query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
when watching traditional TV, why does a split second of the wrong commercial play sometimes? | [
"Usually it's due to a mismatch between their national and local feeds. & #x200B; Often with traditional TV the actual show you are watching is being broadcast nationally (or across a wide area) and just relayed automatically by your local TV station to their broadcast towers. But the adds you watch are sometimes ... | [
"Is one HD and another SD. This is they only time this happens in my house. The HD channels are a second or two behind SD so that when you switch to HD, you can easily compare the quality with the same past few seconds from the SD channel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why do people think there’s aliens in area 51? | [
"The US military used to do some experimental aircraft testing out of the base. Some of the lights and objects were spotted and wildly misconstrued."
] | [
"ELI 5 on why no one has taken high quality images of Sasquatch, UFOs, or Ghosts. They do not exist. Maybe someday Aliens will visit but they aren't flying around kidnapping rednecks at the moment."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How do medical examiners know that a victim was still alive when cuts/bruises etc occured? | [
"Because cuts and bruises will look different depending on whether or not blood was flowing to them. If you're dead than your heart has stopped beating which means blood is no longer being pumped around your body which means any cuts or blows will look very different."
] | [
"When they say he \"burned to death\", it means the coroner found this: * he was still breathing immediately after the accident - they can determine this by the damage to the inside of the lungs... there would be burning (from the hot air that he inhaled) and smoke residue * the other damage to his body was not sig... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is a "feels like" temperature calculated? | [
"There are a couple different methods. The one I know best is \"wet bulb temperature\" which is measured by placing a thermometer covered with a wet cloth outside. The temperature this thermometer reads is a decent indication to how cold it would feel for a sweaty person to stand outside. This isn't a calculation, ... | [
"My understanding is that these values typically act as outside measures (max and min). During the summer you would have a high of X which would be augmented by the humidex to a higher value. During the winter, we usually see a wind chill augmenting a negative value (Celsius) to a more negative number. I would imag... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
Why is birth control seemingly a cure/effective treatment for so many other feminine ailments, and how does it treat them? | [
"Because a lot of \"ailments\" are related to hormonal fluctuations that happen during the menstrual cycle and birth control has hormones. It keeps them from fluctuating so much."
] | [
"There are different types of emergency contraceptives. But essentially, they are all forms of hormone therapy. Most are simply higher dosed formulations of the same active ingredients in regular birth control pills. I have no expertise in this area. But I am pleasantly surprised to find that the question has actua... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
I know this sounds really stupid but what is the difference in banks and why store money in savings? | [
"Savings accounts pay u interest on the $ in ur account.. checking accounts usually do not. The amount of interest savings account pay u defers, but is always very low (but better then nothing)."
] | [
"99% of it is in investments, real estate, stocks, companies, funds, etc. the 1% of it they keep in liquid form is what they do to go shopping with."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Economics:"
} |
What happens to the wax when you burn a candle, and why doesn’t the wick burn to ash? | [
"The wax is the fuel. It melts and, well, \"wicks\" up the wick. The bright flame is the wax burning off of the wick like any liquid fuel would. So the wax is consumed in the burning process. The wick only burns away at the point beyond where the wax burns off, as the liquid wax flowing up it insulates it from the ... | [
"They are coated with a petroleum or tar substance which is what burns. Here is a fun experiment: get a metal tray and some cotton balls. Try burning a cotton ball. Now dip one is rubbing alcohol and light it. Burns hot and fast, eh? Now smear some Vaseline on one and light it. Now it burns a long time. Kind of soo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Science:"
} |
Mobile phone game ads where you can play the advertised game in the ad. How does that work? | [
"It's the same as if you were playing a flash game in the browser. When the ad comes in, it loads this \"flash\" game, it's a specifically designed ad that allows you to play for 30 seconds and then it turns off to a normal static ad usually"
] | [
"It used to be ad free, it was launched on that as a premise. The simplest answer I can give is profit."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Entertainment:"
} |
Why does drinking water make gum hard? | [
"Gum gets more elastic when warm, water is colder than body temp, so removes heat from him thereby removing elasticity."
] | [
"Why do the glands in my neck burn like high hell when I'm holding back tears?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does light years work? How would explain light years in layman's terms? | [
"A light year is a measure of distance. It is the distance light travels in a vacuum in one year. Light travels at 186282 miles per second(iirc) so take that number and multiply it by how many seconds are in a year and you have the distance in miles light would have traveld in one year. Edit: too many per seconds..... | [
"If you were two dimensional, how would I explain the third dimension to you?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
The sudden onset of type 1 diabetes and it's triggers | [
"Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. Something, often a viral infection, triggers the body's immune system to make antibodies that destroy the insulin producing cells in the pancrease. It's sudden onset because the body's immune system is designed to hit infections hard and fast."
] | [
"Yes, skinny people can have diabetes though it is much more common in obese people. The decisive factor are the blood sugar levels."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does bird feces sparkle? | [
"Bird poop sparkle because of the bones they eat from bugs. There’s this chemical in bugs called, “Chintin” which makes it hard for the birdies’ to digest"
] | [
"Water, fibre, and other things that humans don't digest into energy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why/how does Ibuprofen et al make you constipated? | [
"Ibuprofen doesn’t. Narcotics do. They act on opioid receptors in your body. The effect you want is on the receptors in your brain. One of the side effects is in receptors in your GI tract (constipation). Another is decreased breathing/respiration. That’s what can kill in an overdose."
