query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What is the difference between state and province ? | [
"A federated state and a province are interchangeable terms. They have more specific names in some places, e.g. oblasts, emirates, etc. In much of the world the term state is usually used to refer to sovereign states unless directly talking about the US."
] | [
"More importantly, what's the difference between hot and best?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is community college different from normal college? Like... did the community pool money together to build that college or something? Sorry, I am not American. | [
"They're 2 yr colleges and you either get an Associates degree and transfer or stop after that or skip that degree and transfer to a state college or university. You can also go for certain certificates. They get more government funding than other schools so tuition is a fraction of what it can be vs. a 4 yr colle... | [
"I have no sources and am not a trustworthy guy, but I'd assume it is some type of teamwork building activity. Either that or it is just an excuse for the gym teacher to not have to really do anything during the class period cause, you know, their job is really difficult... Just read that over an realized I was a l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the difference between normal light and lasers? | [
"Lasers are produced by exciting atoms or molecules and stimulating them to produce light. The major difference between normal light sources and lasers is coherence. Which is essentially how similar two waves are. Waves have two properties that are important here, the wavelength (colour of light ) and the phase whi... | [
"They don't. It's your stupid human brain tricking you into seeing black. In fact, the lack of a real black is one of the problems with projectors."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do smartphone manufacturers make telephoto lens but put less megapixels? | [
"A traditional physical zoom actually does refocus the camera lens and it makes the same quality picture regardless if you are at 1x or 4x zoom. Digital zoom is *not* actual zoom. It basically just crops the picture you have and zooms in on it like you can do with MS Paint. So the more you zoom in digitally, the l... | [
"Generally, because a better camera will take up more space in interest for space, manufacturers will only put one high-quality camera, which will usually be in the back, due to most people valuing the back facing camera over the front facing camera. This is not always true because if I remember correctly there was... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is it harder to learn things as an old person? | [
"Speaking only from experience, my adult brain is filled with stress and worry which isn't at all helpful when trying to learn something new."
] | [
"A lot of things in life are easier to do as a team."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Marriage:"
} |
What is the difference between adrenaline and noradrenaline? | [
"Two different neurotransmitters which signal in different way. Noradrenaline doesn’t have a direct action on the heart. Instead it increases vascular tone. Also, adrenaline has a methyl group on it!"
] | [
"Stress causes your adrenal glands to release adrenaline which causes a wide range of physical symptoms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Why can we sometimes feel our pulse in parts of our body and other times not? | [
"Now if you can **hear** your pulse in your ear, mention that to your doctor. It's not typically worth an appointment on its own, but they'll want to know."
] | [
"You have a higher concentration of nerves in your hand than you have in most other places on your body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
why a BIOS update is so much slower than copying a 16MB file | [
"The bios isn't just stored on disk. It's stored in a special kind of memory that retains its data even when the power goes off. This memory requires special instructions to update, and it's usually updated one word at a time, rather than in blocks via direct memory controllers. Since the operation isn't \"undo\"ab... | [
"Historically, archives had the option to be split into equal segments to fit on a portable memory medium (Some of us will never forget the number 1.457, that is the capacity of a 3.5\" floppy disk). Nowadays they can be split for a similar reason, for example an on-line storage allowing max 100MB pieces. Or back w... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I just learned that having 6 fingers is the dominant trait and having 5 fingers is recessive. If that’s so, why don’t more humans have 6 fingers rather than 5? | [
"Dominant trait doesn't mean common. It just means that it tends to express itself whenever it is present. On an anthropological level, if 6-fingered people were more highly preferred that 5-fingered ones, then the vast majority of the population would have it, but apparently humanity didn't find it a desirable tra... | [
"There are 2 basic concepts when dealing with genes - they can be dominant, which means they are usually shown, or recessive, which is the opposite. Dominant genes can be shown even if you only get the gene from one side of your parents (For example, being brunette). However, with recessive genes, you need that gen... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about biology:"
} |
why is the color green the only one that is used to edit backgrounds/things in movies? Why can't other colors be used? | [
"When more movies were shot on film, they used to use blue more commonly. This process is called \"keying\" and it involved a chemical treatment to the film to remove that specific color. The green you see today is called \"Digi Green\", and it's color matched to the small green filters inside camera sensors to giv... | [
"Because there are some people that can't tell the difference between 2 specific colors. Everyone might interoperate different colors differently but we should all be able to distinguish between 2 that are different. It's a difference between perception and reality. This is a color blindness test _URL_0_ Now, I see... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
What exactly is sedition? | [
"It is actions that openly go against the crown/state, similar but not quite the same as to what would be considered treasonous."
