query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why is there such a problem with GMO food products? | [
"> Why is there such a problem with GMO food products? The problem is that generic engineering allows for more efficient farming and competes with organic where GE is banned. The organic industry is thus threatened and therefor must demonize GMOs in order to save/boost their market share. This is why all the anti-G... | [
"Nothing. There is no science indicating its bad for you."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about science:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about science:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why shouldn't the homeowners be present when a realtor is showing their house? | [
"Potential buyers should be able to give honest critism about the home they are looking at to their realtor so that the realtor knows exactly what they are looking for to fit them into the best home possible. Its awkward to mention things you don't like about a house in front of the person who hopes you are going t... | [
"So they don't get other people coming by saying \"Your house was for sale, is it still for sale? Did something happen to the sign?\" This way people know it's been sold. In addition, if a realtor was utilized, it'll still show the realtor's name on it, and that means the realtor will get exposure as a realtor that... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How exactly does an actress posing nude or appearing nude in a film help their career? | [
"It helps by: * getting them attention * expanding the sorts of roles they are considered for * for child actresses, it prevents them from being typecast in teeny bopper roles It hurts by: * getting a reputation for their bodies, not their acting, which can make it hard form them to get roles when older...alternate... | [
"Playboy women are models. Now it's unusual that models appear topless/nude but they are still models, however a high percentage move on to a pornstar lifestyle or other adult job, also they fuck Hugh because they want to be on the cover so it's not prostitution. Hope this helps"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why, when you play two keys next to each other on a piano it sounds so ugly? | [
"It's all about the frequencies of the notes. When you play two notes that are an octave apart, the frequency of the higher note is double the frequency of the lower note. Think of walking with a little kid, where they take two steps for every one you take. The rhythm of your steps sounds good. When you plan an int... | [
"You can use a piano to play notes up and down. When a note doesn't sound like it matches the song try another one close by until you have a full range of keys that match your song. Find the number of black keys you are pressing and look up their note names. Write them down and search. For no black keys it's key of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How would a Crimean declaration of independence or union with Russia differ from Kosovo declaring itself independent from Serbia in 2008? | [
"Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence has been recognised by 108 UN countries, and one non-UN country, the Republic of China (Taiwan). The remaining Serbs from North Kosovo want to remain in the Republic of Serbia, but Serbian majority towns are now rare in the Albanian-dominated, partially recognised Republic of ... | [
"It's not over yet. Russia now controls the Crimean Peninsula *de facto*, which means \"in fact\" (as opposed to *de jure*, which means \"in law\"). That basically means that the Russians are there taking over. Russia has also declared the Crimea to be a republic within the Russian Federation, and the city of Sevas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How can people overpay their taxes? | [
"Your employer takes money out of your paycheck throughout the year to pay your local, state, and federal taxes. The amount they take out, however, is just an estimate how much tax you will probably owe at the end of the year. There's no way for the state, local, and federal governments to know what you actually do... | [
"Is it legal? Yes. Is it smart? Double Yes. Why? Because no one can say they paid their rent without having proof."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What exactly is the internet and who runs it? | [
"The internet is a bunch of computers owned by different people connected by cables owned by different people. That's it!"
] | [
"As a person who frequently visits \"the internet\", this is the first I've heard of this. What are your sources?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How was it possible for electric cars to exist 100 years ago when the technology only recently became mature enough to become practical? | [
"Electric cars of the 1880s were very fragile things with very short range and heavy (for the time) batteries, just like electric cars of 1980s and 1990s. But back in those days, competing petrol cars were no good either. They were a nightmare to maintain, hard to start, hard to drive (controls were nothing like to... | [
"Because electric vehicles just aren't ready for prime time yet. The technology just isn't far enough along to replace what gas engines can do. An electric battery weighs far more than a tank of gas, yet holds far less energy. They take a long time to charge, are still expensive to own and operate when all costs a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What exactly does the word 'kike' explicitly mean and, as a Jew, why should I be offended? | [
"\"Kike\" is short for the Yiddish word for circle. Illiterate Jewish immigrants used to sign with a circle instead of an X. Like most of the words bigots like to use for others, few actually know the meaning, they just use them to be hurtful."
] | [
"In some countries, people aren't really bothered by it at all. In the US, it's a derogatory term towards women. It's just like how faggot is more offensive because it's directed towards gay people, and nigger is more offensive because it's directed towards black people. \"Fuck\" and \"shit\" and \"asshole\" aren't... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Linguistics:"
} |
The difference between "I'm well" and "I'm good" | [
"If you are doing good, you are not doing evil. If you are doing well, you are not in poor health. Good is an abstract concept, if you are \"good\" it means that you do not do bad things (which may be true) but it not generally the information people want from you when they ask how you are. They want to know about... | [
"Because for 3rd person pronouns (he/she/it), we can say \"isn't\" instead of \"He is not cute\" For I there is no equivalent. We can't say \"amn't\" instead of \"I am not cute\" Instead we stole aren't. I'm not too sure why that became better than amn't"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do they close off entire avenues for the Pope's visit? | [
"Safety reasons. Typically where he goes, a crowd will follow. They wouldn't want to reopen the streets too soon with pedestrians and bystanders still randomly wandering about. You have to give them time to disperse. Also, they lock it down somewhat so that they cannot attack/harm the pope. I've seen recently they... | [
"If they didn't block streets or highways, would you ever pay attention to them??? It gets them noticed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does our hair turn grey as we get older? | [
"Hair gets it's color from a pigment produced in the hair follicle. When the cells that produce that pigment stop working, hair grows as grey. The older you get, the more likely those cells are to stop working."