] | [
"Pump stomach, try and salvage what we can. Some drugs have reversal drugs. Tylenol and mucamyst, narcotics and narcan, etc (I can't remember names). Dialysis if we have to."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What does a "fast/slow metabolism" really mean? | [
"> having a fast metabolism means that you get fat harder and vice versa That's actually a [common misconception](_URL_0_). > There is no evidence that obesity is related to slower resting metabolism. Resting metabolic rate does not vary much between people. Weight gain and loss are directly attributable to diet a... | [
"Eat more than you burn. Calories in > calories out = weight gain. Statistically, you don't have a fast metabolism. You just don't eat as much as you think you do."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How does an alternating current flow? If the electrons are constantly moving equidistantly forward and back, how is it travelling? | [
"They do, but they don't really 'flow' in the way you think, the water flowing is a fairly poor analogy because it sets up our minds to think of electrons as if they are H20 molecules, but at the scale we are talking about electrons act nothing like liquid water. [_URL_0_](_URL_0_) They 'move' at about 1.2 inches... | [
"Imagine you have a long pipe of water, forming a loop. At one point in the loop there's a pump and at the other side of the loop there's a turbine that can extract useful work from the water. If you pump the water in one direction then that spins the turbine and you get power. Great! If you pump the water in the o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does it take so long to manufacture contacts for a person who has a bad astigmatism? | [
"They are made with your prescription strength but also with a weighted side so that gravity spins them to make them align to match the shape of your eye. Since there are so many variables they usually don't have your perfect set in stock and have to custom order them. That's why it takes so much longer."
] | [
"Yes, it's possible. If you go to your optometrist to check your newly prescribed contacts, they'll test to make sure you don't have better than 20/20 vision because it will mean you'll have a hard time reading things closer to your face."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does caffeine give you physical energy (e.g shakes) rather than clearing up just mental tiredness? | [
"It does prevent the feeling of tiredness, yes, and it's *also* a nervous system stimulant: it causes things like heart rate and breathing to accelerate, which can make you feel anywhere from \"energized\" to \"twitchy\" depending on your particular response to it. Caffeine is technically a \"central nervous syste... | [
"If you mean plain caffeinated coffee than the effect is basically that of the caffeine it contains. that's primarily going to be increased urination, dehydration, exciteability, etc. Caffeine can also be addictive and there can be significant withdrawal effects if you stop having it, including headaches, irritabil... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do some planes have their engines under their wing while others have them near the tail? | [
"There are several reasons, such as: - ground clearance. Smaller planes may be too low to the ground for underwing engines. - Noise reduction. Engines near the tail makes the cabin much more quiet for the passengers. - Underwing engines are usually easier to check/maintain. - Engines closer to the center of the... | [
"Biplanes and triplanes were necessary at those times because the engines they had at the time weren't fast enough to generate the lift required to keep the plane in the air. As a drawback, biplanes generate more drag and are much slower than single-wing aircraft. Now that we have high-speed engines to put in plane... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How can the furthest galaxy(GN-z11) be 25 billion light years away, when the universe is 13.77 billion years old? | [
"Astrophysics graduate here (as well as current engineering student but that's less relevant haha) 🙋🏻♂️ So when we look at objects in space that are a certain distance away (e.g. 1 billion light years) that's where that galaxy was 1 billion years ago. We can also observe something called a redshift for astronomi... | [
"Because light travels at a fixed speed (299,792,458 m/s) and the universe (as we know it) has a finite age (roughly 13.77 billion years or 4.354±0.012×10^17 seconds), there are some areas of our universe which we cannot \"see\" via any wave in the electromagnetic spectrum as there is more distance ( > 1.305 x 10^2... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What's wrong with the Icelandic health care system? | [
"The same as every country. Too many people, not enough doctors. You run into the same thing in most American cities."
] | [
"> Can someone please explain to me what in the hell is going on here? What is going on is that the American healthcare system is a sad joke."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
my eyes burn at the end of a long day. What happens during sleep to fix this that doesn't happen if I just shut my eyes for an hour or so? How long is needed to refresh your eyes? | [
"The quality (special blend of water, chemicals, and oils) of your tears decreases the longer you stay awake. This reduces the tear's ability to lubricate and coat the exposed portions of your eye while they are open, causing those surfaces to be in direct contact with air and burn like an open wound. If this conti... | [
"Don't confuse tiredness with sleepiness. Your body releases sleep hormones in a particular rhythm. The interval is these releases about 1.5 hrs, and the window is about 10 minutes. If you do go to sleep during that time, you'll probably be out almost as soon as your head hits the pillow. The very worst thing to do... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Sleep and fatigue:"
} |
Why do common household items (shampoo, toothpaste, medicine, etc.) have expiration dates and what happens once the expiration date passes? | [
"With medicine it's because they lose effectiveness over time. They don't spoil or anything, just get less effective. Shampoo and toothpaste are similar - they might separate, losing consistency and usefulness. Basically mixtures can fail over time. They shouldn't hurt you but they might not be helpful. EDIT: Gonn... | [
"Unless a product has been stored in extremes of temperature, pretty much everything is good to eat until the expiration date. Keep in mind that many fresh products (like meat and dairy) may be labeled with sell by dates, not expiration dates."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How do computer machines/smartphones keep track of time? | [
"Computers use an internal clock powered by battery/capacitor, and smartphones use data sent to them from satellites. This is why smartphones automatically change the time based on where you are on the planet as well as daylight savings time if you are in a region that observes it. Edit; correction, smartphones do... | [
"There are logic boards in power bank, device, and charger that communicate, and tell each other what to do"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Technology:"
} |
Can someone explain to me what's in Area 51 and what's the hype all about. | [
"It’s confirmed that it’s a test site for development of new planes. The U-2, SR-71, F-117 and B-2 were all secretly tested there. That’s not a secret anymore. But some people believe there’s also a large underground base there where they keep aliens, UFOs and the only existing copies of Shrek 5 and Half Life 3"
] | [
"Because of the secrecy around the base which wasn't recognized as existing by the CIA until the 90s and because of the 1947 Roswell incident where the US claimed it was a weather baloon that crashed in New Mexico but conspiracy theories soon arose claiming it was an alien UFO taken to Area 51."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why do summer bugs only come out at night? | [
"Well they are awake, they just like to be underground or inside grass all day to avoid extreme heat and hungry predators, and come out at night so they can find mating partners safely"
] | [
"They hide away in the corners, in little nooks and crannies out of sight. You'll see spiders coming out most often during mating season. Around this time of year, you see a lot more spiders in your house than you do the rest of the year. They're out looking for sex and not afraid to die for it, just like in Romeo ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How is electricity made? | [
"The simplest answer. Moving a wire inside a magnetic field causes electricity to flow in the wire. So, they burn coil/nuclear power to heat steam, rushing water, or blowing wind to spin a coil of wire between two powerful magnets (aka a generator) and create electricity. Solar is also used, but that is using silic... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do cops easily pick out the person speeding on a busy road with only a radar gun? | [
"Well... Anyone can figure out who is speeding on a busy road, relative to the other vehicles around it moving at a normal rate (speed limit). The radar gun, let's them know the speed for the official report and ticket."