] | [
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How does the police obtain the position of a call without the phone having location turned on? | [
"They use the signal strength of your phone between multiple phone masts and that helps them narrow bit down. Its also instant you don't need to keep someone on then line"
] | [
"1) no. your provider doesn't know your phone's GPS signal. your provider does know and log which cell tower your phone is connected to 2) GPS data is stored on your phone according to your software settings. Google apps keeps location information for offline data tracking. Your provider doesn't have access to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
how are aromas created based on flavours we already created, such as “tiramisu flavour” without any of the real ingredients in it? | [
"Chemical engineering. First they figure out which chemical(s) in the thing contribute to the flavour/aroma, then they synthesize those same chemicals in a lab from other materials. Voila"
] | [
"Salt is one of the 4 main tastes (for lack of a better term) the 4 are salt, sweet, sour, umami. Adding any of these to certain dishes enhances the flavour of what's already there, for example vanilla tastes more like vanilla if we add some sugar, salt just brings out the flavour in savoury dishes, but also has it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Food and cooking:"
} |
How does a lightning 'find' the nearest spot on the ground? | [
"Before you see the bolt strike, smaller \"feeder\" lines are either working up from the ground, or down from above. The first of these lines to reach a path to the ground becomes the basis for the bolt. You can see it here: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Because the tires of a car don't stop the current. Lightning actually flows around the outside of a car, and the majority of the current jumps from the car's metal cage into the ground below."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Where does the stereotypical image of an alien come from | [
"In 1893, science fiction author H.G. Wells wrote \"Man of the Year Million\", where described humans becoming the stereotypical \"grey alien\". In 1901 he reused this description in First_Men_in_the_Moon. It's also the general description of the Martian evildoers in The_War_of_the_Worlds. Wells was so popular, and... | [
"I believe the most widespread theory is that is just simply more culturally accepted for women to engage in homosexual behavior"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How does Advil/Ibuprofen affect your body after a night of drinking? | [
"This isn't a \"story.\" It is a well-documented interaction. The drug reduces inflammation in the body but has a common side effect which is increased risk of ulcers in the stomach because it prevents the formation of mucus (which protects the stomach from the acids in it). Pair this with alcohol, which thins the ... | [
"They both function a bit differently, but essentially, here are some key points: Paracetamol/Tylenol: More effective at reducing headaches, more difficult for liver to process when taken in large amounts, fever reducer, more of a pure pain killer Ibuprofen/Advil: More effective at reducing inflammation/general ach... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why is the language of the Netherlands called "Dutch" and German not called "Dutch" since that is an Anglicization of "Deutsch", the German word for the German language? | [
"The word deutsch (and dutch) originaly included both Dutch and german and the differences between german dialects were comparable to the difference between Dutch and german back then. Since England had more trade and contact with the Netherlands and flanders these were the Dutch they knew. When the german language... | [
"Although this doesn't apply to all \"bad\" words, one origin of commonly used swear words was the class/ethnic split between the lower class German speaking Saxons and upper class French/Latin speaking Normans of late Medieval England. Common words that were used by the lower classes were German, whereas fancier, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Linguistics:"
} |
Why does a car engine make a 'dripping sound' when you turn it off? | [
"Metal expands and contracts with temperature. That's just hot parts cooling off, they make that sound as they settle back to their cold size and position."
] | [
"The transmission is detached from the engine. The engine still spins, but it doesn't spin the wheels or anything. It's just like when you're in neutral, and you press the gas, it makes a lot of noise and uses a lot of gas but doesn't actually make you go anywhere."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Automotive:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Automotive:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What would be legitimate uses for a shell company or shell companies and why would you need to use them? | [
"Walt Disney used shell companies to buy up land for Walt Disney World in central Florida. Nobody really wanted that swamp land, so they knew they could buy it cheap as long as nobody knew Disney wanted it. If someone thought that one rich company wanted it all they could have got land in the middle of everything a... | [
"Depositing income into Swiss Bank accounts for the purpose of avoiding taxes is illegal, but there may be other reasons for wanting to keep money overseas and secret/secure. Also, Swiss banks are governed by laws of Switzerland, so U.S. laws have no bearing on whether and why they exist... their laws could be comp... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What happens to overstock of certain types of food/snack foods and unsold stock and how do shops/retailers keep it within local business/health and safety laws? | [
"Given how long the dates are and now quickly they turn over stock and stores get new shipments, and the production cycles of such products, it’s easy enough to simply reduce or pause a delivery so as to prevent overstock and items approaching their expiration date. There are always channels like dollar stores as w... | [
"Costs of imports including both transportation costs, duties and the like, sales tax, higher wages for workers, more stringent laws about what can or can't be in food/products, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How do people in saunas withstand the extreme heat? | [
"The sauna isn’t set to 300 degrees, that would kill you. Instead they built a sauna in a location that was extremely cold, so it was a 300-degree temperature differential between the outside temp and the sauna temp"
] | [
"98 degrees is the temperature of the core of our bodies, not the surface. We give off heat to stay cool, but if it's too hot out, we can't do that."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
For example, you read that the movie cost 50 million dollars, a that it made 100 million in domestic theatre and another 100 worldwide. Usually, who spend the money, and who earned the money? | [
"Movie studios make it very difficult to find out exactly who is spending what and who is getting paid, it's called 'Hollywood Accounting'. Studios want to hide how profitable their movies are because if they made a deal with the actors or the writer to give them a share of the profits, you want to make it look lik... | [
"For a 10 dollar ticket; Roughly 60 percent is taken by the movie company for that movie, so the theater gets 4 bucks. From the movie company; Distribution gets about 1 percent... so let’s say a dollar out of your ten. The actors might get 60 cents but most are paid a flat non-negotiable fee. Production takes about... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does putting your tongue on a 9V battery hurt, but not when you touch the poles with your fingers? | [
"The saliva on your tongue is a much better conductor than the dead skin cells on your finger; even if you make them wet, dead skin cells. The tongue also has more sense cells per unit area than almost any other part of the body."
] | [
"Yeah, so...appliances aren't supposed to shock you. You almost surely have a short somewhere in that freezer. As far as why you feel it with your arm but not your hand, the skin on your arm is thinner than the skin on your hand. This means your hand will have a higher resistance than your arm, so you're more likel... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do phones have to be put on airplane mode when you're in flight? | [
"Apparently the phones create a lot of \"noise\" for the plane's system and airplane mode \"silences\"your phone as it's not searching for a network and stuff"
] | [
"I've been told by a friend that is a pilot that the reason for the power down during take off and landing is that those are the most dangerous times when on an aircraft. Therefore, they are hoping that people won't be distracted by their electronics, or god-forbid, create numerous hard plastic and metal projectile... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is Western classical music perceived as stimulating and good for brain development but not other music? | [
"Pretty sure this was disproven a long time ago, and it was the fact that, at one point, babies who were exposed to classical music had attentive, educated parents and the class advantage that derives from coming from an educated and affluent family in western society. It’s all just cultural bias. Just spend time ... | [
"Music preferences could depend on one's mental or emotional state at the moment of listening: classical and calm music when relaxed, country when feeling happy... the list goes on and on. We somehow link between an emotional state and a type of music, and listening to that type of music helps us live further our e... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do some foods get hard when they go stale (ie bread) and some foods get soft (ie cereal)? | [
"Because some foods have high water content like bread that dries up when it gets stale and therefore hard while others we prefer with low ater content and absorb humidity from the air and get soft when they are stale like cereal."