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
The lead up, the fall and the aftermath of the Roman Empire | [
"It all started with them trying to raise their debt ceiling..."
] | [
"A very big one is the current drop in oil prices"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why can a cell tower give me a signal hundreds of yards away, but my WiFi antenna won't go through my bathroom wall? | [
"Different frequencies have different propagation properties. Some signals are absorbed by wood and plaster board while others will pass right through them. Radio waves are light, and just as you can absorb, reflect, diffuse, and scatter light, so too radio waves. With enough energy you can \"shine\" your wifi brig... | [
"Cell towers have more power than a phone, so \"tower to phone\" is more reliable than \"phone to tower\". For example, if you are close to your tower and the other person is far away from their tower, they can hear you fine, but their return signal may have trouble reaching the tower."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Technology:"
} |
How is "overclocking" possible when the components were only built with so much physically possible capability? | [
"Parts are sold with artificial limits installed. This is done to protect the part from damaging itself, usually due to overheating. When you over clock a piece of hardware, you are turning off that limitation in order to get better performance out of the hardware. You void your warranty and risk damaging the part ... | [
"You have to remember that a CPU is still an electric circuit bound by the laws of physics. The components used to make a processor are designed to allow electric current to flow based on a specification of voltage to allow a stable flow of current which is how the components communicate and process information. In... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are gasoline powered appliances, such as pressure washers or chainsaws, more powerful than electric? | [
"Electric motors aren't inherently weaker than gasoline motors, it's just that there's a limit to how much electricity you can draw from a single wall outlet, or how much you can carry in a battery. Gasoline motors don't have this problem, because A) gasoline contains a lot more energy for a given mass than batteri... | [
"Because there are still a lot of cars on the road that don't require higher octane fuel. Not to mention boats, lawnmowers, generators, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How do flooring companies make a floor surface that is LESS slippery when it gets food/liquid on it? | [
"Most of the time there's grooves to give way to more traction. Think of concrete in playgrounds, most of the time it has grooves in them to keep the kids from slipping if it gets wet. It adds extra traction"
] | [
"The liquid friction properties of water (the amount of friction it upholds/creates) are a lot higher than other standardised lubricants such as oil. Less friction means less resistance and MORE slippage. So water, though slippery, is nowhere near as slick as say if it started raining canola oil."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
as an European, why do areas with frequent natural disasters as hurricanes have so fragile constructions instead of using strong materials? | [
"Cost and the low likelyhood of a repeat occurance in that specific area. also most people don't want to live in a bunker, they want to see the sea"
] | [
"It would be especially devastating because New York is a low risk location for earth quakes in the first place. [Check out this map](_URL_0_). When you prepare a city for emergency responses you have to prepare for least likely to most likely and I would assume that while New York is prepared for many things, eart... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why is the sale of homeopathic "remedies" not punished under fraud/false advertising laws? | [
"They are not sold as medications. They are sold as supplements. They do not have the same rules."
] | [
"Part of the confusion you are experiencing can be cleared up by two pieces of information: 1. If you'll pay close attention to the commercials, they never call their products a \"drug\". Drugs are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. If you aren't claiming that you are marketing a drug, then you aren'... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about pharmacology:"
} |
Why did the Arab countries only developed normally until the 70's? | [
"Arab countries have had a pretty rough go of things pretty much for their whole existence as countries. They were stable under the Ottoman empire for the most part and were far more stable than most other parts of the globe before that."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do I decide to use heat vs ice on an injury? | [
"Depends on the injury and when you are treating it. For a muscle injury (for example a muscle strain), the immediate treatment is to follow REST (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). The ice (along with R, C, E) is used to slow blood flow to the site and reduce swelling. After some time, it's time to treat the inj... | [
"Luke warm or cool water is better. If you cool the surface too quickly it will be more painful in the long run. Topical gel is also a good solution."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Can you explain DNA like I am five? | [
"The basics: DNA is like a set of instructions, or like a recipe book that tells the cell what proteins to make. When a cell wants to make a protein, it first makes a copy of the recipe (or, the gene) by transcribing it into mRNA (messenger RNA). RNA is structurally very similar to DNA, but is less stable and singl... | [
"Explain my rights to me... like I'm five?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How does a bank make money? | [
"There's a concept in economics called the money multiplier. Basically, a bank is only required to keep 10% of the value of its deposits on hand, and loans out the other 90%. The money that's loaned out is spent, deposited in a bank, and loaned out again. For example, A bank has $100,000 in deposits. It keeps $10,0... | [
"In the real world why would anyone want to be a politician?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why is it when I swallow my own saliva I am not rehydrated unlike when I drink water? | [
"I live near a reservoir that supplies water to my city's water system. If I fill a bucket at the sink, then take it to the reservoir and dump it in, why does the level of water in the reservoir not rise? Because the water came from the reservoir in the first place. Swallowing your own saliva can't possibly rehydra... | [
"Being thirsty is just the body's way of representing it's need for water. Your own saliva is using water the body already has, so doesn't help that need- you need water from an outside source. If you save a bunch of drool in the fridge, then drink it when you're thirsty, it *should* quench your thirst- but I don't... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do cats have a 'no fucks given' nature, where as dogs don't. | [
"Dogs are descended from pack animals and have social instincts, cats are descended from solitary predators."