] | [
"So, you know when you're driving down the highway, and you see those horizontal lines that go all the way across the road? The DOT has those metered out at a set distance, and they'll time how long it takes you to cross the distance between those lines. Since speed is distance divided by time, they can resolve you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Does the temperature outside effect rate of tanning? | [
"No, temperature isn't what makes people tan. They aren't being baked like biscuits. The relevant factor is sunlight exposure and a similar intensity will result in similar tanning reactions."
] | [
"I'm not an expert and someone feel free to correct me, but I think it's mostly due to humidity. How much moisture is in the air makes a huge impact."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How do labor unions work, and why are they important? | [
"I had this question a few years ago as well and the best explanation that I git for unions in todays market is that they serve best as a kind of a watch dog organization for workers to hold companies accountable and promote workers benifits."
] | [
"Because most of our labor laws are set to protect the employer, not the employee."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are secret government bases like area 51 allowed to exist? Since the government is a representation of the people, shouldn't any citizen be allowed in? | [
"The base isn’t a secret. It’s there and we know where it is. Classified material and activities inside bases and organizations are to keep things secret for a number of reasons. Public safety, to keep national defense materials away from foreign powers, to protect the people working on certain projects, etc. it’s ... | [
"We don't know if it is bad or not, because we're not allowed to read it. That alone is substantial reason for alarm because the government doesn't do good things under cover of secrecy. Now, sometimes secrecy is the lesser of two evils: I'd rather allow the government a little secrecy than allow potentially hostil... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do unions offer better pay/benefits? | [
"Because you pay union dues which goes to pay lawyers to negotiate pay and benefits on the union's behalf. A union has more leverage than you as an individual person has."
] | [
"\"Right to work\" laws allow employees to choose not to belong to a union in a job that would otherwise require them to belong and pay dues. People who are for such laws argue that employees can choose whether or not to be a part of collective bargaining and that right to work laws are good for unemployment and im... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do hotels have beauty bars, glycerine bars, moisturizing bars, lotion bars, etc but not soap. Because it's all soap. | [
"Soap is actually a specific substance manufactured by reacting a fat with a strong base. Ancient soap was made by mixing oil or rendered pig fat with lye made by soaking ashes in water. The \"beauty bars\" and whatnot you're seeing are artificial detergents mixed with some sort of gel that gives them a texture sim... | [
"It's all just soap, feel free to read the ingredients. Girls have crazy high standards for not being disgusting, apparently you can't pee down the shower drain either... Of course, they add some extra stuff to the soap depending on the use. Body wash has moisturizers and maybe even those \"scrubbing micro beads\" ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Besides wealth, what other things seperate the upper class from the other classes? | [
"Another thing I’ve realized with some of my wealthier friends is they are blissfully unaware about very day-to-day things you’d think would be common knowledge like how to do laundry or wash the dishes because they’ve always had someone else do it for them"
] | [
"Because our country is so wealthy even the poor are pretty well off compared to the middle class in most other countries."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How do muscles getting bigger over time from weightlifting and other exercises? | [
"After a workout or other exertion there can be muscle fiber damage which signals cells on the outer edges of the fibers to mature and fuse to the fibers, often resulting in the overall increase of fiber thickness. The macro result of this is increased size and strength of the muscle."
] | [
"No. Muscles need to rip and tear to get bigger and for you to gain strength. Low weight with lots of reps will make your muscles capable of more endurance. Lots of weight with low reps builds strength."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do people freak out over sugary drinks but not all of the sugar in food? | [
"No a professional by any means but my wife is a type 1 diabetic. She says if she drinks something with sugar in it, the sugar is digested very quickly. So the change in her blood sugar is almost immediate. If she has food, particularly door with fats in it, it slows down the digestion and absorption rate of the ... | [
"Yes and no. Sugar isn't awful unless you're on a no-carb diet for fitness or health reasons. The problem is that people don't just consume 7-8 tsp of sugar and call it quits. They drink multiple cans per day or week, they buy it on sale by the case, they order it at fast food joints and restaurants in big ol' 32oz... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do some swimming quarries have crystal clear water and others don't? Do they put chemicals in them and if so does it affect the fish at all? | [
"Some quarries are filled with groundwater from the aquifers below the ground. This water is pushed up and through the rock and filtered as it reaches the surface. Others fill with water from spring melt, runoff, rain.... Limestone quarries produce that gem blue water due to the white flour like settiment from the ... | [
"It depends, on the water. Water in a swimming pool is purified, so there are \"anti-life\" chemicals in it that can irritate your eyes. Most swimmers get used to it, because the benefits of seeing outweigh the sting, or they wear goggles. The ocean is full of salt, so the sting there tells you something different.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What is suggestivism (art) ? | [
"There's not too much info about it online, but from what I've gathered it's basically art that doesn't demand that the viewer analyzes it in any significant way. Seems like it's usually highly absurd and not focused on technique or ability, allowing the viewer to take it in as more of a spectacle or something to g... | [
"Maybe let's start with: what is ring tone rap?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Since electrons flow from negative to positive, why are cars grounded to the negative terminal on the battery? | [
"It really doesn't matter whether you use positive or negative ground. Some vehicles have had positive ground. The convention of saying that current flows from positive to negative was established by Ben Franklin before we knew about electrons. Conventional current flow is opposite electron flow. Current flows in a... | [
"Batteries generate hydrogen gas when the are charging. This can sometimes explode when connecting the battery cable as there are usually sparks. Ideally, connect the positive first, then connect the ground further away from the battery."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How do dehumidifiers work and how do they collect so much water in a seemingly dry room | [
"I'm gonna blow your mind here: Gases can dissolve liquids. Air dissolves a little bit of water into it, which is another way of looking at evaporation. This dissolved water cannot stay dissolved if the air gets cold enough, and when this happens the water forms droplets. This is how rain forms, as well. Now, in a ... | [
"The room may be 'comfortable cool', but how's the humidity? Sweat is evaporated from your skin to cool your body. If the humidity is high, sweat cannot evaporate. This is why you can be comfortable in 105° Arizona heat but a mess in 105° Florida. Try using a dehumidifier in your bedroom. You may find you can reduc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What makes blood a different "type"? | [
"Our blood contains antibodies and antigens. Different people have different antibodies/antigens. Antibodies attack antigens of the same type. Blood type O has no antigens and both A and B types of antibodies. Blood type A has antigen A and antibody B. Blood type B has antigen B and antibody A. Blood type AB has bo... | [
"No, blood can be used from anyone as long as it's the same type. The extra chromosome has no affect on that :)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why are the signals to your brain for your bladder and bowels different? | [
"The bladder has a more definite capacity, meaning it can only stretch so far. In the bowel, signals fire as the feces move closer to the exit point. These signals are telling you \"hey, it's ready\" more than \"it's full\"."
