query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why do ham and bacon taste completely different when they come from the same animal? | [
"There are a few of different reasons. One is the fat content, the second is how the meat is prepared, another is the location on the animal that the meat comes from. You can even taste that last factor with other meats, like chicken. Compare the taste of a chicken breast (white meat) to a chicken thigh (dark meat)... | [
"We do. I personally love bison bacon. There's also turkey bacon. Beef bacon etc. Pork just happens to be the main source but you can cure and thinly slice any meat."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Are daily vitamins really that necessary to take? | [
"Some vitamins are not water soluble. For instance, you can take a great deal of vitamin C. You’ll just pee it out. (Extreme doses can cause some discomfort.) However, vitamins A,D,E and K along with others can be very dangerous when misused. Overdose can occur and can have issues from skin discoloration to death. ... | [
"According to many doctors multivitamins do absolutely nothing for you."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do they balance planes that have uneven numbers of seats on either side of the aisle, such as 2-1 or 3-2? | [
"Left Right balance is pretty much a non-issue. The people are all very close to the center of mass so it doesn't create much torque even if wildly imbalanced. Adjusting the trim flap a tiny bit on the end of the wing 10+ meters away results in significantly more torque. Only front back balancing really matters bec... | [
"The windows are part of the plane, and are installed by the plane manufacturer. Every plane of the same model is going to have the windows in the same place. The seat layout, on the other hand, is changeable and chosen by the airline. If the seats don't match up with the windows, it's because the airline chose to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how low pain tolerance and high pain tolerance works | [
"I think Lawrence of Arabia describes it so beautifully; the trick is not minding that it hurts."
] | [
"peoples blood pressure is lower when they first wake up. this makes them more sensitive to the cold."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why is the water’s surface (in the swimming pool) see-through from above, but is not when looking from underwater? | [
"It is all water, not just your pool. You can see the effect better in clear liquids with smooth surfaces. What you’re talking about is total internal reflection. It happens because of how the water filters the light and interacts with it at the border between the water and the air. The way that the light is gather... | [
"The twinkling effect which causes brightening/dimming/color change is caused by diffraction (bending) of light in the atmosphere. It is the same reason why if you have a glass of water with a straw in it, the straw will look like it's in a different place underwater than in the air. Or, if you are looking at a pon... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What is the difference between "instantly" and "instantaneously"? | [
"'Instantly' is relative to a preceding action, similar to 'immediately'. If something happens instantly, it happens right after the preceding action. E.g. 'I clapped my hands, and the lights instantly dimmed.' The actual act of dimming from brightness A to brightness B may take several seconds, but the word 'insta... | [
"Are you talking about derivative nouns like \"height(h)\" for \"high,\" \"warmth\" for \"warm,\" \"mirth\" for \"merry,\" \"width\" for \"wide,\" etc.?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why is some light warm and cozy and other kinds are harsh and cold? | [
"Yellow light (warm light) looks like, and remind us of fire, which is warm and cozy. Blue light (cold light) is more like ice, which isn't as cozy. This is why different light bring different sensations"
] | [
"I wonder if lighting, rather than the mirror itself, has something to do with it. Lower light is usually more flattering. Daylight is intense. And fluorescent is just Satan's work."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
Why steel wool burns the way it does - moving slowly like it's just super hot, but not actually producing a fire | [
"The steel wool oxidizes, effectively becoming rust. As steel requires a shitload of energy to vaporize, it pretty much doesn't produce gasses to burn, so the reaction only happens at the surface of the steel, not in the air around it. Iron oxide is far weaker in tension and shear than steel, so the integrity of th... | [
"Its really just a few people that do it. Nickel has a melting point of 2651°F. Steel has a melting point of 2800°F, so really, I think the guy who started the RHNB videos just had a big nickel ball and decided to see what happens when you put a red hot nickel ball onto things. Pretty much, any metal object (that h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some plants and fruits grow in certain part of the world but not in others? | [
"Different tolerances to different climates. Some plants need warmth and sunshine all the time and others can do fine up north."
] | [
"Due to ocean currents much of the northern Island actually has subtropical weather for half the year despite being south of the general dividing line. This has allowed a distinct species of palm to evolve that is more tolerant of colder temperatures which in turn has allowed it to spread all across the north Islan... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why hasn't there been any attempt to push for an universal language for us to use? | [
"There has been. Esperanto was designed after World War 2 to reduce the possibility of war due to miscommunication."
] | [
"The most ELI5 answer I can think of is that they were the first ever to do lots of things that you now take for granted in a pop song."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where does the garbage that they clean off of beaches go? | [
"Yes, it just ends up in the dump, unless they bothered sending the recyclables to recycling. Garbage doesn't randomly spread from the dump to other places, it ended up on the beach because people littered there."
] | [
"That's where a lot of your loose hairs end up when you shower."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Biology:"
} |
How concerned would a moon base be about an asteroid hitting since the moon doesn’t have an atmosphere? | [
"Not terribly. The Earth is going to be the main catcher of such asteroids. Despite all the pock-marks on that moon, it doesn't actually catch very many of them. It's just the craters on the moon never go away, save when swallowed by a larger crater. Micrometeorites are a bigger problem (er, rather, a large -er, mo... | [
"There are a lot of collisions on a daily basis. The only thing is that most of this is space debris that are small enough that they get burned up in the atmosphere and you don't notice it. As far as big asteroids go, they are relatively more rare and they also need to be on a collision course with Earth. Just bec... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Airborne ocean dwellers | [
"Escaping predators, showing off for mating purposes, shedding parasites can all be reasons why they leap into the air it is then down to the species and circumstances as to what is the main driver."