] | [
"Cooked food left in room temp goes bad fast because bacteria grows rapidly and the food can become unsafe to eat. Eggs (in shells) can last for long outside and they aren't refrigerated in a lot of countries. When you crack open the egg, the protective layer is lost and bacteria can easily grow on it. When you us... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Food Science:"
} |
Why do some floors or steps get eroded by our feet, when roads don't visibly get eroded by tires? | [
"Roads do get eroded by tires eventually (especially if used frequently or by heavy vehicles), you just don't notice it as much since you are traveling over them at high speeds. Roads are repaved due to erosion pretty frequently in some places. Also, your tires erode quicker than the driving surface (I assume becau... | [
"Not all are. A great deal are, but there are some areas where it's dirt, and other where it's cement. But it's because stone offer the most support. Dirt can get washed away as mud after a torrential downpour, stones don't do that as often. You even still see trains have trouble with areas that have a lot of dirt ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do the same companies use different names? | [
"Sometimes the company buys regional companies and they consolidate ownership but keep the existing regional brands due to their local customer loyalty. Sometimes companies have one name and aquire another company and combine names. Like GlaxoSmithKline. Which where three different brand names."
] | [
"Why do people in Western countries use forks?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what stops lighters from exploding when you use them. | [
"For combustion, you need oxygen. There is no oxygen inside a lighter. When the butane inside a lighter is released, it reacts with oxygen in the air to make fire. Because there's a much higher pressure inside the lighter than outside it, oxygen can't get in while the trigger is flipped \"on\" since butane gas want... | [
"there's isn't any oxygen in the pipe, it's 100% gas so it won't burn. if you held a match far inside the pipe the flame would go out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If a movie finishes post production early in a year but isn’t going to be released until the end of the year, where is the actual movie put until it’s released? | [
"Nowadays, it's mostly kept on computers, ideally in a large, properly equipped server setup with redundant backups and good security. In the past, film production companies typically had physical storage areas available for film reels, both to keep them prior to mass production and also to serve as an archive. To... | [
"I'm pretty sure the difference is that a teaser doesn't necessarily tell you the date it's coming out, but more just shows you that it is coming or what the estimated year it is coming out is, and it also doesn't always have permanent scenes from the movie while an official trailer is released a few months before ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are we able to determine how old a star is and how long it will probably live? | [
"Stars \"live\" for a characteristic *approximate* lifespan based on their mass, composition, and luminosity (how brightly they burn). We can pretty accurately estimate all three of these, by splitting the incoming light from a star and examining it. Different elements absorb light at different frequencies, so by s... | [
"If your car is only two years old, how can you use it to drive to a house that was built ten years ago? Something being 5 billion light years away simply means that the light from that object has been traveling for 5 billion light years before we see it. The age of the Earth is not relevant in that calculation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about astronomy:"
} |
why do large amounts of flammable material in a small space explode (ex: gasoline can) when ignited instead of just lighting on fire and burning like wood | [
"Burning causes things to expand, heat up and release gases. if its in an enclosed space such as a pipe, grenade casing, gas can, etc... then the pressure from these reactions builds up causing the big bada boom."
] | [
"It doesn't really explode, it burns. Explosives turn to gas almost entirely and this *new* gas causes a shockwave as it makes space for itself and pushes air away. Flour/dust burns, because it's dispersed fine particles it causes a huge fireball where entire volume is on fire, heating up the atmosphere air already... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are ice cubes mostly clear but icebergs are white | [
"Light gets scattered when it moves across a boundary, from water to air, or from air to water. If you have \"pure\" ice, with no tiny air bubbles, it is perfectly clear. The more air mixed into the ice, the more white and opaque the ice is, because light gets more and more scattered every time it crosses the edge ... | [
"A lot of it is dependant on how the water was frozen, where water that is slowly frozen will be more clear, as less air and impurities will be caught in the ice. This is why icicles are usually really clear"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Science:"
} |
How do fish gills extract oxygen from the water? | [
"The gills are a series of very thin membranes through which blood can flow. The membrane is so thin that gasses can cross through via osmosis. Basically, if oxygen is higher on one side, it will cross the barrier until the concentration is equal on both sides. The same thing will happen with carbon dioxide, ammoni... | [
"Fish don't really 'consume' water, at least they way you're thinking. Think of it like people breathing air, but still being able to ingest food. One pipe goes from the mouth to the lungs, just as in a fish, one pipe goes from the mouth to the gills. In a fish, the the water passes through the gills, which are or... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about biology:"
} |
How the US lost the ability/technology to land on the moon, after 50 years of industry advancement | [
"We haven't. In fact Nasa plans on putting a man on the moon in 2024. Planning missions like these takes a long time in advaced, because literally every contingency needs to be planned for. Not to mention we plan to use it as a test for a new rocket design. These things have to be built, people need to be trained ... | [
"We aren't the only ones. Russia/The Soviet Union and China have also been there. As for why we were the only ones who had people walk on the moon, at the time the space race was between us and the U.S.S.R. The Russians had a good first few missions, putting Sputnik in orbit and getting Yuri Gregarin to be the firs... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why does rubbing something make it feel better? | [
"It’s called the gate control theory of pain. Pain signals enter the spinal cord at a certain level. If you rub the area, you send many non-painful sensations of touch and pressure to the spinal cord that enter at that same level, basically flooding the input and preventing so many pain signals from getting through... | [
"They are made with a blend of different moisturizers and aloe. Then, when the tissue comes in contact with your skin, the formula activates and releases to cool down your nose. Now, it doesn't actually cool anything, and the tissues aren't actually cool. It just feels cool. It tricks your skin. Yes, bed sheets cou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How do they test and measure baby eyesight and prescribe corrective lenses since the babies are uncommunicative. | [
"Babies are not talkative, but you can very well observe a babies reaction to various eye sight tests. An example are the Heidi tests which have various smily faces on differently contrasting backgrounds. Even a baby will react to facial expressions and this way you can conclude things about how well the baby can s... | [
"Most Redditors would assume that my birth certificate must have passed its expiration date. I can assure you that around age 40, your eyes will no longer be able to focus on reading material while wearing your glasses for myopia (near-sightedness). This is why bifocals become necessary. Up until that point, your ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why does cold alcohol seem to go down easier than when hot/warm | [
"You generally don't taste things as well when they are cold, so cold alcohol is a bit easier to take that warm. You actually taste it just a bit less. This is the same reason why melted ice cream at the bottom of the bowl is just so darn yummy. One of the theories behind this is: Your tongue sends signals to your ... | [
"Chewing gum is made of rubber. Rubber gets softer when heated, and harder when cooled. When you're chewing on your gum, it is pretty close to your body temperature (98.6°F), so it is fairly soft. When you drink something colder, like tap water or a refrigerated beverage, the gum cools down quickly and gets harder.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Food and Beverage:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Food and Beverage:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do paper cuts hurt so bad? | [
"The way I understand it is that paper isn't completely flat, it has jagged edges so it's almost like a cut from a jagged knife."