] | [
"Alright, Johnny. When you're about to pee, your peepee and bladder send a lot of information to your brain asking if they can pee. After your brain gets this information, it sends a lot of information back saying \"go right ahead.\" The way the information gets to the brain or peepee is called the nervous system,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does my soda contain so much dissolved sugar? | [
"Heat the water and it’ll dissolve more sugar than when cold. Even when you chill it, it’ll still stay in solution."
] | [
"All soft drinks have chemicals we would not otherwise consume. Phosphoric acid is used to give soft drinks a \"tangy\" flavor. Too much Phosphoric acid could remove some of the Calcium from your bones. Some soft drinks, such as Mountain Dew, have Brominated Vegetable oil to give them a cloudy appearance. Too much ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are large-scale, intricate construction sites organized so that every worker knows exactly what and when to do? | [
"Generally a single company is hired to do the overall site management. They set the schedule, organize the sub-contractors, manage deliveries of materials, and do everything else it takes to make sure construction proceeds. Each individual sub-contracting company will have their piece of the project schedule and p... | [
"Modern technology and construction processes are more complex which takes more time. They also come with more safety regulations both in construction and in what workers are allowed to do. The Empire State Building was also much smaller."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How does a car radio "hold onto" a weak signal for a long time, but if you change the channel and try to change it back, it can't pick up on it again? | [
"If you are using the seek or scan function there is a minimum signal threshold for the radio to stop on a certain frequency. It is designed to not stop on scratchy radio stations. In other words, \"It's a feature!\" It only becomes an issue when your traveling takes you to an area where the signal is weak. It wil... | [
"It depends on whose signal is stronger. If you put a radio right next to your broadcasting antenna, it'd probably pick up only your broadcast because it'd be a lot stronger. If you put a radio far away from your antenna, such that your broadcast was comparatively weak, then they'd pick up the \"main\" radio statio... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why are main dishes in the US called “entrées” when that word literally means “appetizers” in French? | [
"Because among rich French people, entrees in the 18th century would includes roasts and and things that Americans at the time would consider main dishes. As time went on, multiple course meals became less common and the meat dish entree disappeared but because the main dish had similar food, the word entree transf... | [
"\"Vegetable\" is not a botanical term. It is a culinary term and what gets called a vegetable is determined by how it is used in cooking. Tomatoes, zucchini, squash, etc are used in main dishes and side dishes that are savory instead of dishes that are sweet or desserts. As such they are vegetables."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How can someone sound awful when trying to sing, but when they talk, it never sounds bad? | [
"Talking is not a thing where precise frequences are important. You can say the word \"apricot\" in a basso, baritone, tenor, contralto or soprano, it will still be \"apricot\" and nothing else. When you sing, however, you have to maintain the exact correct frequency, if you miss it, you will sing the wrong note. M... | [
"So I'm fairly certain tone-deafness isn't as much in the inability to hear pitch as it is to reproduce it. So in your head what you are hearing sounds good, what you reproduce sounds right to you, you just couldn't produce something that would sound good to other people."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Canadian slang logie and oogie | [
"I’m from eastern Canada and I’ve never heard of the term haha. I’ve seen the episode and I know he’s using it in terms of not feeling well. My only guess is that it’s a play on “loonie” and “toonie” (Canadian currency). Logie meaning not good and oogie meaning not goodx2? I have no idea lol."
] | [
"There is its called florescent lighting. Edit: typo"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
Why when it's cold outside do you get a runny or blocked nose? | [
"When we breathe in, our noses warm the air and add moisture to it as it travels down into our lungs. Cold, dry air irritates your nasal lining, and as a result, your nasal glands produce excess mucus to keep the lining moist. Or at least that's what I could find on the internet, hope it hepls."
] | [
"Why do the glands in my neck burn like high hell when I'm holding back tears?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why do some movies get completed and then not released for sometimes several years? | [
"Depends. There are *tons* of factors that could make that happen. Unfortunate timing of world events, publisher release schedules change, lawsuits, or any number of other scenarios that could cause the movie to perform poorly if released at the time initially planned."