] | [
"Birds and airborne or floating seeds. For the animals, attached to flotsam, or being able to swim/fly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Geography:"
} |
How does a ballbot (a robot that balances and navigates on a single ball) stay balanced? They look like they could easily tip over. | [
"Have you ever tried balancing a long pole or stick on its end with your hands? You have to move your hands towards the direction the stick is falling to keep it upright, and with a little practice your can do so pretty reliably, even while you walk around. Now imagine if we replace your hand with a motorized ball... | [
"This isn't an exact example, but, you know how when you spin a top, it will balance on that tiny point, but once it stops spinning, it falls over? Things that are spinning are harder to push out of their orientation. This works for a bike's wheels just like it does for a rifle's bullet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What is the physiological process of emotional tears? | [
"Tears are all produced by the lacrimal (lachrymal) gland, but psychic tears (sad tears) also coincide with other bodily responses, due to their production being driven from the hypothalamus in the limbic part of the brain. - _URL_0_"
] | [
"There is a small amount of similarity in terms of electrical activity, but the two processes are chemically distinct. The real difference however comes from the surgical procedure you are likely receiving, the stress, cortisol, sympathetic activation produce a vastly different physiological state to natural sleep.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is that usually the richer people get, the more conservative they become politically? | [
"Once you have something to lose you May begin to feel threatened by the “takers”...or something like that."
] | [
"It can really go both ways. I know some conservative individuals that berate their parents for being hippies with loose morals. Also, as people age they generally become more conservative. Everyone can downvote me for this, but it is true."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why aren’t all American kids educated equally in America? | [
"In most areas, the school system is supported by local property taxes, so if it's a poor/rural area, the tax base won't be as big."
] | [
"If you think treatment of animals is bad in China, you have to seriously look at the treatment of people in The Republic Of China."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some parts of the body burn/tan more easily than others? | [
"Thin skin can sunburn way faster. Because there is less area /depth to absorb the energy. Thin skin also has less hair to protect it."
] | [
"If it's hot enough to burn other parts of the body, it'll burn your mouth, too. In fact it'll probably burn your mouth easier than other parts of the body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do the nails on my ring fingers grow faster than the other nails? | [
"> ELI5: Why do the nails on my ring fingers grow faster than the other nails? You're weird Just kidding. Most of it has to do with blood circulation. Some people's fingernails grow at different rates. Some people find that different fingernails on one hand grow at different rates . Some people find that their fi... | [
"They don't. The skin around the nails shrinks so they appear longer than they did before death."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. | [
"It's essentially talk therapy for a current issue you're having where your counselor makes you categorize the issue into thoughts, actions, and emotions and then address how each of the three relate to the other until you've realized where the unhealthy aspect of the problem is and rationalized your way out of it.... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I understand that caffeine works binding to the same receptors that our natural sleep inducing chemical binds to, thus blocking them and making us feel less sleepy. How then, can you overdose on caffeine? It shouldn't quicken you up more than it should stop you slowing down or what? | [
"Caffeine does a lot more than just block sleep hormone receptors. It is also a stimulant which works by forcing a fight or flight response from your body. This is why caffeine not only prevents you from getting tired but actively perks you up. The fight or flight responses are what can cause the adverse health eff... | [
"Because alcohol is a depressant, if you drink and then stop you will feel tired and ready to sleep because thats what alcohol as a drug does to you. Generally if you drink in the night you will be going to sleep very soon after finishing drinking anyway which makes it kinda biased. However alcohol also converts to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Science:"
} |
As breasts are designed to feed babies, why do women have two instead of just one? | [
"Average litter size rounded up to the nearest even number because symmetry is easier to code for. Mammals that have more babies in a litter have more nips"
] | [
"Because Men also have fully functional mammary glands. give a man a few shots of prolactin, which is a hormone that pregnant women make so they can start nursing, and put some breast pumps on him, and a man will eventually begin lactating like a woman. it will probably be at least somewhat painful, though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does faces start to morph and distort in weird ways when you stare at them for a long time? | [
"The main theory is called disassociation fue to lack of stimuli. To put it simply, your brain is designed to take in the world around you and process it. When nothing is happening your brain basically gets bored and starts acting up. The reason faces get so weird is because of the amount of information in a face, ... | [
"It has to do with bright flashing lights being too much for the brain to handle. The contrast between bright and dark at fast speeds overstimulates your brain. You can test this by staring at flashing bright lights for an extended period; it will most likely give you a headache."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does spinning around make you dizzy, furthermore why does being dizzy make the floor feel like its moving around? | [
"When you swirl a glass of water, then stop suddenly, the water inside keeps swirling. There's a similar sort of thing inside each of your ears. As you spin, you're swirling the water inside those structures. When you stop, the water keeps swirling, so your brain thinks that you're still spinning. In response to th... | [
"Pro tip: If you ever stand up too fast that causes you to get lightheaded and sometimes makes your vision fucky or something, flexing your abdomen will actually make it stop. Not sure why, just learned it and it works for me."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What is the difference between algebra and calculus? | [
"Basically speaking, algebra is pushing equations around so that they solve for different variables within them, kind of like puzzles. Calculus, on the other hand, is a really fancy version of finding the slope. You look for equations for the slope at any given time and can use it to talk about the shape and behavi... | [
"Do you want all of your math to be in negative numbers? Because that's how you get all of your math to be in negative numbers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Physics:"
} |
Why do muscles stiffen and lose flexibility? And why does stretching sometimes feel good and sometimes hurt? | [