] | [
"I don't know but it's one of the main reasons I like cats more. I want a pet, not an eternal smelly baby that I have to wash all the time to avoid smelling disgusting. The hair is still a problem for me, but some cats don't shed much at all."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What was the practical difference between shooting a bow horizontally and shooting one vertically? | [
"The string would be much closer to the underside of your arm which would result in some delightfully painful bruising/rashes (and potentially catch on clothes/armor when released). You also get a longer draw holding it vertically, as the string pulls next to your body, so the draw length should be: the length of y... | [
"> It is a well-known quirk of pre-modern theories of motion that objects can only have one kind of motion applied at any time. An arrow would therefore first move forward in a straight line, and then stop its forward movement and drop straight down. Pardon, but do you have a reference for this? Anyone firing an ar... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why do animals like birds and squirrels move around in twitchy motions, when other animals move around smoothly? | [
"Birds and squirrels cannot move their eyeballs, so in order to look at something they have to turn their entire head/body, resulting in the \"twitchy\" motion."
] | [
"Lizards and spiders both move at slow/normal speeds. They move at full sprint because they’re threatened by you, but when people aren’t around lizards are prone to dragging themselves slowly across rocks to stay in the sun, and spiders sneak and slink around and diligently do hunting tasks at a more normal pace."
... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What would happen if we were to punch a hole straight through Earth? | [
"The rock that makes up the earth acts a lot like a liquid (and is a liquid at certain levels) as you get below the crust. The hole would quickly fill up with the molten rock. Honestly, if something punched a hole through the Earth, I'd be way more concerned about what did it than the hole itself."
] | [
"How do you even take a picture of the center of a tornado?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about writing:",
"pos": "Represent the document about writing:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is it that makes some people believe the world is flat? | [
"There are two broad categories of flat-earthers: trolls, those who claim to believe it as a way of entertaining themselves by irritating others, and blithering idiots who will believe any old tripe that makes them feel special."
] | [
"Why? No one knows. How? No one knows. But it's well understood what the consequences are."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does it sting when we get hand sanitizer on open cuts? | [
"The hand sanitizer probably contains alcohol, which is an astringent--meaning, it constricts body tissues. The sting is due to the sudden (unexpected) shrinkage/nerves reacting. Witch hazel or salt water would also have the same effect."
] | [
"Because when you rub your eyes, presumably with your hands or fingers, you're putting dirt, oil, and germs into your eyes making them more irritated. Next time use something clean like a napkin or tissue."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Health and Physiology:"
} |
What kind of damage can a separated ice shelf do? | [
"The ice sheet is already floating on the ocean so it breaking off and drifting out to sea will have little effect on global sea levels. The real worry is that the ice sheet is holding back the advance of glaciers that are *resting on land* and if their advance speeds up they will be transferring ice from the land ... | [
"After that the water pressure is great enough to break whatever seal was protecting the goods"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does the body raise its temperature when it lacks sleep? | [
"The body tends to follow a set sleep schedule and when you do sleep your core temperature drops. If you stay up past your usual sleep cycle your body will still drop in temperature around the same time which is why some people feel cold late at night, but since you aren't sleeping the body heats back up so the tra... | [
"Besides feeling great. Taking a bath when we have a virus raises our core temperature. Which helps kill the virus."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do we say that spiderwebs are "stronger than steel"? | [
"because strength is measured proportionally to the size of the object in question. In this case, the strength being measured is tensile strength (or how strong it is while being pulled, think of trying to measure how much weight you could hang on one strand of silk before it snapped) We don't think of spider webs ... | [
"Not a scientist or a science major. But spiders produce 2 (or more) kinds of webs. Usually they have one that is sticky. That they get stuck in. And another one. That is stronger. It holds up the web. But isn't sticky. Spiders walk on those parts of the web"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why couldn't we use dust grain dispersion instead of fuel in a combustion engine? | [
"Internal combustion engines work by igniting fuel under a compressed piston, which rapidly heats up the air and (therefore) causes a dramatic rise in pressure, pushing the piston out. The two most common engines are petrol (which use a spark plug to ignite the fuel) and diesel (which compresses air to much higher ... | [
"They actually *cause* fire/explosions to happen, just inside their cylinders. Are you asking how they prevent the fire from traveling and igniting the whole fuel tank?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does starchy food stick so hard onto kitchenware? | [
"Starch is used as poster glue. The gluten in wheat additionally makes the strands of starch molecules link together to make a tough solid."
] | [
"It makes the proteins hard. Have you ever spilled egg on your hand and tried to wash it off with warm water? It makes it into a gel. This is the same thing that happens with anything high in protein. Like semen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Can there be two humans that are exactly the same? | [
"theoretically, there's nothing preventing it. Just don't count on it happening ever for the rest of time."