] | [
"Getting episodes not long after they air is more expensive to license than shows that were cancelled a decade ago."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
In a car, how does the gasoline get from the gas tank to the engine and how and where does it get mixed with the Oxygen? | [
"There is typically a submerged fuel pump in the tank that pumps the fuel from the tank that's (typically) located in the rear of the car and a fuel line that brings it to the engine that's (typically) in the front of the car. In a modern car there are injectors that sprays fuel into a mist inside of the engine cy... | [
"If you have some petrol in your car and put diesel in it, it will start but smoke heavily through the exhaust. Damage will not be great to the engine though. However, if you fill in an empty tank of a petrol car with diesel fuel it will never start. If you've ever compared gasoline to diesel fuel, you know that th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do supplements like cinnamon and berberine lower blood sugar? | [
"Cinnamon has not been proven to lower blood sugar. Some tests say it does but others say it has no effect. Tests seem to show that berberine has a slight effect, but no one knows why or how and it seems to have some negative side effects. Supplements are typically supplements because they aren't proven to actual... | [
"Unless you have a deficiency already, consuming vitamin C won’t actually boost your immune system"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do humans have such a fixation with the mouth? | [
"The tongue and lips are extremely sensitive (consider how much detail a small scratch on the roof of your mouth has when felt with your tongue rather than with a fingertip). Way better at feeling fine detail than hands. Plus, they’re important to our continued survival so we tend to get lots of positive reinforcem... | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do suction cups stick better when wet? | [
"Suction cups work by removing air from one side of the cup so that the air pressure on the other side of the cup pushes the cup against the wall (or other surface) without anything pushing back. It’s the air pressure in the room pushing against the suction cup that holds it in place. They lose suction when air has... | [
"It has to do with what's around them while they freeze. Try this experiment. Place two trays next to each other on a shelf. The ice will pop out of both trays just fine. For the next batch place the trays on top of each other. The top tray's ice will come out just fine while the bottom tray's ice will stick and cr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What makes an organ donor 'a match?’ | [
"Genetics and Immune system explanation time. Basically, the way your immune system works is that certain proteins are present on your defense cells that will attach to certain other proteins, called antigens, on other cells. It's how they attach to bacteria. Due to complicated genetics, your body and organ cells h... | [
"There are more transplants needed than there are organs available. And an organ doesnt just have to be available, it has to be the right match."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Healthcare:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Healthcare:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why does pouring warm soda into a glass of ice flatten it? | [
"I'm going to add to the previous reply, as a black-belt home brewer. A lot of things (sugar, salt) dissolve better when the liquid is hotter. This is the basis of making syrup or candy. But carbon dioxide (the fizz in soda and beer) can get dissolved in water at a pretty cool temperature, sort of its ideal maximum... | [
"Hot water can saturate the mix better than cold water. As a bonus if you mix your powdered ice tea with 10% hot water, you can add the rest of cold water and not have that little bit of powder sitting in the bottom of the glass."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Food and Beverage:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Food and Beverage:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I’m not up to date with Nestle, so what the hell did the company do that makes the internet hate it? | [
"The CEO of Nestle has very controversial views such as saying that \"access to water is not a basic human right\". _URL_0_ _URL_1_"
] | [
"I don't get these at all, but with the regularity of these threads it seems that everyone else in the world does. What gives?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How come seedless cherries aren’t a thing like seedless grapes and oranges? | [
"The \"seed\" in a cherry is called a pit, and if I'm not mistaken, it's where the juicy part of the cherry came from. Similar to dates and plums. In contrast, the seeds of grapes and oranges are intended to produce more grapevines/orange trees"
] | [
"It's the same thing g that happened with bananas! Bananas used to have a pit inside them that was the seed, but scientists genetically engineered the pit out of them decades ago. (Fun fact, the little brown/black specs you see in a bananas cross section is actually remnants of the seed) now, to grow any more banan... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do cooked eggs need refrigeration but eggs in baked goods don't? (x-post from r/askscience) | [
"Baked goods avoid spoilage by being fairly dry and mostly inhospitable to bacterial growth, in comparison to many other foods. They will still go bad eventually, of course. Cooked eggs, left out at room temperature, are moist and full of easily-accessible nutrients for microbes."
] | [
"Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Why do french fries taste awful if reheated, but something like pizza is comparable whether fresh or reheated? ](_URL_3_) 1. [ELI5: What is it about french fries that make them taste so bad when reheated compared to other foods like pizza? ](_UR... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Food Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Food Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Food:"
} |
If adrenaline boosts our mental quickness and physical strengths, how come it isn't always pumping through our veins? | [
"Because adrenaline also is very unhealthy. It increases blood pressure, heart rate, and puts you in a state of flight or fight. You may also get palpitations or skipped heartbeats. Being like that 24/7 will increase your anxiety to the point where you won't be able to function well. Furthermore, adrenaline is like... | [
"The cause of these butterflies is a chemical called adrenaline. Many people get butterflies on rollercoasters, we get some of it (along with a flurry of other sensations) when we get attacked, some get it when they're at an important meeting, and others get it when they talk to their crushes. & nbsp; What is it t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How do melatonin supplements work? | [
"Melatonin is a hormone that your body makes on its own. When you take some extra, it helps you sleep. If you take too much, you won't be able to sleep."
] | [
"According to many doctors multivitamins do absolutely nothing for you."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why use non-recyclable or difficult to recycle plastics in product packaging? | [
"Economics or function. For example, it is difficult to make a plastic coffee cup out of biodegradable plastics since those plastics don't hold their shape as well, especially with a hot liquid inside them. Likewise, plastic packaging for food items might be too porous with more environmentally-friendly plastic, th... | [
"Not all plastic is created equally! Different types require different recycling processes to reclaim the material. Your lid may be a different plastic to your bottle and your local recycling centre only has capacity for the bottle plastic."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Are cockroaches (big with wings) nocturnal? Why does it seem like they only appear during night? Why's this the case and where do they hide during the day? | [
"They hide in nooks and crannies and cracks and small hidey holes all over your house. I have a cockroach infestation myself, and I have to spray poison into tiny cracks to destroy known nests."
] | [
"There are various reasons. In some cases they can sense your body heat and, be it for whatever reason (feeding, etc.) decide to check you out. Another one is that some bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide, which we expel constantly. I'm sure there are other reasons, but those are the ones I can think of off the to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
- Where does the carbon that trees store, go? | [
"It becomes part of the wood (the tree's own body). Trees are made largely of carbon."