] | [
"EIL5: Why can't I stop sitting with my legs crossed, even though it hurts my knees, and why does it hurt my knees?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Does time have physical properties? | [
"Interesting question. Most physical properties are defined by time. Ex: Velocity is distance per an amount of time, acceleration is a change in velocity per an amount of time. As such, you could say that time \"turns acceleration into velocity\", or time \"turns velocity into distance\". Thank you for making me th... | [
"Yes, there is a 4th dimension. The first 3 dimensions are length, width and height. The 4th dimension is time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do our eyes turn red in pictures? | [
"Light reflecting off the back of the eye (the retina) Fun fact: doctors actually test for this in kids. It's called the 'red light reflex,' and not having it is a sign of a tumor that can happen in kids or cataracts."
] | [
"Shine a light at your eyes while they’re closed. What do you see? That’s your answer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Science:"
} |
What do the US Marines do? | [
"The Marines as the British Empire used the term were originally the soldiers on a ship. They were the ones that boarded an enemy vessel, or went ashore to claim a beachhead. In the US they had the same role. Over time they grew large enough that they were separated from the Navy but they still have close ties with... | [
"Related question: What if I want to become a mercenary? What do I do?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why kids(6ish) can sleep so heavily, easily, and through things, and why adults can't? | [
"Are adults supposed to be light sleepers? I have to set like 15 alarms to wake up and have slept through a gas explosion right down the street lol"
] | [
"Kids don't know how to put themselves to sleep essentially. All their little brains know is \"go go go!\" and when you try to stop all what they know, they get upset and don't understand why you're trying to stop their nature. They'll even fight themselves and get cranky or more hyped. ever noticed how a kid will ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How does a solid state drive work, physically and in terms of memory, compared to a hard disk drive, and what happens to both when you delete/overwrite files? | [
"In SSDs, you’re basically storing your bits of data in special transistors called floating gate. Electrons can get trapped in an area and stay there for a long time, even without any power. The SSDs have circuits that detect if there’s any electrons trapped or not in these floating gates. Obviously you need a ton ... | [
"Basically: no. SSD and RAM use completely different technologies to store information. RAM uses capacitors to store information. Those capacitors can store and delete information very fast, but will lose the information almost immediately if powered off. An SSD uses flash memory. They use transistors to store info... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why are auroras mostly seen in high northern and southern latitudes? | [
"The Earth is a big 'ol magnet. In space, there is a constant onslaught of charged particles (often electrons and protons) coming from the sun, other stars, and pretty much everything in space. These particles are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field, and due to some weird physics stuff, often find themselves bo... | [
"The Coriolis Effect. The way the Earth spins causes winds around high pressure systems to flow clockwise, and winds around low pressure systems to flow counter-clock wise in the Northern Hemisphere. The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why do cherry flavored things taste bitter while actual cherries are sweet and sour? | [
"I absolutely hate fake cherry flavor... I didn't eat cherries for 21 years of my life because I thought they all tasted like cherry candy..."
] | [
"That taste is actually the taste of the toothpaste. Toothpaste can be flavored in a number of ways but very often they use mint. Some people actually like the taste of mint! A lot of other things are mint flavored like bubblegum and mojitos. If you do not like the taste of mint you could switch to a brand that is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Dentistry:"
} |
How do salary caps and computing for future salary and cap space work in team sports like basketball? | [
"Team A has a $50m budget because they have a rich donor. Team B has a $10m budget. Team A can afford to lure multiple top tier players and therefore always walk all over Team B. Salary caps help to stop teams buying their way to the top of the ladder and even up the playing field."