] | [
"Because you can be absolutely certain that the child is related to the mother, but you can't be absolutely certain that they are related to the father."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is there an interesting explanation as to why virtually all talk show hosts sit to the right of their guests? | [
"\"Because it makes them seem powerful. In Western culture, we read from left to right, and we watch theater and television that way, too. Our eyes end up on the right side of the screen—where the host sits (also known as stage left). In the theory of stagecraft, it's understood that a rightward placement telegraph... | [
"I don't know for sure, but I am guessing that it is because, like most entertainment, late night shows are based in large coastal cities which tend to be left leaning. Another thing is that it is easier to make a joke by mocking or being negative towards something. For that reason it is easier to make comedy again... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How the curiosity rover is controlled | [
"Small computer programs are sent from Earth to the rover. For example, we might send the following instructions: * Turn 90 degrees to the right. * Drive forward 5 meters. * Turn 180 degrees. Then we wait... the rover gets the commands, executes them, and then sends us back information about where it thinks it is. ... | [
"The rovers that landed on Mars were launched after nearly 50 years of study from orbit and other probes. Plus centuries of observation from Earth. _URL_0_ Find an area on the planet that has stuff you want research using the sensors on the probe, has the terrain the rover can navigate. There are studies with the s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science and Technology:"
} |
Why do we randomly stutter or horribly mispronounce words we know even thought we have no actual speech impediment? | [
"Our brains are hardwired in a way where each cell (neuron) is connected to many other cells. It's like a computer where one wire connects to other ports and wires to create a while computer. Once in a while, a neuron will fire when we are speaking but will go down a little different path which our brains are not u... | [
"No. Stuttering is a problem people have translating their thoughts into the complex tongue and mouth movements needed to create speech. Stuttering is different however from stumbling on your words, like when you don't know what to say or you forget the word you're looking for or you say the wrong word. Deaf people... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Speech and Language:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Speech and Language:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do artificial flavors work? For example, how is it my yogurt tastes like "boston cream pie"? | [
"Food scientists spend a lot of time researching exactly what kinds of chemicals produce what kinds of flavors, and then trying to synthesize chemicals they think might make good flavorings. Then a whole lot of testing happens where they mix different flavorants together to try to produce different tastes. Eventual... | [
"There is a pink lemon, but it's not used. Pink lemonade is just normal lemonade colored pink. It's dyed using artificial dye, raspberries, cherries, red grapefruit, grapes, cranberries, strawberries, grenadine, or, as in the origin story, cinnamon candy. The flavor may or may not be different."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What would an explosion look like in space? | [
"There would not be much fire: fire needs oxygen. So a manned spaceship could burn, but only where there's oxygen like a cabin or an oxygen tank. Most importantly, there would be NO SOUND. Sounds travels on air and there is no air in space. Also, it would be super dangerous to be near an explosion in space because... | [
"How do you even take a picture of the center of a tornado?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What causes the difference in intelligence between persons? | [
"A combination of nature and nurture. Genetics obviously plays a role at the beginning of life. Someone genetically inclined to have higher cognitive functioning can still be a naive moron if raised in such a way. Same with an average Joe who's seen the world and learned how to process information in an efficient... | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
how a microphone converts sound into data that represents pitch and tone of a note. | [
"The movement of the coil (or the ribbon, or the plates, depending on mic type) moves in the same way the sound does in the air. It's sort of like an auditory photocopy of the sound that travels through the air. The sound waves hit the coil (or whatever), the coil vibrates in the same way (then gets amped, etc). Si... | [
"Its not actually sound. They take readings of radiation that comes off of the object or they take readings of its magnetic field. They then use these electromagnetic radiation readings to create a sound wave. The intensity of the reading corresponds to the volume of the sound and they normalize the frequency of th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How are we so sure that all races are equal? (Disclaimer: not racist) | [
"The distinction is that there are probably some physical attributes that differ among races, some being better and some worse, but the concept of being equal means being equal in the eyes of the law and equality of natural rights. Regardless of any physical or mental difference that may exist, each human being has... | [
"Atheist: \"I have no reason to believe in a god, so I don't\" Agnostic: \"One cannot know whether or not a god exists.\" Secular: \"Decisions should be made without reference to religious beliefs\" Edit: Thanks for the gold! Great discussion, I'm enjoying reading people's different takes on this."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why does your voice get choppy when you speak into a fan? | [
"Yes. The sound waves are interrupted by the moving blades, and some get reflected back into your ears while some are absorbed. This leads to the odd robot voice."
] | [
"Take 2 objects shaped like notebooks and place them on the side of your head, like you're making big elephant ears. Make sure they are pressed firmly against your head and in front of the ear. Now speak. This is what your voice sounds like to the rest of the world. It's a trick used by actual professional VAs test... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why are some showers very steamy, but then the next day in the same shower there will be no steam at all, even at the same temperature? | [
"Barometric pressure, as the pressure rises and falls with different weather patterns, the steam in your shower will stay around longer or shorter."
] | [
"There are two factors that could be at play here. First is your body naturally expelling moisture after a hot shower. The moisture from your body causes condensation on the glasses once you put them on your face. Easy way to test this is to leave your glasses outside the bathroom and as soon as you get out of the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If a homosexual couple gets legally married in one state, and then move to another state where it's not legal, is their marriage still recognized? | [
"As of right now, in many states no. That is why many of the lawsuits in states without same sex marriage are using the 14th amendment and violation of the full faith and credit clause. I believe by end of June after SCOTUS rules, it will be legal in all 50 states, although some southern states might try to resist.... | [
"You're the lucky first one! Generally it means that if your state approves of your gay marriage the federal government must recognize it as well. This doesn't mean gay marriage is legal everywhere, but it means gay marriage, where it's legal, will be more equal than it was before this ruling."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What is Diplomatic immunity, and why does it exist? | [
"If you're a diplomat, someone who works in country A representing country B's government, country A has no legal authority over you. If you break country A's laws, they can kick you out, but if they want to send you to jail or something they need your home country's agreement. It exists because if it didn't exist,... | [
"They provide services that the public requires and their failure might mean bad things for society as a whole. That's the argument at least. Not sure if I agree with it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Everything I need to know about smoking weed. | [
"Dude. You're five. Stay away from that junk till you're older."