"Lots and lots of reasons. But ELI5. Muscles get stiff because they get used to being short and all the fibres get tighter and closer together. It can also be because of literal knots in the muscle. Imagine you cut a piece of string in half, to make it whole you have to tie a knot in it. The string is shorter but i... | [
"If I tell you that the pain you feel in your muscles after a workout is the pain of your body tearing itself down to rebuild itself better, how does that make you feel? If I tell you that the pain you feel in your muscles after a workout is your body developing cancer, how does that make you feel? And there's your... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is plaque next to teeth, how is it created? | [
"Plaque is a thin layer of bacteria eating the sugars in your mouth. It is linked to diet generally. More sugar = more plaque. I think mouthwash just kills the bacteria. I don't think it washes away plaque. Maybe it does idk. If you brush/floss often enough and don't eat too much sugar, you'll be fine. If not, th... | [
"Simple. Damaged dentinum (main bone part of tooth) has a bit different color and is much, much softer. The just try to scrape it all out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
If cold air condenses, how can it be true that the lower the pressure gets the colder it is? | [
"Imagine your body has the same properties as air and I placed you into a box that you fit into perfectly. I cool you down, you condense (take up less space) and as such, your body stops touching the wall of the box and you have more room to wiggle. Now say I heat you up and you expand, you're going to start pressi... | [
"It is called condensation. Water is able to exist at three different states, liquid water, a gaseous vapor and solid ice. We can't see the water in the air, but it is there. In order for it to stay in the air, it needs to stay at a certain temperature (which means it has a certain level of energy). This temperatur... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Science:"
} |
why does US employment law allow such incredible insecurity? | [
"It's actually worse than you think. The two week notice is a common requirement for the *employee* to provide the *employer*. IE, if I am an accountant at a company and I want to gracefully quit my job to take employment somewhere else, I should provide a two week notice to my boss. But in most, if not all, states... | [
"> Why is it that if I were a smoker I would have no problem taking several breaks throughout the shift? Because your employer is treating people unfairly. There's no law about smoke breaks. This is entirely an issue with your employer's break policy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Explaining a Sonic Boom | [
"When an object move fast enough through the air (bullet, fighter jet) it have to push all the air molecules in front out of the way As it get faster & faster the air molecules can't move out of the way fast enough so they start to compress (stack up against each other) into high pressure Once the pressure get high... | [
"High Crime + Dwindling Population + Crumbling Infrastructure + Diminishing Jobs = Perceived Shithole."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is the seasoning or the noodles unhealthy in Instant Ramen? | [
"It's both. The noodles are deep-fried prior to being packaged which makes them high in calories and saturated fat. The season packets use a ton of a salt because it's an easy way to enhance the flavor for cheap. Both are bad independently, so together they are worse. Don't believe the msg hype, unless you have a p... | [
"The Chicken broth has little to no spices in it. It is the base for making soups. Chicken Noodle Soup on the other hand has spices, and vegetables in it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
how come the Alphabet and Cyrillic share so many letters that are either identical or very similar looking, and are sometimes pronounced the same/similar and sometimes not? | [
"The *Latin* alphabet and the *Cyrillic* alphabet are both based very heavily on the *Greek* alphabet. Which is why \"a\" (alpha) is the same in all three, and why \"gamma\" is a г or \"rho\" (Р) are the same in Cyrillic and Greek. Historically, Slavs adopted a form of Greek Orthodoxy (one major branch of Christia... | [
"First, what you're talking about isn't just diacritics, but also additonal letters. Danish, for example, doesn't have any diacritics either, but it does have a few extra letters (æ, ø and å) -- but they are fully-fledged standalone letters, not diacritics added to a \"normal\" letter. So your question should be br... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why don’t muscles show up on X-Rays, but do on MRIs? | [
"X-rays are effected by dense substances like bone so they are clearly defined on X-rays. MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imagers work by vibrating molecules under a powerful magnetic force show entirely different views of the body - _URL_0_"
] | [
"Yes. X-rays provide higher resolution than ultrasound can. And X-rays are better at imaging things like bones, which ultrasound has trouble penetrating. Both types of imaging are valuable. There are other imaging tools (MRI etc.) that can do other things that X-ray and ultrasound can't. Doctors try to use the b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does poured liquid drip down the side of a pitcher if not poured at a sufficient angle? | [
"Water really likes to stick to things. When you pour at an angle, the force of gravity is more than the sticking force, so it just falls. But when you tip it just a little, the water will pour over and cling to the surface, and hold on as long as it can."
] | [
"The carbon dioxide, the bubbles, is a gas at RT. Pouring it into an empty glass means the liquid falls from a higher distance, when it hits the bottom of the glass the impact provides enough energy for the gas to escape. Not only does the liquid in there reduce the distance but also softens the impact. If you were... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Does weight lifting damage your spine? | [
"Not really... Unless you're using improper form (thus putting extra stress on your spine instead of your muscles and joints), lifting too much for your ability level, or are pushing your body to the extreme."
] | [
"Are you on pain medication? Was anything else injured? Could also just be caused by inflammation in your body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why are USB drives default to FAT32 and not NTFS? | [
"Supportability NTFS is only semi-supported in operating systems other than Windows. Linux and BSD have a free and open-source NTFS driver, called NTFS-3G, with both read and write functionality. macOS comes with read-only support for NTFS; its disabled-by-default write support for NTFS is unstable."
] | [
"ext4 and NTFS are filesystems, used by computers to store information on hard drives. NTFS is the filesystem for Windows operating system, and all the way back to Windows NT in the 90's. ext4 is the most recent ext filesystem used by the Linux operating system. A Windows machine can't read an ext4 filesystem with... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How are schools of fish so organized with their movements if they don’t make noise and can’t communicate? | [
"Fish have sensory organs along the sides of their body, called the lateral line, that can detect changes in water pressure. When one fish turns, it creates vibrations in the water other fish react to, maintaining their schooling pattern."
