3D model you can specify which parts of the texture go on what part of the model. You are basically telling the game engine to only use a small portion of the image for the legs, this portion for the arms, this one for the face, etc. This is more efficient than splitting it up into mul... | [
"Because you have to calculate a lot more to determine if the intersection of the acting object and the touched object overlap if you use their actual mesh and right now computers aren't fast enough to do that for games with more than a handful of objects."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do use machinery terms to describe our emotional states; all wound up, blow a gasket, out of steam, fueled up, not firing on all pistons, ad nauseam. | [
"Because we use *all kind* of metaphors to describe human emotions. Almost anything we are familiar with might be used. Colors: feeling blue Animals: feeling catty, feeling squirrelly Temperature: feeling frosty Military: under siege"
] | [
"Totally. And it can wake you up out of a dead sleep. Reason? Any number of reasons, something tickling your nose, allergies, respiratory infections."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
I recently learned that the picture of M87 is what it looked like 55 million years ago. Does this mean, in theory, that if we traveled far away enough from earth and took a picture, we could see a prehistoric earth? | [
"Only if we can travel away at a speed greater than the speed of light. If we travel away from earth at 2x the speed of light every year of travel would get you a picture 6 months in the past."
] | [
"Judging from the answers, I don't think I am able to get my point across, so my apologies. I get that what we see happened millions of light years ago and that we might be able to see the forming process of stats and galaxies etc. What I mean is this : Consider that there is a star just outside the observable univ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
What would a photon "see" if it "looked" at a different photon traveling in the same direction? | [
"You actually can't do this! The way you'd do it would be to measure the velocity of the other photon from the rest frame of the first photon. However photons have no rest frames! So the answer unfortunately is undefined."
] | [
"So far we have never found a tachyon. However if we did, there would be no way to determine if the tachyon was a particle being absorbed from the future or being emitted towards the future."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
How did ancient people from different civilizations communicate between each other? | [
"Multilingualism and pidgin languages. You still see this today in many parts of the world, where the traders speak a really poor man's trading English, just enough to haggle and barter with tourists. From wiki: > A pidgin[1][2][3] /ˈpɪdʒɪn/, or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication... | [
"Which time period? Which region of the Americas? Which culture? In 1491 there were tens of millions of Native Americans spread from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego and they all had their own views on sex."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Social Sciences:"
} |
What does it mean when people say you can buy something just to write it off? Isn't getting a writeoff usually a small fraction of a purchase price? | [
"I went to dinner with the owner of 22 million dollar a year company and about 18 other people. The tab was 12 grand and the tip 10 grand (trust me the staff earned every penny). Halfway through dinner the CFO had the owner sign some checks. Now that $22,000 became an operating expense for the company because he co... | [
"This is just a basic example and not 100% accurate, but it will give you the idea. Lets say I make $1000. Normally I would pay taxes on the whole $1000. Lets say I make $1000 and give $200 to charity. I would now only pay taxes on $800. In reality, it doesn't really save you money. Because even if you were paying ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How does StubHub make sure that the seller doesn’t just keep their original ticket and still use it, especially for mobile tickets? | [
"The code associated with the ticket refreshes every couple of minutes. Even if they took a screenshot of the ticket’s qr code, it wouldn’t be valid three minutes later."
] | [
"I assume that Ticketaster purchases those tickets from the artist or venue and then resells them. When the original source of the tickets then runs out of tickets the show is Sold Out. But you can still purchase tickets from a third party vendor (Ticketmaster, StubHub, etc). Ticket scalping is another thing all to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.