] | [
"I feel like anyone can do it, you just have to know how. It's like whistling."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is Seinfeld Tvshow still a money earner today? | [
"It airs with commercials. People watch the show and watch the commercials. The advertisers pay to play their ad in front of all those people. The tv station gets that money and gives it to whoever is owed to play it in syndication."
] | [
"Creating content other people enjoy? Why are movies a thing? What do the creators get out of it? Why is youtube a thing? What do the creators get out it? Why (was) vine a thing? That's probably the more direct western analogue."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did the octopus do this? | [
"They have special pigment cells on their skin called chromatophores. They use muscles to contract and expand the cells which lead to various colors being seen. They can also use the muscles in their skin to contort pieces of their body, making it look jagged like coral. Also, they have excellent eyesight, which al... | [
"How in the fuck did you test this?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the trail an airplane leaves behind when it flies through the sky? | [
"Take a water bottle and drink most of the water. Then, close the cap. Twist the bottle so that it is pressurized and split into two sections. Quickly take off the cap, you will hear a loud POP. In that moment, the air goes from high to low pressure. And if you look at the bottle, it will be emitting a little cloud... | [
"The presence of a contrail has more to do with the weather at elevation at the time the airplane is passing through it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why, regardless of how big it looks, my cellphone camera always shows the Moon as a tiny dot? | [
"Because the camera is right and your perception is wrong. To test this, next time you see the moon, give it a big thumbs up. Seriously. Hold your arm out and you will see that your thumb easily covers the entire moon. You can even see how much of your thumbnail it would go across. Try making a little sticker t... | [
"Because you have things to compare it to which makes you realise how large it is. When it's high up in the sky what you have to compare it to is the sky and the sky is big."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are females smaller than males in most animal species? | [
"The gender that has multiple mates tends to be the bigger one. In cases where the females breed with multiple males, the female is often larger (or perhaps more heavily adorned). \"Sexual dimorphism\" as this state of affairs is referred to, is much less frequent where animals pair bond for life (for example). Nex... | [
"Human races aren't as different from each other as breeds of dogs are."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Who are the Kurds? What is it that makes someone Kurdish? | [
"The kurds are people who live in an area they call Kurdistan, which covers parts of Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. When the the british divided up the middle east, they didn't care much for how the people there saw themselves, so the kurds don't really have a country. They're grouped together by their ethnic backg... | [
"They want to establish an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. That's what ISIS stands for."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how do we take pictures of the whole milkyway galaxy when we are in the middle of it? | [
"We can't. If you see a picture of the milky way from the outside, it's either another galaxy or a graphic rendition. [This is how the milky way look from Earth](_URL_0_), and is the only direction we can see it from. You can see it easily with your naked eye on a clear night."
] | [
"Because all the ones we know about are really far away and shrouded in tons of gas and dust making them camoflouged. We have xray images of the blackhole at the center of our galaxy, but they are only xrays. You can't really tell too much of what's going on."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the document about astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the lymphatic system? | [
"Think of the lymph system as a doctor that's constantly making sure small things are taken care of. S0, ELI5: The Lymphatic System is a highway for the body's emergency services like cops, ambulances, fire trucks, and hearses to get around"
] | [
"Uses specialized fluid and neural paths in order to clear waste from brain; it's the brain's sanitation department. Wiki glymphatic system for further explanation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why doesnt Reddit limit the number of posts that are pointing to the same URL. | [
"Some subreddits do this. It's up to the mods at each one to decide what's appropriate for their community."
] | [
"It's a subreddit for people who have more than 100,000 link or comment karma. One of the rules is not sharing content from the sub elsewhere on reddit."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What does the Tea Party want? | [
"They believe that an economy runs best when the government is involved as little as possible. The biggest way that government gets involved in the country's economy is through taxes. So, the tea party wants there to be a very small amount of taxes levied against businesses (big and small) and people as well. Only ... | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Pain Tolerance. Do some people feel less pain than others, or are they simply more psychologically equipped to tolerate it? | [
"I don't know exactly what medical stuff goes on with pain tolerance, but I do know that your tolerances can be built up as a result of repeated exposure to pain sources. I used to kick-box, and my class would train by punching and kicking wooden poles. The repeated impacts eventually toughened up our fists and out... | [
"Not everyone has these feelings. Some do, and some even act on them. There are a few reasons. - Actual or contemplated pain acts as a distraction against the stressful situation. - Actual pain releases endorphins, brain chemicals that help us feel better, like a built-in medicine. (Eating hot chilies also does thi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why does cereal have double packaging? | [
"Advertisement, the cardboard box has all the information, it also protects the cereal from being crushed and allows for it to be packed neatly and efficiently in the square container. The plastic bag inside ensures freshness and increases the life of the cereal, and therefore letting it be stored for longer, as th... | [
"For any processed food they add powders containing the vitamin or mineral that they say they are adding. One of the easiest ways to show this is almond milk with added calcium if you put a container of almond milk into a clear container and put that container in the fridge you'll see a powdery residue on the botto... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are puns generally frowned upon (albeit humorously)? | [
"because groaning and rolling your eyes is the response we hope for when we make a terrible pun. It's basically applause"
] | [
"I'm just gonna answer assuming you're not trolling as well: Trolling is behaving in a way to get people worked up. It can be done in many ways. Making typos to get people all uppity about correcting you. Pranking people. Any behavior (generally on the internet) intended to get people upset/worked up is considered... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what does a doctor do to clear an athlete to play following a concussion? What is a baseline test and what kinds of things do they ask you? | [
"1. Check for swelling 2. Check with a \"brain xray\" that there was no damage 3. Check that there isn't excessive fluid in brain area 4. Eye, hand, hearing and other tests including nausea check 5. Bending over and coming up again without rapid eye movement or lightheaded."