] | [
"Because of smaller number of players on the court (5) and nature of the game, one great player can have a much greater impact (MJ, LeBron, Kobe, etc.). Additionally, NBA has a soft salary cap that allowed more flexibility to re-sign players and go over the cap (by paying a luxury tax). In contrast, the NFL has mor... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does gelatin melt when stored in the freezer or chiller? | [
"Gelatin works by creating a medium-loose bond between water molecules using collagen which is a type of protein. When you freeze prepared gelatin, the water molecules break the bonds with the collagen. These do not reform properly when it is thawed. I have not tried completely melting the gelatin again to see if i... | [
"Hot and humid conditions speed the growth of bacteria and speeds up decay. Cold slows those processes. The same way food doesn't spoil as fast in a refrigerator or freezer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do drones usually have 4 rotors - has this been proven to be the best (most efficient or stable) design, or is it possible that a different number would be better? | [
"An even number of rotors makes it easy to prevent unwanted spinning. Each rotor spinning clockwise has a twin rotor spinning counterclockwise, which allows the drone body to sit still without rotating. Now, in order to tilt forward, backward, left, and right, the drone needs three or more blades. Four is the small... | [
"It would make a difference. But what difference? That extremely complex to answer. More blades would be capable of lifting more weight. But after that, you need to know the exact details of the blades and the helicopters to know what effect it will have. It will almost certainly affect the noise of the helicopter.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
how do motorcycles go from being upright to almost completely leaned over to back up again? | [
"Once the motorcycle is moving, the rider pushes on the handlebars to lean the bike and to stand it back up. Push on the right bar to go right, push on the left bar to go left. That leans the motorcycle over. The harder and longer the push, the more it leans. The more it leans, the tighter the turn. Relax on the b... | [
"Bikes are self-righting, meaning they won't fall over as soon as they reach a certain speed. Up hill, it's harder to reach that speed. Down hill, it's very easy to reach that speed. Meanwhile, humans are self-righting no matter what speed we move at."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how do motorcycles, when cornering, go from being upright to almost completely leaned over to back up again? | [
"The path the tires follow works with inertia to adjust the bike's angle. Starting a turn, you actually have to steer *opposite* the direction of the turn to get the lean going. From there it's a combination of steering and slight shifts in body weight to maintain course. When you want to straighten out again, you ... | [
"NOT because of gyroscopic force, as many people think... If you look at a bicycle, where the front wheel attaches is further forward than the head tube (where the fork attaches to the rest of the bike). This is an important design feature, because it means that when the bike veers to one side, the front wheel has ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What's a benchmark interest rate and a prime rate? | [
"A benchmark interest rate is set by independent financial institutions to show how expensive (i.e. at what rate) banks or funds can get money from the market (bank to bank transactions of borrowing money). The independent financial institution collects estimates from a panel of various banks on what they ecpect th... | [
"The rate of the central bank is going to be very different from the rates offered to individuals by commercial banks. The Federal Reserve (US) kept its interest rate in a range of 0% to 0.25% for years, but commercial rates for, say, mortgages was in the range of ~3-6% during that period. But yes, you've got the b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do we know that the sun was formed around 5 billion years ago? | [
"There are various methods, such as using computer models of stellar life cycles, but the most tangible way is simply that we know that other things that probably formed around the same time as the Sun were formed around 5 billion years ago. It's likely that the entire solar system (the Sun and the planets) formed ... | [
"2000 light years means that light will take 2000 years to travel the distance between earth and that planet. That means the light that enters your eye left that planet 2000 years ago"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the document about astronomy:"
} |
How do fans without blades work? | [
"If you mean like the Dyson fanless fans, they have one big fan hidden in the base, that sucks in air from the holes, then pushes it all out of the 'fanless' section via a slot that runs along the edge"
] | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why is the inflation target a range of 2-3%? What is bad about it dropping below this range? | [
"The economy is all about people spending money and money changing hands, which is affected by inflation. Imagine you have £100 or $100 in your hand. With that £100 you want to buy a load of things. Due to steady inflation, that same amount of money is less powerful the longer you hold on to it. If you know the th... | [
"I would argue that *both* Japan and the US want inflation right now. Both are in recessionary situations (though the situation has persisted in Japan for much longer) and both could use a bit more nominal spending, which means more inflation and more growth. Over the medium term, Japan has settled on an inflation ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how do we measure a distance with lasers? | [
"Light travels at a known speed, by reflecting the laser back , it can time it and give you a read out on distance based on the time it took to come back to the source."
] | [
"there is no example of a perfect circle anywhere on earth, let alone around its circumference."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is it that it feels so great to stretch your legs after sitting down for a long time? | [
"It probably has something to do with aour blood pressure, and that when we stretch, ouor muscles contract increasing that pressure, making as more \"alive\", and \"rested\", which helps us be active. Not sure, tho."
] | [
"Because that 8 hours you are in bed, you are sleeping. Something the body needs to do in order to recharge and be ready for the next day. Sitting at a desk doesn't do anything except be part of a sedentary lifestyle. If you were to sit at a desk for 8 hours instead of sleeping, that would be one thing, but you are... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Health:"
} |
if female orgasms are better than men’s, then why are men typically the ones who bother females about having sex and not the other way around? | [
"\"Better\" is subjective. Has anybody ever been biologically male, and then biologically female, and compared the two? I don't think so. So we can't ever actually compare them."
] | [
"lock and key cultural stereotype. there is the idea that since men want sex more than women, if a guy can get a lot of sex from women, he's applauded. if a woman gets a lot of sex from a guy, she's abhorred. combined with more modern ideals, if a woman has a dildo she's empowering her sexuality, while if a man has... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why do international visitors to eu countries get to shop tax free? | [
"When an EU visitor buys stuff, he pays the store for the item as well for the sales tax. The store will transfer the sales tax to the state. When an non-EU visitor buys stuff, the initial cashflow is the same. The non-EU visitor can claim the sales tax back when leaving the EU with the item. Usually the store will... | [
"why do celebrities make/advertise go fund me accounts? why do businesses that make millions or billions of dollars still demand tax cuts or publicly funded sports stadiums? Why do women still expect men to pay for dates? Never pay ypurself if you can get other people to pay. Thats how you become rich in the first... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Social Issues:"
} |
Why does hymen exist in women? Does it have any real purpose? | [
"The vagina is formed from two different bits of the back end of the embryo, the hymen is considered to be the boundary between the two where it has failed to break down"
] | [
"Breast and butts, while don't serve a direct sexual purpose, are signs of reproductive health in women. Thus making them attractive parts to men."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
how do ICBM travel such long distance in short amount of time? Can they be intercepted? | [
"It's a warhead strapped on a rocket. Rockets go fast. If you can identify and properly track the rocket, sure. You'll need a rocket that can go faster than your enemy's."
] | [
"The balloon won't get you the height or the speed needed. Your balloon will get you at most 53km up and moving a hundred m/s or so When the first stage of an ICBM stops firing the missile is 150-400km up and moving at 4km/second. It'll peak around 1200 km(3x as high as the space station), then start dropping while... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are five cent coins often larger than ten cent coins? | [
"For US specifically, nickles contain once contined a decent amount of nickle. Whereas older dimes had silver content. The sizing of the coin may very well be related to the volume and type of precious metal that used to be in the US coinage."