] | [
"The CO2 from the air, and the water. Through photosynthesis, this is turned into sugar, which can then be turned into cellulose (hard plant material). It’s just air and water, which changes the way you think about plants - especially trees."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Botany:"
} |
When you turn down or up the volume on devices with either a wheel or button, what actually happens that allows it to sound quieter or louder? | [
"A volume knob or wheel is an example of a device called a *potentiometer*, which is a device that adjusts the voltage going down a wire by increasing or decreasing the electrical resistance. If the resistance increases (if you turn the volume knob down), then less voltage makes it to the speaker, the cone vibrates... | [
"> Why do we say \"turn up the volume\" instead of \"increase amplitude\"? Because, until very recently, all audio equipment increased volume by physically turning a knob. It's the same reason that you \"roll down\" the window in a car. > And why when turning up the volume in audio players doesn't seem to do so li... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
why does internet that's not working often start working when you unplug it and plug it back in? | [
"Processes and execution in code can get messed up sometimes, and these issues will not be cleared out automatically if there's nothing programmed in to fix this. Say, for instance, a program isn't freeing RAM like it's supposed to after use. This could cause things to slow down on the device as it loses access to ... | [
"Presumably it lost the wifi signal. Or it disconnected for some other reason. /r/techsupport would be more helpful, but you should provide more details if your gonna post over there. No, its not eating data. Data doesn't just get passively used up you have to actually be doing something, browsing the web, downloa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What dictates the power of passports? | [
"Governments decide based on mutual agreements. IE, 2 countries have good relations, trade is good, people are happy. They decide to have a visa free travel for both sides to encourage growth and lessen burdens on your everyday travellers. Hope this helps."
] | [
"Additionally, do we have documents on the public perception of electricity?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does the body become ‘sensitised’ to certain chemicals whereby the chemical now becomes a serious allergy when it would not have been allergy in the past? | [
"Haptens are non biological things the immune system reacts to - PPD a chemical in black henna appears to act as a hapten. This then causes a hypersensitivity response whereby the immune system creates undesirable reactions such as allergies Haptens ain't usually immunogenic (immune response generating) but there a... | [
"Aquagenic urticaria is not a real allergy. Allergic reactions occur due to a mistaken immune reaction to a foreign substance, one symptom of which may be hives (urticaria). However, in this case, it is a sensitivity of the skin only, and no allergic reaction takes place. So people with the problem can drink water ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are some bodies of water (lakes, parts of rivers, sections of the ocean) strikingly blue when water is normally clear? | [
"The minerals in different bodies of water vary and also the blue tint varies with the amount, imagine you’ve got a clear sheet of plastic with a 1% blue tint so it looks clear until you put it against a white tile or something. Now imagine you’ve got 100 of those sheets and if you stack them together and look thro... | [
"Basically how transparent water is depends on how many particles there are floating in it. There are lots of different kinds of things you can find floating in water, but the main one is plankton. So generally speaking the more hostile to plankton water is (too hot, too cold, too acid, not enough food) the clearer... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do trains derail? | [
"It was a tram btw. And simply by going to fast. Their momentum is too high to be guided along the rails, the wheels pop off/out of the tracks and away goes the train/tram"
] | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do tattoo parlors get around copyright laws? | [
"Generally speaking, the copyright holder must prove the copied work has a negative effect on the work's value or potential market. A tattoo artist who inks a cartoon character onto a client without obtaining permission from the original illustrator may be infringing by affecting the potential market of the charact... | [
"Because it is impossible for even large companies to scour the internet and world for every single unauthorized use of their intellectual property and demand take downs and issue cease and desist orders. It's like asking how people can get away with speeding. Also, some of them might actually have permission."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What’s the difference between white smoke and black smoke? | [
"White smoke can often mean material is off-gassing moisture and water vapor, meaning the fire is just starting to consume material. White smoke can also indicate light and flashy fuels such as grass or twigs. Thick, black smoke indicates heavy fuels that are not being fully consumed."
] | [
"What does the Pope handle on a day to day basis?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Aside from humanitarian/philantrophic reasons, what is the advantage of donating to charity from from a tax perspective. You donate(“lose”) a portion of your wealth. How is that different from just spending it on something else, you will pay tax regardless. Obviously I am missing something. | [
"In the US you can write off a significant amount of charitable donations. What this means is that you don't pay any income tax on the money you donated. If you made, say $100,000 last year and donate $15,000, you can pay income tax as if you made only $85,000."
] | [
"Depreciation is a way accountants try to take into account that a major asset (like a car) might get less valuable as time goes by. You buy the car for $40,000, in year 2 it’s worth $30,000, year 3 $20,000, etc. They decide depreciation based on a schedule, not on how much the thing is actually worth that year if ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How does taking your blood pressure work? | [
"The cuff on a blood pressure device inflates to a point where blood flow can't be heard (usually around 220 mmHg). Once that point is reached the pressure is slowly released until a turbulent flow is heard. This “top” number is the *systolic* pressure (when the heart is beating). After that the pressure is further... | [
"If you do it a lot, it could affect your lung capacity. Probably best to give it up."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What determines whether a pair of consecutive earthquakes are classified as a foreshock and earthquake versus an earthquake and aftershock? | [
"They reclassify them if a stronger one occurs during the sequence. So, the strongest one is the mainshock and the weaker ones before it are the foreshocks and the weaker ones after are the aftershocks. If a stronger one suddenly happens during the aftershock period, then all of the others are now classified as for... | [
"Earthquakes can happen anywhere, not just on fault lines. Fault lines are locations where the structure of the Earth's crust has a break. Smaller or partial breaks exist elsewhere, and even an unbroken section of crust can still break if sufficient stress is applied to it; after all, fault lines come from somewher... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
why do people censor their license plates on the internet? | [
"It's a form of identification and people can search your tags if they want if you know the right person. Like my friend is a 911 operator say if I had your tag and I wanted to harass you I could get your address and whatever else that provides by just having your tag. It's just a necessary precaution in today's wo... | [
"why do mods cringe when people refuse to search the archive?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How exactly does the immune system differentiate good bacterias with bad bacterias? | [
"Also good bacteria dont hang out everywhere, most places in your body you want to keep any bacteria out so immune cells attack most things. Bacteria in our skin and gut are technically outside of our body"
] | [
"No. Antibiotics are a chemical that is designed to kill bacteria on its own by breaking down their cell walls. Antivirals do the same for viruses, and antifungals do the same for fungi. They do not pump your body with antibodies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What is bandwidth in terms of signal processing? | [
"In very simple, rough terms, the bandwidth is the full range of frequencies that a signal or communication system (like speech, music, etc.) covers. The *frequency* itself is a characteristic of one component of the signal, but the signal might have many different components, and the difference between the upper ... | [
"To ELI5: You know how the road outside your house is smaller and slower than the interstate? That's the bandwidth of the road: the number of cars it can hold every second. Internet has the same thing, but for cat pictures."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
If humans as a species have less genetic variance than some small chimpanzee populations, how come we look so different from each other? | [
"We're very good at recognizing differences between humans, and we have many traits (coloration) that are genetically small but visually striking."