] | [
"A lack of pupil dilation is one of the potential symptoms of a bad concussion, and it's one of the easiest and quickest checks that can be done in the field. There's a lot more symptoms, but it not happening tends to be a bad sign."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How can games like Madden continue to have so many glitches year after year? | [
"Several factors. #1, with these tight release schedules, the game gets released when marketing says so, not when the developers approve it. Also, and this is a big one, if people still buy the buggy games, there isn't much incentive to fix the bugs."
] | [
"Because EA games is the biggest player in the gaming industry and they make a lot of games. Remember that Reddit is a forum for people who have a problem. You don't hear the people who are happy because they are either downvoted to hell or too busy having fun to engage with those who are unhappy. EA is making an u... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how can Washington Lake (freshwater) exist on Teraina (middle of the Pacific Ocean)? | [
"Well because generally fresh water bodies come from underground springs, runoff from melting snow, or rain, all of which are fresh water."
] | [
"Geologically speaking, altitude. 200' above present sea level is, by definition, always a lake. Inland seas are low enough that at maximum sea level (when there is no ice) they are part of the ocean. But during an ice age (like now, we have some ice but not a lot), sea level falls enough that inland seas become in... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do people mostly eat hens, and not roosters? | [
"Where are you getting this idea, I'm not aware of hens being more likely used as food? For laying hens roosters may be killed as soon as their gender can be determined, but the hens too old to lay are probably not butchered for food. They may be used in pet food or similar, but they are a different variety and wou... | [
"Birds. They remove the feathers when they butcher the chicken,duck and other birds"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Language and Etymology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Language and Etymology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
If the average internal body temperature is 98.6 °F (37.0 °C) then why do we sweat if it is that hot outside. | [
"Your body constantly burns fuel(calories) and produces heat. If you don't cool off you will overheat and can die. Sweating is the bodies way of doing this....the sweat evaporates and takes heat with it."
] | [
"98.6 degrees F is the human average. Indeed, 99 degrees is usually considered the beginning of a fever and anything over 100 degrees is certainly a fever. This of course varies from person to person so it cannot be applied to every human. Much lower than 98.6 degrees and you're prolly dead, right 💁♂️"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do Americans value the ability to own a gun so much? | [
"I think a lot of people are resistant to gun control because we're resistant to control in general. We don't like the idea of the government taking things away from us, whether it's guns, alcohol, or gas-guzzling vehicles. Edit: Yes, I will be taking all your complaints about America. I'll make sure they get into... | [
"Because people want to pay less money to the government, and are quite willing to forget any facts that get in their way."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Economics:"
} |
If the ACA is so unsupported right now by so many congressmen, how did it get passed into law in the first place? | [
"It isn't a majority, its just enough to stop anything from moving forward. If they had enough people to actually repeal the law, it would have happened the.50 previous times it came up."
] | [
"Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides counseling, sexual health services and yes, abortions to people in need. Their primary goal is prevention, through education and use of condoms and other methods of birth control. They receive federal funding for their health programs, but can't use any of that f... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
For a long time now, the idea that 'reason can't truly know reality other than an individual's subjective reality' has been established in Philosophy. In the meanwhile, scientific reasoning had made impressive achievements. How do contemporary Philosophers reconcile these two facts? | [
"I'm a bit confused. It sounds like you were describing relativism, which is a pre-socratic school of thought long deemed outdated, rather than something philosophers still believe."
] | [
"Both sides subscribe to the Cartesian dualism method of analysis, but are concerned with opposite sides of the spectrum. Post modernists believe that there is is no objective whereas Solupists believe all that exists is the subjective. Which is a crucial distinction to make in philosophy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What would really happen to my hair/body on long term if I didnt wash it? | [
"Not much. The world record for not bathing is 60+ years(the guy is still alive so it keeps going up). He also eats dead animals and smokes animal dung out of a pipe. Amoo Hadji is his name. You basically would just get extremely gross to other people."