] | [
"The U.S. cent is mostly made of zinc (which is cheaper than copper) but it still costs the mint more than one cent to make each coin. This results in a net loss for the government, which essentially sells coins to banks for one cent per cent. Nickels have the same problem. Interestingly, the opposite is true for o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What is Neural Darwinism? | [
"Basically its the idea that Darwinism (natural selection and self pruning of undesirable traits through low suvivability) applies to brain neurons. Key part of it is that when you are born, your brain develops in a ton of diverse ways, just because. As you age, the brain goes \"This part's not needed\" and prunes... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
why does a stuffy nose sometimes switch sides? | [
"You nose contains the same spongy tissue as a penis! It's true! [Here's an article about why the nose does what you're asking about. ](_URL_0_"
] | [
"When you breathe cold dry air the nose will release mucus to protect the sensitive spots on your lungs and some of that mucus will run out your nose which is what causes runny noses. On the other-hand your nose dries up because there is no need for this in the temperature you are used to. Hope that answers your qu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:"
} |
Why does your skin radiate heat when you get a sunburn even after you've been out of the sun? | [
"All burns do this. Lots of blood flow to the area causes more obvious heat radiation than from other areas."
] | [
"Yes you will. Sunburn has little to do with air temperature, it is the amount of UV radiation that reaches your exposed skin. You can get sunburn in the middle of winter, you are just less like to, because spend less time outdoors and have less skin exposed to the sun."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
if blood circulation is restricted in one of your limbs while you’re asleep, does your brain “wake you up” to correct the problem before it becomes a bigger issue? | [
"You can shift position while still asleep subconsciously, or wake up. The only times I've heard of damage is when sleeping in a position that seriously cuts off blood flow while sleeping significantly drunk."
] | [
"That tingling sensation is called paresthesia. It tends to occur after you pinch a nerve (thereby interrupting the signal to the brain) or pinch a blood vessel (thereby restricting blood flow to the nerves). The tingling feeling happens when the problem revolves. The nerves go a bit crazy and the brain tries to in... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does the shoulder rotator cuff work? How is the arm able to move in a complete circle and why is the shoulder so prone to injury? | [
"Rotator cuff muscles are a group of 4 muscles that stabilize the shoulder. They all attach to the humerus (arm bone) and the scapula ( two flat things on your back) at varous places. The shoulder joint is a highly mobile joint, its literally a ball in a socket so it can rotate 360 degrees. With this type of range ... | [
"The nerves that run from your shoulder to your wrist/hand are most exposed at the elbow joint, making them vulnerable."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do some dead batteries work again after you stop using them for a while? | [
"I'm not really sure, because this is very situation-specific (for instance, iPhone batteries have some special features). However, many batteries will also be very hot when they run out of life. When cooled, the charges flow better, so you might be able to squeeze just a little more life out of them. Some batterie... | [
"Car batteries actually don't last long at all. Leave your lights running with the engine off and see how long it takes it to go dead. The reason it seems like they last a long time is because whenever the engine is running, the battery is being constantly recharged. The alternator in the car is what does this. Thi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How was Space X able to build better rockets than NASA having less budget and experience? | [
"They haven't really. 1) They utilized all of the science that NASA learned thus they \"had\" the same experience level as NASA. 2) NASA has never had a massive budget. Even during the Space Race their budget was relatively small. Companies like Space X's budgets are comparable in size. 3) NASA stopped designing... | [
"Boeing could easily outpace SpaceX. Let's look at Boeing as a company. * They have been manufacturing aerospace vehicles and parts for over 100 years. * They have been design rockets, engines, and satellites for decades. * They are the 2nd largest defense contractor in the world. * They have over 150,000 employees... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is it that so many people die with such big debts, and their creditors are still net positive on the amount lent? | [
"People usually pay significantly more due to interest than a loan is originally worth. This allows the relatively minor loss of money to be offset by the deceased's prior interest, as well as the interest of other debtors. It's not like the majority of the population dies with 100k debts on their shoulders. Also, ... | [
"When banks or whoever else might have a bunch of people owing them money decide that they're never going to see enough money from the debtees for it to be worth it - so basically when someone isn't paying any of the debt off for months and they can't seem to get it by force - they offer to sell the debt off to oth... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Social issues:"
} |
How do they do a print run for a magazine and know what the right sort of paper is? | [
"Magazines are typically done on offset presses, using standard sheet sizes. The type of paper printed on is specified by the customer, generally proofed before a full production run. Matte vs. Glossy is often a varnish applied on top after printing is done, before it goes to binding. There are usually multiple mac... | [
"The swatches are there so the pressman can adjust the plates on the printer. There is no legal requirements for them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do cable internet providers offer such asymmetrical speeds compared to their fiber counterparts? E.G. Their upload speeds are so much slower than their download speeds. | [
"There is almost always a bigger need for downloading information than there is for uploading it, and the cables that cable internet travels over are more limited than fiber optic. So, cable and DSL companies prioritize download speeds by using more channels for downloading than for uploading."
] | [
"I've never seen an ISP that advertises minimum speeds. The all advertise maximum speeds with the caveat that you might not actually achieve that maximum speed based on congestion. Does your ISP not say \"up to 50mbps\"?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Internet speed and service:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Internet speed and service:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Internet speed and service:"
} |
How do smaller online flight travel agents work? | [
"They act as a reseller for tickets via a centralised database for them. Since they can determine their own profit, higher volume (relative to them) allows them to discount. This makes filling planes a surer thing, and many people (rightfully so), still drift direct carrier to buy. They never work with all the airl... | [
"Companies like that usually have many different sorts of products."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In the "Hubble scientists have released the most detailed picture of the universe to date, containing 265,000 galaxies." Picture; what is the method of expanding that map, and from what orientation are we observing from? | [
"The map is stitched together from many different observations, so expanding it would be done by adding more observations near the edges. \"Orientation\" is a bit vague a question, but the field is within the constellation Fornax, in the southern hemisphere southwest of Orion."