] | [
"A lot of insects do forage randomly until their senses pick up on something that triggers them into a specific course of action. That said, the impulses that cause them to take action might be so small we don't notice them or simply require senses we don't have to detect."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does macaroni and cheese lose so much flavor when refrigerated then reheated? | [
"When you re-heat things in a microwave, water molecules are what absorb the microwaves and receive the energy. With things like cheese, that makes the water kind of separate out and makes the cheese more 'soggy and stringy' instead of 'foamy'. Texture changes taste. If you re-heat your Mac and cheese in an oven ... | [
"The ketchup at a restaurant is likely fresher than the ketchup you have at home, because they refill those bottles quite frequently. Also, restaurant ketchup is kept at room temperature. The flavor of ketchup goes bad in the refrigerator. You can test this by making some fries at home and comparing the taste of a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Food:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Food:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are muscles sore the first time you work out after a long period of inactivity but not the second time? | [
"A few reasons: Form - when you're out of practice you tend to shake a bit more and that causes more muscle tears. Stabilizer muscles - these small muscles shrink pretty quickly when you don't use them. Working out is basically tearing your muscles, then you eat food to give you the building blocks to build them ba... | [
"When you lift weights, microscopic \"tears\" form in the fascia of your muscle tissue. This is why you are sore the next day. The way muscles grow is through \"muscle recovery\": the tears fill up with new muscle cells, and the muscle is larger as a result. Think of it like scar tissue. So the answer would then be... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
how those catfish bots on dating sites work, how are they coded and implemented | [
"Bot bot = new Bot(’Tiffany’); If(guy) { bot.swipeLeft(); bot.say(’hi there stranger wan som fuq’); If(guy.answer === ’yes plz’) { bot.say(’plis snd credit card detailz’); } } else { bot.swipeRight(); }"
] | [
"It was a site hosted around creating affairs and people who want to cheat on their SO's, So when it was hacked, they threatened to leak the identity of those who were using said site,"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are darker surfaces more reflective (like black cars vs. white cars), when a typical mirror seems very light and bright? | [
"Actually the reflection comes from the gloss layer, outside the colored layer. But when the colored layer is light (white, yellow, etc.) its brightness makes it hard to see that reflection. When the colored layer is very dark, it doesn't interfere with your seeing the reflection."
] | [
"Something is \"shiny\" when the surface roughness (on microscopic level) is smooth enough to rather reflect light, instead of diffusing it randomly. It is this reflection that comes into your eye that makes it look shiny. The roughness of a surface depends on the material, and on the way the surface was treated or... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do TV channels/shows generate revenue by views and ratings? | [
"Good show = more viewers = more companies wanting to pay for advertising spots during commercial breaks = DOLLAH DOLLAH"
] | [
"YouTubers earn money through ads on their monetised videos. Viewing an ad provides a small amount of income towards their channel. Since it requires the ad to be displayed, if you run adblock, your view does not count towards what they get paid. Unless they acquire sponsors or a donation system, this is the only w... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How or why does the pole disappear in those awesome gopro videos? All I ever see is the person holding something or a fixed point on the body, but nothing is visible. | [
"One of the comments in your link mentions the insta360 camera rather than a gopro. It edits out it's own handle from the video."
] | [
"Looking at the segment as 1:10 I'd say that the camera is mounted on an arm which is connected to the snowboarders helment. Which can rotate freely. Inertia keeps the camera in the same position while the snowboarder spins around. Kind of like how if you stir liquid in a glass it will keep going after you've stopp... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are online password managers so much safer than writing passwords in a book that’s kept in a safe place? | [
"This is an example password that my password manager makes: xmJWI#Nrjmx7oXu%hLmc70mU$\\*zi9U Every place I have a password for has a password like that (or as long and complicated as they will allow) that is unique. I change them all frequently. Are you /really/ going to make, update, remember and consistently us... | [
"Encryption keeps your data safe. So if you have important info stored on your phone you want to keep it encrypted. So nobody can break into your phone and understand its contents."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do 12 hours at home fly by for me, yet 12 hours at work seems like an eternity? | [
"I’d assume its because your mind at home is occupied by leisurely activities, whereas at work you’re occupied with things that are generally not interesting to do. Therefore, it seems as if you’re spending a greater deal of time doing something at work"
] | [
"When you're having fun, your mind is focused on the moment. You're not worried about the time, you're having a blast When you're bored, you keep glancing at the clock, getting all dismayed that only 2 minutes have passed when you thought it was an hour."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What are tears made from? | [
"They are mostly water and salt, both pulled from the blood supply by the tear glands that exude them. You will find that most things in the body use blood to move their supplies around the body."
] | [
"What source says that alcohol is bad for your teeth?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do airplane passengers need to turn off cellphones or electronic devices while a plane takes off/lands? | [
"Its nonsense. Its based on old avionics devices that could have radio interference , afyer that it was because \"holy shiit you never know\". but today's technology has changed the game. Did years ago."
] | [
"Technically, you don't. Mythbusters tested this a while back, and phones didn't interfere with planes at all. That being said, since so many new phones are developed all the time, there's a ban on using them during the flight, just in case they might affect the plane."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do automatic payroll systems round up or down to the nearest half hour or quarter hour? | [
"Saves the company money by paying people 8 hours when they actually clocked in at 7:57 and out at 4:03. It's only 6 minutes a day, but that's over 26 *hours* a year. Per employee. Also removes the incentive for employees to intentionally do this to game the clock."
] | [
"You seem to have made the assumption that there are 4 weeks in a month and therefore 24 bi-weekly pay periods in a year. The site has made the assumption that there are 52 weeks in a year (only wrong by 1 day, or two in leap years) which they use for their math. When I put in 52,000 I got a weekly pay of $1000 or... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
how does medication half-life work? | [
"As the other poster mentioned, you can get down to a point where either the last molecule decomposes, is removed, or is no longer detectable. In practice, the rule of thumb is that the drug has been functionally removed from the body after about 5 half-lives."