] | [
"If you only use a towel to dry yourself off after your clean why ever wash it..."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
how can an airline justify me not being able to update a plane ticket to someone else's name? It's paid for, who cares who uses it as long as they're notified? | [
"\"Updating\" a ticket to someone else's name is not really \"updating\" -- you are trying to transfer your ticket to someone else. Some tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable. Others can be transferred to another person, if you pay a fee. Changing the name due to a spelling error or even a name change is ... | [
"Basically, it's their way to verify who's going to fly that day. Sometimes people have to cancel last minute. Also remember that airlines often overbook flights, so a check in is a great roster for how many people are going to show up. Also, the checking in allows you to obtain your boarding pass, and even pay for... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Viewed as an expanding sphere,does the Universe consist of concentric spheres of galaxies?Or,is it a single layer of galaxies? | [
"The universe is what is called \"Isotropic\" and \"Homogenous\" on large scales. What that means is that when you start to look at the observable universe as a fluid, with galaxies as particles in that fluid, you notice this: The universe is roughly the same, as seen from anywhere, in any direction. The distributi... | [
"NVM, figured it out. So galaxies and matter-y things are like toys scattered in different depths and position in a kids' ball pit, where balls are growing in size, pushing toys apart in all directions. And the balls here are spacetime. So it's just space between stuff expanding, not the toys/matter. So 3-dimension... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
when your cold hand touches your warm leg- you either instantly think "ooh, that's warm!" OR "ooh, that's cold!" ... but how does your brain make the decision of if it's experiencing warmth, or coldness? | [
"Humans don't feel temperature like you probably know,they feel temperature change, so when your cold hand touches your warm leg you feel the leg cooling down and vice versa. Your brain gets an input from both an a decides this part is now cold and this part is now warm"
] | [
"I'm not well versed in the specifics of human anatomy, but I can make a guess that the reason it feels like it's going straight to your stomach is because, well, it is. I don't think it's getting there any faster than room temperature water or warm water, but because its cold, you can actually feel it (as its cool... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
It's often said that Chinese is the most spoken language. But isn't Chinese a language group rather than a language? How well can people across all of China communicate using just their birth dialect? | [
"Differences between different dialects of Chinese can be enormous, and Chinese people use a lot of slang that changes depending on where you are. Two people from different areas of China would most likely not be able to understand each other if both were speaking their native brand of Chinese. They all use the sam... | [
"It used to be that there was only one form of Chinese. Then the communist government of China decided to simplify the characters so that they were easier for people to read and write. In Taiwan, which has never been under the communist government, they didn't make that change, so they still use the traditional cha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
If for example, a person's blood is being oxygenated artificially (not by breathing) and he starts holding his breath, would he still feel the urge to breathe air? | [
"Yes. Oxygenating your blood is only 1/2 of the respiration process, you also need to remove the carbon dioxide that will build up. The \"urge to breath\" you describe is actually triggered by CO2 buildup. So you can pump as much oxygen into your body as you want (not sure how you plan on doing this exactly, as pum... | [
"What they normally show in movies/TV is a ventilator. It's a machine that basically forces air into a person's lungs who is unable to do so on their own. You wouldn't die instantly if it is unplugged (assuming your heart is still beating effectively). Just like if you exhale all the air in your lungs it would stil... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What happens when the government shuts down? | [
"All non-essential programs are shut down; national parks, museums, and art galleries; various government departments like Parks and Recreation, the IRS, part of the CDC, passport applications, etc, etc. Around 800,000 government employees get sent home. Aside from that, those government employees will stop receivi... | [
"If we stop paying the fee, the terrorists win."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why are some things "so cute it hurts?" | [
"Cute aggression was explained to me that the same feelings we have when we violently hate something stir the same brain receptors when we utterly adore something. Our brain just wants to punch the overload of emotion one way or another."
] | [
"Because anything \"feminine\" is considered degrading to men. Sexism hurts men too."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Since blue whales have aortas large enough to swim in, do they have fewer issues with blood clots? | [
"considering they have an extremely active lifestyle (swimming constantly all the time) and a relatively low cholesterol diet (mostly plankton and krill iirc) they are presumably at very low risk for blood clots in the first place."
] | [
"It still circulates, but the circulatory system is designed to be most efficient with earth gravity pulling downwards. So while the blood doesn't pool in the traditional sense, you will have more blood in your head than normal. The veins and arteries in your head will have to stretch a bit to compensate and the bl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What is Business Intelligence? | [
"It's pretty much reporting and data analysis. Getting large amounts of data and making something useful out of it."
] | [
"Bot explained how bots work. Thank you Internet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does the order of comments change when I login? I can sort by top, hot, and every other option, but it never matches the order I see when I'm not logged in. | [
"This is due to reddit using caching for non signed in users. It helps with site stability and for those users not logged in, they likely don't participate enough to notice. Quote: > Treat nonlogged in users as second class citizens. By always giving logged out always cached content Akamai bears the brunt for redd... | [
"Can you share an example? Or a screenshot would be best. Post it to imgur if you could please. Maybe you are clicking a sort button that is showing older posts only. At the top of the page there is a button called \"top\" just below that if you sort by \"links from: all time\" or \"links from: year\" you will get ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How can companies burn a season of an show to a DVD but I can only burn 2 hours worth? | [
"Can you give an example? Most TV show DVDs are on multiple discs."
] | [
"Licensing rights. Streamable version means the publisher has a digital copy you can work with. You are wondering why they can't just rip the dvd and put it online to stream?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how do computer screens work and how do they display images | [
"In LCD monitors an electric current is sent through the crystal,rearranging the 'spin' of the picture to display a certain color. There are 3 layers, a plastic screen, a color censoring sheet and the crystal _URL_0_ see the color a backlight at the bottom of the monitor is passed through the setup so you can see i... | [
"The same way a hard drive can store all the information needed too make another hard drive. The instructions on how to make something dont take up as much space as said device is capable of storing"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are tips pooled for waiters and waitresses? | [
"For fairness. The idea is that some people might do better in tips just because they got lucky and got placed in a good section. If someone happens to land the table of recent lottery winners, they're going to do better than the one who got an old, poverty-stricken man. If they are just as good but had different o... | [
"Even with a tip credit, it is illegal for you to earn less than minimum wage. Your tips + wage must add up to minimum wage. It's a way to pass part of the cost on to the consumer for employee wages. Not sure what the original reason for it was though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is the Soup Nazi such an iconic character of Seinfeld, despite the fact that he only appeared in two episodes? | [
"\"No soup for you!\" is easily quotable and people know exactly what you're talking about."
] | [
"He is considered to be one of the funniest comedians in America and he hasn't done nearly anything on TV since his show was cancelled 10 years ago."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why can't a computer connect to the internet twice, in order to have an extremely fast download speed? | [
"You can, actually my ISP offers this to business customers, its called bonded DSL."