] | [
"Create a what the size of the universe? If you want to create a model/map of the universe (or at least the part of it that we can see) this is not really a problem. The problem comes when it comes to the resolution and the degree of detail you want to include. Creating a model of the universe that is accurate down... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
Why does Honda sell so poorly in Europe? | [
"Some Ford models are made in EU,so no import taxes and parts are cheaper and easier to find."
] | [
"These machines exist. They are relatively popular here in the UK."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How does dish soap dissolve oil and grease? | [
"The detergent is composed of molecules with one end that is attracted to water and one end which is attracted to oils. Oils and water normally don't want to mix, but the detergent acts like an intermediary and forms tiny bubble membranes around the oils, allowing them to be washed away by the water."
] | [
"Rinse, yes. Wash, no. For the detergent to work properly it needs residues to stick on to and wash off."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How did Eratosthenes figure out Earth is round and calculated earth circumference 2000 years ago? | [
"It’s also worth noting that Erastosthenes didn’t discover that the Earth is round...people had recognized the curvature of the Earth for a very long time. Ships disappear bottom first when going beyond the horizon, which wouldn’t happen if the Earth were flat...they’d simply continue shrinking until they are too s... | [
"A year is one orbit around the sun. A day is one rotation around the Earth's axis. 1 year ~= 365.25 days"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why is the power of car engines measured by horsepowers? | [
"When James Watt was touring the country selling his steam engine, it was easier to tell people how many horses they could replace than how many joules of work his engine could accomplish per minute... or how many pounds of force it could apply a given distance in a given time. So he came up with a unit of measurem... | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How does recycling get “contaminated” ? | [
"The issue with contamination is that you cannot separate or sort it. Recyclable material get contaminated if they get into contact with un-recyclable materials that you cannot easily separate. For example, although a cardboard box is recyclable, a pizza box isn't recyclable because the grease from the pizza cannot... | [
"Recyclables should be separated in to individual containers for sorting. People tossing recyclables in to the same trash as non recyclables is not recycling UNLESS the destination has sorting facilities."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why can some brands completely rip off other brands designs on certain products? | [
"Per a quick google search, they are often lawsuits for this. However, I’d hazard a guess that court costs and lawyer fees are factored in before moving forward. Generic copy at Walmart maybe only profits 40k$, but the lawsuit would cost 200k for both sides. It’s now a loss to sue and not worth moving forward. Adid... | [
"Typically the main difference is the amount of marketing the company puts in. Large brands put in millions of dollars into marketing while off brand counterparts usually advertise not at all. Sometimes they may even made in the same place as brand name products but it comes down to the advertising costs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why does animal camouflage, for the most part, not work on humans? We can often see what the camouflage is attempting to do, but we can usually spot an animal pretty quickly. | [
"Oh I actually think I might know this one! Humans are really good at recognizing patterns. We see faces in everything- toast, clouds, stone, etc. We just automatically look for patterns in things, so when we see a spot in some leaves that seems to have a separate pattern, or doesn’t quite line up, we’re likely to ... | [
"Even for animals the basic understanding of what eyes are is important for survival. How do you know if that predator is looking at you, or if the fellow animal of your species feels threatened? How does a predator know if it is being observed or which direction the prey is likely to flee? Even fish can recognize ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Animal behavior:"
} |
What’s the importance of restarting your computer after updating an application/program on a computer? | [
"Computers run on sets of instructions telling it how to run all the parts of the computer and build an interface so you can use those parts. Say you're following a recipe for a cake. Then you finish the cake and someone comes along with a better way to make a cake by adding another ingredient and changing how muc... | [
"You may need to change the display settings on your console."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is it that leaders like Putin always find a means to poison their opponents, yet no opponent groups are able to do the same to him? Not a single rogue member of his team attempts it? | [
"So Russian oligarchs are fucking scary. One of the best stories to come out of the death of Stalin was about the guards on duty outside his bedroom. Reportedly, they heard him hit the ground when he died, but refused to enter the room for the next 8 hours because he might be angry at being disturbed and kill them.... | [
"He does not want that to be established. It is standard operating procedure for total dictators to have no one designated as the heir apparent. If their were someone it would be too easy for an accident to happen to him."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
When looking at the moon, you can see a hint of blue on one side of its edge, and red on the other. Why is this? | [
"It is called chromatic aberration and it is from the lens of the camera used to take the picture. You now how a prism used to split light will bend light different angles depending on its wavelength? The lens does that too, just the effect is attempted to be minimized."
] | [
"The moon cycle is not caused by the Earths shadow. It is caused by the Moons own shadow. If you were standing in the Sun then only half of you would be lit by the Sun and your other half would be in the shadow. It is the exact same thing with the Moon. Half of the Moon is lit by the Sun and the other half is in it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does some kinds of skin get darker when they go out in the sun instead of getting sunburnt? | [
"It depends on the amount of melanin you have in your body. Darker skinned people tend to have more melanin and are therefore more resistant to sunburn. Usually you can determine the amount of melanin you have in your body by you skin, eye and hair colour. For example, a red headed person with blue eyes and freckle... | [
"One of the most terrible and awful things that happens to people who go skiing for longer period is terrible sunburn. (Well, after death and crippling injuries) Sunburn is your skin's reaction to radiation from the sun, and the reason you usually get more sunburned on hot days is they tend to be sunnier; you also ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
why is a chip on a credit card considered ‘safer’ than swiping the magnetic strip? | [
"Magnetic strips can be much more easily duplicated than the chips. The strip can be duplicated just by reading the swipe, since the data it gives *is* the data it has. The chip, instead, gives an encrypted code based on what you ask it by combining the value you gave it with a secret one it has, and even if you as... | [
"Credit cards can be \"reprogrammed\", so you could change the data that is on the magnetic stripe to anything else, you could change it from a credit card number to a message should you desire. Since it is very easy to alter the data, scammers would use any old credit card, change the data to yours, then spend it ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about technology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about technology:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
I always wondered why the "One a day" vitamins have to be so uncomfortably large. Why not make them into two regular sized pills and call it "Once a day" vitamins? | [
"some pills do that. See: the gummy one a days. but generally, it's easier for people to understand to take one pill once a day than two once a day, even if it's little uncomfortable."