] | [
"No offense, but your doctors there to field such questions. Your health matters, ask every question you can ask your doctor! It takes time to build up body levels of the active ingredients in your drugs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are different forms of medication "activated" by the body when taken simultaneously? | [
"Med student here. Any medication you take by mouth is going to go through a \"first pass\" effect. It won't get fully absorbed, it gets broken down by your liver, etc so it never actually reaches general circulation in your blood. Many oral medications are actually 'activated' by stomach acid, the low pH makes it... | [
"Overuse of antifungals, antibacterials and the like can lead to resistant strains. Various medications have notable side effects, or are dangerous when taken in conjunction with other types of medication."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What exactly is a pyramid scheme? | [
"A pyramid scheme is a money-making venture built on lies. The guy who makes it recruits a few people for a fee, who each recruit a few more. The new recruits are the source of income for the whole company. It's called a pyramid scheme because, like a pyramid, it has a large base leading up to a single point. And t... | [
"To convince you into purchasing from them. It is a basic marketing ploy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Finance:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Finance:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If you throw a cantaloupe in the air in a fast moving car, why does it go straight up and down and not backwards? | [
"Because everything in the car when you were holding it was moving (let's say) 60 miles per hour. When you throw it up, it's still moving forward at 60 miles per hour, the same as everything else in the car."
] | [
"Think about the path a ball follows when you throw it. It curves down and eventually hits the ground right? If you throw it faster, it still curves down, but it goes farther before it lands. Now what would happen if you threw it so fast and it flew so far that when it started to curve downwards the the ground had ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Science and Technology:"
} |
Why/how does a song make you tear up (usually wistfully) even if/when it's the first time you hear it? | [
"Music causes activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, two parts of the brain intimately associated with emotional processing. Some people say we aren't actually feeling \"emotion\" in the traditional sense, but rather building up tension and experiencing relief, either good or bad depending on how your brain exp... | [
"I think it might be different for everyone. At least for me, there are some songs that I instantly love and simply listen the hell out of them, most of the time until it bores me. There are other songs, however, that I'll listen to them the first time and think, meh...and the more I listen to it the more I like i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How does the deja-vu works ? | [
"Like most things with our brains, we don't really know. But we have some ideas. One idea is that it's a almost kinda like a siezure, a bit of uncontrolled electrical activity (please note that having deja vu doesn't mean you have epilepsy or something similar, it's more like when you're falling asleep and then fee... | [
"Don't you mean what is the porpoise of that behavior?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Cognitive Science:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Cognitive Science:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
The Fed cut their rate by 25 points, what does this mean for the average American & their mortgage & credit card rates? | [
"For the average american it means absolutely nothing. Zero. Nothing at all for average people. First of all the change was very small, and second, this is more macro economic (think \"big overall economy stuff\", not your job or buying a sandwich). It will likely have just about zero effect on each individual per... | [
"Short answer is because our loan interest went down as well. When the bank is getting 12 and 13% on their home loans and a little more on consumer loans, they can afford to pay more in interest so they have more to loan. This is how they make money. When the interest rates they charged drop so does the amount they... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
If the light switch is on but the bulb is dead, is power still being used? | [
"It can’t be a full circuit if the bulb is broken, so no. It’s as if a switch is off and the circuit just doesn’t complete."
] | [
"If there is nothing plugged in, then no it will not use any electricity. For electricity to flow, there must be a complete circuit, and to complete the circuit you must plug something in. Some devices draw current even when they are off if they are plugged in, that may be what she is thinking of."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is it okay to eat mayonnaise - which contains raw eggs - but not cookie dough, which also contains raw eggs? | [
"Because mayonnaise has been pasteurized to remove bacteria from the raw eggs. Your cookie dough has not."
] | [
"You only get sick from raw meat if the raw meat itself is infected. There are plenty of health codes in place to keep raw meat and eggs from containing the salmonella bacteria, but the measures aren't 100%. You *should* thoroughly cook your food, just to be safe, but realistically will be just fine most of the tim... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When there is a security breach that can result in identity theft, why can't the government simply issue new SINs and close down the existing ones? | [
"Because that would be a major logistical nightmare. SSNs are unique and so ingrained into the USA that being able to change it would create it's own problems that there is no process in place to handle. Not to mention that by changing a ssn could itself lead to fraud and identity theft as there is a limited number... | [
"Back during the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced the idea of Social Security, which is basically a payment made to retired people monthly, kind of like what retirement companies do. To keep track of this, each individual was assigned a number, a social security number. So, why is this all th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why fleas don’t infest hairy parts of humans. | [
"They do. Humans can get and carry fleas just like any other fuzzy mammal. That's how the Bubonic Plague spread, fleas and rats."
] | [
"There is a pesticide impregnated in the plastic. It’s safe for dogs but poisonous to bugs, cats and other animals. As the bugs crawls on the fur it kills the insects."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How do All-Female lion prides form? Can male cubs grow to be leader? | [
"There are lone males who are wandering around who challenge for leadership of prides and a vacant space will rapidly be taken by one of these."
] | [
"A male lion's primary role in the pride is to protect the pride from lions not within the pride, and from any animal that threatens the pride. The mane helps to protect the throat and shoulders from attacks from rivals and the like. They only have it there so as to not overheat. They have also found that it has a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does the heart regulate its beat so perfectly? What is happening to this system when we have palpitations? | [
"Your heart has pacemaker cells that can actually regulate the heartbeat themselves without input from your brain. They start the electrical signal within your heart to beat, and they do so with awesome precision and rhythm. The signal then travels down your heart through a pathway made for those electrical signals... | [
"Too much caffeine over-stimulates the nervous system, which leads to an irregular heart beat or cardiac arrest. Your heart gets too excited and forgets how to do its job."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do we all see the same color or my red can be your blue? | [
"Most likely that we all see colors the same since we all have similar structures in our eyes and brains to receive and process visual information. However, there's no definitive way to prove it."