] | [
"We're apes, primates, which are mammals. There are lots of species of mammals, and even many species of primates. For that matter, there are several species of apes. When you say 'species of humans' that's more like saying 'why aren't there many species of ruby throated hummingbirds.\" We (humans) are a species of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about biology:"
} |
Where do shows like Stranger Things get all the period specific items from? | [
"often it's not actually period specific. it looks that way at a glance, but anyone who's studied the period will see all kinds of mismatches. they might use a product that had already fallen out of use or wasn't on the market yet. or they'll get a clothing style right but make it out of the wrong fabric"
] | [
"A film or show's property department is responsible for all that stuff. They'll be given a budget to work with and part of their job is figuring out if purchasing an original item is more cost effective then a recreation. For example the walkman's used for Guardian's of the Galaxy 2 were custom made since the firs... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do we know the internal temperature of our planet? | [
"We measured the melting point of iron at various pressures, and we know what depth the iron core transitions from solid to liquid. This allows us to know the temperature at this boundary, and we can extrapolate some from there."
] | [
"There's a theory that it happens as a reaction from the removal of heat from the body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
If we use electron microscopes to see atomic nuclei but we can't see the electrons because they're smaller than the nuclei how do we use electrons in the microscope? | [
"An electron microscope is sending out a stream of electrons that then bounce back and are picked up as data and then converted to a visual image."
] | [
"That empty space is filled with potential electrons. They may not actually be there, but the electric field still interacts with light. As well, visible light has wavelengths in the hundreds of nanometers. Atoms are much smaller. So the wavelengths are just too large to fit through the empty space. They definitely... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Science:"
} |
What is the difference between a gas and a diesel engine? | [
"The main difference is that a gas engine produces the power by igniting the gasoline vapor - literally the \"spark plug\" is used for this. It gets its power from the battery which is continually kept charged by the alternator in the car (which gets its energy by being connected to the rotating shaft by a belt). ... | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do some sports, like Tennis, have points that go up in multiples of more than one when there is no chance of getting less than that score? | [
"For tennis it is believed to date back to medieval french. It is said that they had a clock face outside and would use the 15, 30, and 45 on the clock to play. And when the clock stoped at 60 they would stop."
] | [
"People talk to each other, and decide they want to play. They pick teams any way that seems reasonable. Usually you count each basket as a single point and play first to 10. There isn't much more to it than that."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Modern English has many word roots in Latin and Greek, but where did the Latins and Greeks get those word roots in the first place? Did somebody just make it up out of the blue? Or did they get it from an earlier language, and if that's true, where did they get it from? | [
"Latin and Greek, like English, German, and most European and many other languages such as Farsi, Hindi and Gaelic, are all ultimately descended from something we call “proto Indo-European” - we don’t know how languages originated in the first place, but as people add new words and change the pronunciation of old w... | [
"That's because it is totally arbitrary. I'd like to say there's more to the story, but the history of the English alphabet doesn't give us any insight. Our alphabet is arranged the way the Romans arranged it. And the romans took their alphabet from the Greeks, who also put it in the same order. And the Greeks got ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
how come when you take a room temperature soda, and pour it over ice, it goes nearly flat? | [
"Firstly it is important to understand that cold liquids 'hold on to' dissolved gases better than warm ones. Bubbles form on uneven surfaces, ice is littered with uneven surfaces (suck on an ice cube and then poor a drink over it, it will fizz less). Combine a warm drink (which is rubbish at keeping gases dissolved... | [
"your mind expects coffee to be hot so when it's room temperature, it feels much colder because it's colder than you expect it to me. one day, brew coffee in a mug and let it get to room temperature. also put water in a mug and have someone mix up the mugs and blindly feel them. you won't feel a difference."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Language and culture:"
} |
if lactic acid is toxic to our bodies, why do our bodies produce it in the first place? | [
"Lactic acid is a byproduct of glycolysis, the process by which the cells break down sugar into energy. If your cells have enough oxygen, they can process the lactic acid further and get all of the energy out of it, but if there isn't enough oxygen to go around, the lactic acid builds up faster than it can be proce... | [
"The alcohol from yeast is a product or anaerobic respiration which is not an efficient method of producing energy. Just like the lactic acid that builds up in your body after a good work out. When the concentration reaches a certain point the yeast isn't able to produce alcohol as efficient and production will sto... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Microbiology:"
} |
Why can the US government not just ban robocalls? | [
"Many states have. The problem is how to enforce it. Phone numbers can be spoofed. Tracing the number, while it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as Hollywood would have us believe still requires special equipment, and the sheer volume of calls means that you can't possibly log, record, and investigate every ... | [
"Sure, you can all refuse to purchase their services. You can lobby your local governments to break their monopoly. You can petition your state and national government to reclassify them as public utilities. You can move to an area that they don't operate in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why are beach shores covered in sand? | [
"Sand is basically just very tiny pieces of rocky minerals -- like quartz and feldspar -- that have been broken up after years and years of being washed over by water and wind (called erosion). It is a very, very slow process, taking millions of years."
] | [
"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 Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do white blood cells "chase" something? Like I get how they move, but how do they know the thing is there without eyes? And how do they make decisions to follow it without a brain? | [
"The white blood cells are like dogs. The bacteria is like a nice juicy steak fresh off the grill. The steak gives off a lot of nice smell and it also drips a bit of juice on the floor. The dog smells this and runs after it eats it."