] | [
"Vitamins that taste like candy have sugar/sweeteners added that many people don't want in their health supplement. There is also the issue of not making adult vitamins taste like candy so kids don't mistake them for candy and overdose because they taste good."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why is the QWERTY keyboard's arrangements the way it is? | [
"Typewriters are complex mechanical contraptions, so having commonly used keys next to each other makes them jam easily if you're using an alphabetically ordered keyboard. QWERTY has the keys more or less evenly spread so that typewriters could write at high speeds without jamming, and once the convention set it be... | [
"The numeric keypad on a keyboard or a calculator were designed first and probably ordered that way so that they'd be in proper numeric order (0-9 starting from the bottom). It's not really clear why they did it like they, they just kinda did. When Bell Labs designed the keypad for a telephone though, they did a bi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
How did we initially measure the distance to other planets precisely enough to send probes to them? | [
"The quick answer is RADAR. The distance to Venus was first measured in this way in 1961. Distances in the solar system could be worked out very accurately relative to the size of the earth's orbit using the theory of gravity. The average distance from the earth to the sun is called the AU, the Astronomical Unit. F... | [
"We are able to detect planets much further away, yes. But we are not able to take a picture of them. We have no pictures what so ever of planets outside our solar system."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about astronomy:"
} |
Why does coffee/caffeine help migraines? | [
"Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, so if the migraine has a vascular component, caffeine may have an effect on blood flow."
] | [
"Tea is 99% water. Tea however contains caffeine, which is a diuretic, which means it makes you pee more. It won't dehydrate you, but you will need to drink more to compensate. Also, consuming too much caffeine has adverse effects such as irritability, elevated heartbeat and trouble sleeping."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do some cars have a birds eye view of of the car when they’re parking? | [
"The car has cameras in the front, rear, and in the two side mirrors. Those images are stitched together (kind of the same way that your phone creates a panorama) to give a kind of 360° view of the car's surroundings. That image is then displayed in such a way that it looks sort of like a bird's-eye view instead of... | [
"I believe a lot of times the car is being pulled by another car and the \"driver\" has no control of the car. Other times the car isn't moving and they use a green for the scenery."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does alcohol make you feel warmer but actually makes your body temperature colder? | [
"Alcohol dilates your capillaries (the smallest blood vessels closest to the outside), increasing the flow of blood through them. More warm blood flowing through capillaries makes you feel warmer, but that blood is being cooled down from being exposed to the cold, and that brings down your body temperature."
] | [
"Your body needs to dissipate heat to function properly (Unless your cold blood in which case, congrats on learning how to use a computer.) When it's hot out your body has to use alot of energy and nutrients to cool you down. Usually by sweating. As the temperature is lowers your body loses more heat to the environ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do wetsuits work? | [
"Step 1: Submerge wetsuited body in water. Step 2: Wetsuit fills with water. Step 3: Body heats up water now trapped in wetsuit. Step 4: Body stays warmer than the water outside of the wetsuit. Addednum: Wetsuits typically range from 3mm to 7mm thick. Thicker wetsuits provide more protection against the cold of su... | [
"How much do they cost vs how much will they generate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What would be the significance of a non-carbon based life form? | [
"It would be tantamount to what Thomas Kuhn termed a ‘paradigm shift.’ Basically, it would revolutionize the most basic conclusions scientists have had about the origins of life for hundreds of years."
] | [
"Could you elaborate? Do you mean from a biological standpoint, the cells of your body?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how are (mostly) whole crashed planes transported to be dismantled or repaired? | [
"Most large aircraft are actually modular. Wings, tail, etc only require a few bolts and some cable disconnects to unship them. Then, they can be loaded onto trucks ( or trains, I’ve seen that once) for long haul shipping."
] | [
"It also depends on what country you live in. Something being recycleable doesn't necessarily mean it gets recycled, it just doesn't go into the landfill. Case in point: k-cups are now recyclable, but they're recycled right into an incinerator."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
why does looking at the sun help you sneeze? | [
"Its a condition that only affects some people (me included) its to do with the nerve endings in your face getting crosswired. The eyes and the nose are very close to each other so some people have this problem."
] | [
"How do you know that you don't sneeze in your sleep?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
"What happens to the cavity in a building where the crane was initially." | [
"You are all lunatics. Cranes don't build the structure around themselves, the crane will be either free standing next to the building or sitting on the current top floor. When they build a new floor they move it up another level. So your question has no answer because it isn't a problem that exists."
] | [
"They drill down into bedrock to place the foundation for the pillars. Then they will usually build some sort of wall connected to the foundation, pump out all of the water, and then build in the open area."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what’s the difference between certificates, diplomas, and degrees? | [
"Certificates are typically awarded for a short term study in a specific field. Diplomas are awarded for completing (typically) a multiyear study at a non university level. Degrees are awarded by universities for the completion of a multiyear course of study. The first level of degree is a Bachelor's. Graduate degr... | [
"Also universities offer grad school programs (masters and PHD) where colleges only offer bachelors/associate degrees. That is the technical difference between a college and university"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does the Game Genie work? | [
"The Game Genie and Game Shark peripherals were special cartridges that sat between the system and the game cartridge. This lets it read and modify memory in any way it wants. The special codes you put into it contain the memory address and the action to perform. It can be as simple as \"Set this value to X and don... | [
"> Is there anything more to it? Turn left."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how did people in places like florida get ice before machines were made to make ice. | [
"Ice was harvested in cold climates such as New England during the winter time and stored in cold places such as caves, while being packed in insulation, such as saw dust. Ice could be stored year round in some locations. Ice was then transported to warmer locations, such as Florida in ships, again using sawdust as... | [
"It doesn't don't do it. A long, long time ago, but in this galaxy, people had ice boxes. Literally a large box in which they stored a large block of ice a d the foods they wished to keep cold which were usually milk, meat, and butter. When someone got a boo-boo, they went for something cold to bring down the swell... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
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