] | [
"They are handicapped by lacking the ability to distinguish different colors. Red looks like they know red to be, but it might also look like green."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what does that often blue tape that athletes put all over themselves do and how does it work? | [
"It's called Kinesio tape. Its supposed to support muscles and potentially improve performance and help prevent injuries and help in injury recover. I'll stop explaining what its supposed to do or how any more because of something else associated with the tape: There's little evidence it works at all, and plenty of... | [
"I think it's because there isn't as much blood in ur hands because the warmth is needed in more important organs, so there is less protection around nerves?? I'd like to know if I'm wrong though"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Science:"
} |
If cells die of age, where do new ones come from? | [
"That gets a bit complicated because it depends on the organ. A lot of organs in your body (skin, intestine, stomach...) have a layer of cells that are capable of dividing indefinitely (well, at least until you, as a person, pass away) to keep the organ healthy. The big problem with these cells is the further along... | [
"Cells in your body duplicate to replace dead cells. They know when and how to do so based on information found on their DNA. When a cell replicates it makes a copy of the DNA for the other cell, but sometimes something goes wrong during this process and the other cell's DNA is messed up. Now most of the time this... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Medicine:"
} |
why the future of the planet depends on saving the bees. What makes bees so special in nature? How do we actually save them and why are they dying? | [
"Why are they important? One world: pollination. All crops need to be pollinated to produce. A tomato plant or strawberry plant that goes un-pollinated will never fruit. Most of our food is bee-pollinated. The \"how we actually save them\" is a tricky question and \"why are they dying\" is even trickier to answer! ... | [
"Easy: our species, humans. But to give you some other really impactful things: if plankton disappeared, all of them, the ocean food chain would break entirely. If ants or bees disappeared it would break things. If pine trees disappeared it would break things. I'd still argue, though, that more of the world would b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why can people with Alzheimer's easily remember their childhood and young adult life but not recent events? | [
"It could be that long term memories are stored in the frontal lobe of the brain and Alzheimers first targets the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory reconsolidation (the creation of long term memories from short term memories)"
] | [
"The painful memories fade and are replace with new drama, making the earlier time seem better than it was. Also, as we typically have fewer responsibilities as children, we typically look upon that age fondly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
At what point did flight overtake the sea in regards to intercontinental travel? | [
"1957 was the first year more people flew across the North Atlantic, than went by sea. Source: John Maxton Graham \"The only way to cross\". Cunard still offers a limited number of voyages between Southampton and New York City on their ship the Queen Mary II, each year. These trips are not weekly occurances like th... | [
"I would argue it's less history, more business. You've got to look at speed (airplanes are faster), cost to build (airplanes require less material), and passenger capacity (typically greater on a plane). Plus, after WWII, you had an amazing airplane industry ready to retool for peacetime passenger planes, a huge p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
suppose you're a rich roman (AD250) and you decide you're really really fond of one of your slave children and you want to have them educated and made into a normal free roman, like as if they were your own child (legitimate child). how unusual would this be? to what extent is it legally possible? | [
"As Roman slaveholders completely owned their slaves as property, they were free to manumit them at their sole discretion. This freed slave would become a citizen, and a *cliens* (client) of his former master, who would now be his *patron*."
] | [
"Traditionally, legacy was a very important thing. Your father gives you your name, your property, your occupation, and even your reputation (at least if you are a son, he does). Knowing who your real father is (and conversely, a father knowomg who his real sons are) was a pretty serious affair, and is part of the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What was the best year in human history? | [
"This sounds like a \"polltype question\" which is not appropriate for askhistorians. sorry."
] | [
"One of these is not like the others."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What repercussions did Philip Zimbardo face for the Stanford Prison Experiment? | [
"The participants were all there of their own volition and were free to leave at any time. Of course now, we know more about how that is problematic, given the psychological coercion they were under. But partly it's due to this experiment that we have come to understand that. In any event, he broke no laws. But it ... | [
"I believe some of them were. There was an experiment done by Stanley Milgram where one was ordered to test a \"participant\" then give \"electric shocks\" to them if they got a question wrong. They were more likely to do it if there was someone in the room with them, and even gave \"lethal\" amount of shocks. The ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What modern day alliances would have been unthinkable to Americans from the past? (e.g. becoming close allies with Germany would have been hard to imagine during WWII, etc) | [
"Prior to WWII, ANY alliance would have been unthinkable to a massive majority of the US population. George Washington warned the Nation of entangling alliances, and isolationist sentiment was strong with the American public."
] | [
"If the other country wants them, sure. The two countries would probably draw up some kind of treaty saying they will merge, or that one will become part of the other. Realistically it would be difficult for a government to do that without most of the people wanting it, but if they are onboard with the idea no reas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Coinage in fantasy games and byzantium | [
"I'd love to hear about Byzantine coinage too, but the original story is much simpler. Dungeon Master's Guide (1st ed) p90: \"The prices and costs of the game are based on inflationary economy, one where a sudden influx of silver and gold has driven everything well beyond its normal value\""
] | [
"Related: what happened to the similar but different term Lakonia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
how useful was the great wall of China as a military deterrent? | [
"Starting off with the obvious: A symbol of power can be very militarily useful by deterring opponents - an absence of battles is not an absence of usefulness. A good example of their (the great wall is not one wall) usefulness is how the Manchus were kept out of the Chinese mainland for years during the final year... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about History:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Did mothers with husbands at war during WWII work in the factories? If so, how was childcare handled and/or paid for? | [
"A lot of women, even married women with children, took up jobs to help in the war effort. Many unmarried women were also (and especially) encouraged to help. Some places offered day care, but those instances are few and far between. Most women left the kids with a mother or mother-in-law, or in the care of their e... | [
"they may have retired, perhaps they are living on savings, or they could be from a dual income household, so they decided they'd rather stay home and take care of the house/children. all of the above are possible explanations"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did South American economies benefit from being left unscathed during WW2? | [
"Follow up question, (I guess), what about the economies of Argentina and Uruguay in particular?"
] | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Have any historians read Oswald Spengler? | [
"I've never read it myself, but the book comes up among German historians from time to time. The general opinion is that it is irrelevant as a scholarly work, but important due to its cultural influence in Germany. It's a ideological interpretation of history and should be treated as much. It is one of the key work... | [
"Plus it separates the Lee \"Harvey\" Oswalds from the Lee \"Norman\" Oswalds."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What was it about the Theodosian Walls made it so hard to take? | [
"As far as the Ottomans goes they used massive cannons to demolish the Theodosian Walls. If I may ask another related question, why didn't the Ottomans invade by sea in 1422 and 1453 if it had worked for the crusaders? I realize they had a massive fleet present but what makes those seiges different than the crusade... | [
"Because they were a part of the Roman Empire before it fell, and Charlemagne was name Emperor by the Pope."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In school, we were taught that America entered the first world war after the Lusitania was sunk. However, I've heard that we primarily entered the war because of economic reasons. Is this true? Also, could the entente nations have won the war without the support of the US? | [
"While not one of the official motives, it certainly was one of the reasons. American banks had lent huge amounts of money to Britain and France to finance their war. By 1917, when the US entered the war, the British and French were so heavily indebted, that their inability to pay the money owned would very likely ... | [
"Both the US and England were huge trade partners. Just because the US was no longer under British rule didn't mean that they weren't still a huge source of lumber and other raw materials. Throughout the 19th century, relations slowly improved as the US continued to trade with England. It wasn't until World War One... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Were the Titanic's clocks, like the one on the Grand Staircase, adjusted by someone to match the "timezone" as the voyage progressed? | [
"That's a great question! I've no idea, although I can probably throw in one or two considerations. The Titanic sank in 1912, which was before there was really universal acceptance/use of standard time zones. Granted, the US had hosted the International Meridian Conference in 1884 that agreed on Greenwhich time as ... | [
"Latitude can be calculated very simply by measuring the angle of the sun at Noon with a sextant. Longitude is measured using a clock, by subtracting the time difference between local Noon (measured with that same sextant) and Greenwich time (you have to carry a watch set to GMT on the voyage). Cook had both of the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Everyone knows (at least fictionalized versions) about cowboys and cattle drives of the 1860s to 1880s, but what happened to those beeves on the other end of the line? | [
"I can't attempt to answer all your questions but I will try to address some. Why did the drives stop? Mainly because of the expansion of the railway network. Initially cattle drives went a lot further north, probably all the way to the north east which was the biggest market for consumption. But when the railways ... | [
"Almost none. As a general rule, cowboys mostly spent their days sweaty in the heat and sun, rarely bathing, rarely changing their clothes, and spending all day with huge herds of cattle. Most of them did carry a gun, but usually a hunting rifle that they used to hunt, of course, keep coyotes and wolves away from t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
We're trebuchets actually a surprise siege engine compared to a catapult? | [
"Could you clarify your question somewhat? I'm not sure what you're asking, and I think others might be similarly confused."
] | [
"Because they don't have to life all that mass of the ground and trutch around with it. Buoyancy carries most of the weight."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
I have found a bunch of undeveloped film from wwII, how do I go about getting it in the hands of historians to look at it? | [
"Here's some of what I found _URL_2_ _URL_6_ _URL_1_ _URL_3_ _URL_5_ _URL_0_ _URL_4_"
] | [
"More importantly, do you still have the negatives? If so definitely don't discard them. Offer them with the photos."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about history:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about history:"
} |
How accurate is pop culture's portrayal of Native Americans as "one with nature" | [
"A bit of both. There was a lower permanent population density before white settlement which is an important factor. However, historians have shown that many tribes did not have the same consumption and land use beliefs and behaviors as Europeans. Each tribe had its own practices as well. Additionally, there is the... | [
"If you're talking about America, that's simply not true. Go to any big Reddit thread and you'll see hundreds of comments talking about what a glorious socialist utopia Europe is. Many Americans also have varying degrees of obsession with British culture. Half the women in my family got up at 3 in the morning to wa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How much truth is there is this segment (in comments) from American Dad about the Iran/Contra debacle and Oliver North? | [
"Unfortunately it is true. Even the part where Stan sings Oliver North got off scot free. I had to double check that, because I thought for sure Oliver North was convicted for his role in Iran Contra, but on 9/16/1991 all charges against Oliver North were dropped."
] | [
"Hey, just to clarify, Ep 106 was on marijuana. Are you thinking of 108 with Keri Merritt, on poor whites and slavery in the American South?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What are the historical origins of the term 'sugar daddy'? | [
"_URL_0_ originated in 1922 the \"daddy\" in sugar daddy isn't \"father\" it is > Used in Jazz slang as a form of address. Also more generally applied to an older person, and (U.S. slang), a lover. Cf. dad n.1 2. looking at the oed it seems the term daddy was frequently used in slang. and in the 2nd half of the 1... | [
"How do you define your hints of schizophrenia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How big was the Macarena actually? | [
"This article does a good job explaining it: _URL_1_ It was a song that grew in popularity over a short period of time. Although the song was popular, it was the simplicity of the dance that really helped make it mainstream. And, like many aspects of popular culture, as soon as it as popular, it started to be heard... | [
"Well when else would you buy a Toblerone?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The added comma in the 2nd amendment: I'd appreciate an expert's opinion | [
"As a note, even if one takes the position that it is the collective right for the militia rather than the individual right, Section 313 Title 32 states that every man 17-64 is a part of the unorganized militia."