] | [
"They don't, they more or less just (in general) go everywhere in your body via the bloodstream. They just float around their bloodstream until their chemical composition happens to fit somewhere, and that's where they end up. Imagine a round peg going around your body. it will try to fit into every hole it comes a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between dopamines and endorphins in terms of how they affect your body? | [
"I thought that dopamine was a neurotransmitter, whereas endorphins are a class of hormones. I could be in error"
] | [
"There is a pathway in your brain which releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter, during sex, as well as during other addictive behaviors. For this reason it is called the \"reward pathway\" of the brain. Stimulating this area is what is thought to largely contribute to addiction. This is why both sex and cigarette sm... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What is the difference between a "Blaxploitation" film and a regular film with many black actors in it? | [
"Blaxploitation is usually a double serving of stereotypes in an attempt to win over black audiences and audiences that enjoy seeing Black people in that light. It's not necessarily offensive imo, but it definitely straddles that line. It's almost like a soap opera featuring an abundance of black stereotypes. Most ... | [
"Hollywood has long been criticized for not providing enough roles for minority actors, and for rarely casting them in leading roles outside of ethnic movies. So when a minority character is played by a white actor, it is seen as perpetuating this inequity. If a Native American actor can't even land the part of a N... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are some items recyclable while other seemingly identical items are not? | [
"Just the fact is doesn't say it is recyclable doesn't mean it isn't. It could be that the bottle is recyclable, but the manufacture didn't communicate it. Look up the material the bottle is made from. Most food grade plastic is either PET or PE plastics, both of which are recycled in most Western countries. Also, ... | [
"Depends upon your local recycling program. Most programs would not recycle these because it is too expensive. Most programs separate the products that are cost effective to recycle and send the rest to the landfill. Just because you are encouraged to put it in the blue bin, does not mean it actually gets recycled.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why aren't elevators required to have battery backup to at least be able to return to the ground floor after the loss of grid power? | [
"Safety. When there's no power, do you want to hope your battery backup is operational when you remove the brakes, or simply keep people in place? Additionally, economy. How many blackouts last for so long that by the time firefighters come to rescue people, power has not been restored?"
] | [
"An elevator shaft is a super dangerous place. It's full of greased sharp edges, pointy things, electric cables, moving wheels and gears, and of course there's the risk of free-falling to the bottom of the shaft. Fortunately, roof hatches aren't easy to open. They're usually latched from the outside, so that rescue... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What financial regulation has been applied the the World’s largest banks since the economic crash of 2008 to stop it happening again for the same reasons? | [
"The main change to financial regulation post-2008 is the Dodd-Frank Act from 2010. It created (or restored) restrictions on trading the kinds of securities that caused the 2008 crash. Of course, bankers don't like crashes either, so they rarely happen again for the *exact* same reasons. That's why Dodd-Frank also... | [
"The difference is that other companies rely on large financial institutions for their investments and finances. There is also the issue of investor confidence - you aren't going to invest money or take out a loan if the money starts evaporating. So if a big bank goes down, it takes out lots more with it. Back in 1... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Economics:"
} |
Why the word "I" must be a capital i? | [
"There is a bit of history behind the “I” ending up as a single letter pronoun from “inch” and “ic”, but they have no influence in the capitalisation of it. The actual reason is very simple and practical. It came around with the widespread use of the printing press. Some printers found the lowercase pronoun “i” loo... | [
"It's not the word, it's the picture that they object to."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
how non-advertising, free services make money. For example, WhatsApp doesn't advertise, is free and is worth millions of dollars. | [
"When a service is free, you are the commodity being sold. The app ultimately is in the analytics business, and the data on user habits could be valuable to third parties, for reasons as boring as selling you goods... and reasons as nefarious as keeping citizens on the straight and narrow (hopefully not)."
] | [
"To sell that information to advertisers to make money off of a free app. If you aren't paying anything you aren't the customer, you're the product."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why do our energy levels go down when we're depressed? | [
"From an article on Medical News Today: \"People with depression are more likely to experience fatigue, and people with chronic fatigue are more likely to become depressed, creating a cycle that can be hard to break. Potential causes of depression fatigue include sleep problems, diet, stress, and even the medicatio... | [
"Your metabolic rate goes down when you are asleep."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some clovers get more than three leaves? If you find a clover with more than three leaves, is it common to find more in the same area? | [
"It's a mutation. It happens basically for the same reason as when a person sometimes ends up with an extra finger or toe: the part of their DNA that determines body shape becomes altered slightly and you get an extra. It can happen the other way too where you get less as well. Clover (at least the type you think o... | [
"A lot of seeds wind up being eaten by forest critters (looking at you squirrel!) or land in places where they can't properly germinate. The saplings don't get enough sunlight because there's all these damn trees around etc. etc. Loads of reasons for small plants to die before they can become fully grown trees. you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do radio stations gauge how many listeners they have? How accurate is it? | [
"Radio stations in the US don't measure it themselves. A separate company called Nielsen does. You've probably heard of \"Nielsen ratings\" for TV? Well they do basically the same thing for radio. For radio, they do it two main ways, 1) They give people diaries, yes diaries, and they literally write down what they ... | [
"TV ratings are determined by Neilson. Neilson is a company that finds people willing to install a device in their TV that monitors what they're watching. They try to make sure that the group of people with the devices in their TV is large enough and diverse enough that a statistical analysis of the group with the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is Mercury poisonous? What exactly is it doing to the body, and why can it not be resisted? | [
"Elements come in different oxidation states (Number of protons - Number of electrons). When Mercury lacks two electrons (Hg^(2+)), it gets confused with other metals like Magnesium (Mg^(2+)) by certain proteins that usually contain Magnesium. These proteins incorporate Hg instead, which renders them useless. Since... | [
"Caustic chemicals damage you by burning the digestive track. Your stomach is more durable than your esophagus, so it can be more damaging coming back up than just sitting there. Poisonous chemicals get absorbed by the body, and travel through the blood where they can do various kinds of harm to the rest of the bod... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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