] | [
"I did find a bit of broadcast video of Oswald speaking with press that was published by CNN. He says charged, sir, protested and representation with what appears to be very little trouble. I have no experience with analysis of speaking so I will say no further about the way in which he pronounces words. _URL_0_ I ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Someone told me that the Chinese used natural gas. Is this correct? | [
"According to Needham's Science and Civilization of China volume 5-13, it talks about mining petroleum and natural gas. Natural gas was mined in China around 300CE. He cited Way(1916) saying petroleum was seen more as a necessary evil as it produce the black smoke and smell when burnt. They also made lubricant, ca... | [
"That is quite amazing. I'd love to know the reason why."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Water warfare, what are some historical examples of rerouting water to submit foes? | [
"If I remember correctly, Jonathan Spence's book *God's Chinese Son* describes a battle during the Taiping Rebellion wherein Qing forces surrounded a rebel army marching towards Beijing and then diverted a river to flood their camp, allowing the rebels to easily be overrun and defeated."
] | [
"Open war just means that two nations/factions have openly declared war on each other. Cell warfare is a flash game, but I'm assuming you mean something along the lines of sleeper cells. Sleeper cells or clandestine cells just means infiltration the enemy's land/organization in order to surprise them and fight from... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What are some of the funniest/most ridiculous examples of American propaganda during the Cold War? | [
"[I was a communist for the FBI](_URL_0_). In this movie, communists are portrayed in the film as cynical opportunists, racists who are interested only in seizing power on behalf of the Soviets and not in improving social and labor conditions in the U.S. They are shown exploiting ethnic tensions to get their way, s... | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Literature:"
} |
What's up with Empress Dowager Cixi's hands? | [
"These are nail covers made of gold. It was very common for the Manchu elite of the Qing Dynasty to wear them, so you can say it's a Manchu tradition (the Qing emperors were Manchu). But I can't remember the Chinese name of these covers, I'll edit when I'll find out ... edit: Perhaps I might add the reason to these... | [
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Any help would be appreciated concerning history from 1800 - present | [
"Under the topic of \"does science conflict with religion\" an excellent primary source to spur some thoughts would be the [original Scopes trial transcript](_URL_0_). I find it thoroughly interesting to examine the original text of the trial and some of the exchanges between 2 of the most intelligent men of the da... | [
"Do you have a period you specifically want to know about? This is ranges from slightly different to totally different if we're talking about Asia Minor and Syria circa 333 B.C., Italy in 216 B.C., Gaul 500 A.D., Palestine 1066 A.D., Brandenburg in 1630/31 A.D., Silesia in 1740 A.D. or Sedan in 1870. I'm sure we co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
I am currently in the Yucatan and wanting to know more about Ek Balam and Chichen Itza or other Mayan cities in the area. Educate me! | [
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] | [
"Probably not worth all of the booby traps, but there are Mayan (and other) ruins in the jungles of Central and South America that haven't been excavated. Surely there are others around the world that have been forgotten and lost."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How gross would a Roman orgy have been? | [
"Probably not. A lot of the stuff you hear is exaggerated and conflated. Orgies, contrary to popular belief, were more a religious ceremony than a purely carnal one. Orgies were part of the Cult of Bacchus, known in the Greek pantheon as Dionysius. Their focus was to connect with the god of wine by being carnal rat... | [
"Is it me, or has this never happened to anyone else?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What social opportunities would be available to a free black family living in the antebellum deep south? | [
"This as incredibly helpful. I'm doing my master's thesis on the historical memory of free black societies in the north. Could you suggest anything worth reading on that subject?"
] | [
"A follow-up and related question: how about young people in other parts of the world in this time period? I.e. South Asia, China, West Africa, South America?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Are there any good books that tell Marc Antony's side of the story? | [
"Adrian Goldsworthy's *Antony and Cleopatra* focuses not only on the relationship between the two famous characters but it also covers the world in which they lived, family history and the events surrounding their lives. It is not only a narrative, but it also allows you to understand them and their motives. Golds... | [
"Follow up question, if anyone has read *The Journeyer* by Gary Jennings, would they be able to comment on its historical accuracy as well?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Had there ever been a proven case of subliminal messages within media aimed at a certain population? Did it actually work? | [
"I think this might be better in /r/AskScience"
] | [
"One is referencing a commonly know item of culture the other results in detrimental action towards a set of people. The trick is figuring out which is which."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do you guys subscribe to "Great Man Theory" or "populist" theory and why? | [
"This topic came up two days ago: _URL_1_"
] | [
"You mean Pragmatism vs Idealism? Because (correct me if I'm wrong) Idealism and Materialism are two different categories of thought."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What was 1286 Orkney like? | [
"I recommend that you look for a copy of Bo Almqvist, edited by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne and Séamas Ó Catháin, Viking Ale: Studies on Folklore Contacts between the Northern and the Western Worlds (Aberystwyth: Boethius, 1991). He argues that medieval Orkney was something of a 'Venice of the North'. It was a mercantile cen... | [
"Is there any reason why you chose 1116 in particular?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why did routing result in high casualties? | [
"They key part of a rout is that it is not simply a retreat but an utterly chaotic and disordered withdrawal, or even a shattering of cohesion entirely. It usually devolves into an every man for himself type attitude. This would then be contrasted with the opposing force who likely maintain morale and discipline an... | [
"Why are empty threads showing up on the front page? This makes no sense."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.