] | [
"Easiest way is to send and request a small file from a known local test site. These test sites are known to have high internet connections, so most slowdowns will be caused by general high traffic on the net or a problem with your setup. The less time it takes to upload and download the file, the faster your conne... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
My teacher graded tests and stated that he used means, deviations, etc - what does that mean? (details inside) | [
"Your teacher is grading on a curve. The idea is that if (a) he taught badly, (b) he's a difficult teacher, or (c) it's very difficult material, poor test scores don't reflect on you as a student. If, say, your class averaged 70% instead of 75%, he might just add 5% to everyone's scores. It sounds like he's more so... | [
"Okay the average of the group of numbers was 6. Does this tell you anything about how many different numbers were used? How about the range of numbers, frequency of each number, etc? The information is just not there anymore."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does splitting an atom would cause for it to explode? | [
"Splitting an atom does not cause it to explode, per se. Selecting the corrct atom and splitting it into two (or more) smaller nuclei yields radiation end energy. This is because the sum of the masses of the particles left over is less than the mass of the first nucleus; the remaining mass yield energy. Even do thi... | [
"It depends which side of iron you're on Elements heavier than iron give off energy when they split, the heavier atoms like plutonium tend to give off more energy per splitting than lighter ones like Radon. Elements lighter than iron give off energy when they fuse but need energy to split them apart. Heavier forms ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does a country that drives on the right side of the road transition into a bordering country that drives on the left side of the road? | [
"Although I don't really want to link to wikipedia, I think this would be the best way to show you. _URL_1_ If you scroll down a little to \"Changing sides at borders\", there are quite a few different ways. There can either be a traffic light, signs, or my favorite way of bridges. Lotus Bridge in China looks like... | [
"when you're in a country with right-side driving, you'd want the driver to be seated to the left so that they can negotiate those left turns more safely, able to see oncoming traffic from the opposite side if other turning vehicles on the opposite side of the road are partially obscuring the view f the intersectio... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
how do people vaccinated from a disease, still get the disease? | [
"Vaccines aren't 100% guaranteed to shield you, and some types of vaccines only protect from the most common forms of the virus. For example, your flu shot each year is formulated to protect against the versions of the flu which should be active that year. So if you're protected against versions a, b, c, and t, but... | [
"It isn't our bodies. It is the illness. The cold and the flu are actually tons of different rapidly evolving viruses. You do actually become imune to a particular cold strain once you get it... but there are a few hundred more waiting to get you next. As to why the flu and cold viruses adapt faster than the chick... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Medical:"
} |
Does Hawaii have a federal reserve location? How do they get their money? | [
"Both get new bills/coins from the federal reserve bank in San Francisco, and of course bills are made by BEP and coins at the Mint. As for Hawaii, they use planes, do you have any idea how long a boat would take? As for Alaska, planes are likely used, but ground transport is still feasible."
] | [
"They can wire money. Wire transfers of millions or even more are not unheard of. Also, a lot of countries have an account with the US federal reserve. That makes it even easier to transfer money, since they both have accounts at the same bank. And if you were to go back far enough, writing checks was more common. ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why are some plastics recyclable but others aren’t? | [
"Different plastics are made with different chemistries. Some are easier to melt with heat, some are easier to dissolve with specific solvents. Some are also more toxic than others. So it's not that some plastics aren't recyclable, but that some areas don't have facilities available to recycle certain kinds of plas... | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do manufacturers keep putting NiMH batteries in small appliances and not lithium-based ones? | [
"NiMH batteries do not suffer from memory (at least not like NiCd) and they have the benefit of not bursting into flames when mishandled. Lithium ion batteries are prone to thermal runaway if not charged properly (and sometimes when they are), don't like to be deeply discharged, and don't like to be float charged. ... | [
"Take a closer look at the cheaper batteries, they usually use a different chemistry. \"Heavy Duty\" batteries perform worse than Alkaline, and don't last as long, but they are cheaper to produce. Store brand Alkalines will be cheaper than Duracells/Energizers, but still competitively priced. Heavy Duty batteries a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why isn't Real-Time Ray Tracing used in video games? | [
"Ray tracing is very expensive. It provides the most visually accurate depiction of a scene, but that accuracy costs a ton of compute power, and it also requires extremely high quality models and textures (and it will highlight any deficiencies in those). Other techniques amount to shortcuts that are dramatically l... | [
"They are both libraries that give things along the lines of hair physics, god rays, post processing stuff. The difference is that GPUOpen is open source (anyone can use it) while GameWorks isn't. Also they work better with their respective GPUs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How is it possible that people get diagnosed with a terminal sickness that kills them within a few weeks, but they still feel fine by the time it gets diagnosed? | [
"It depends on the illness. Diseases like cancer in particular can become very advanced before they show any major symptoms. Often the first time they go to hospital is because they have developed one of the late complications like compression of an important structure or a blood clot or metabolic problem."
] | [
"Highly speculative. Most people that are reported as having died in their sleep did so because of some sort of heart failure, heat attack, stroke, etc. That happens to people who are awake all the time too. For people who are bed ridden because of other medical conditions, are sleeping because they lack the energy... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does melted ice-cream or melted cheese taste better than when it's in a more solid form? | [
"Frozen ice cream cools the tongue and numbs the tastebuds."
] | [
"Certain flavors are enhanced or dulled by temperature. Cold makes it hard to taste sweet. This is why melted ice cream or warm soda taste too sweet. Heat makes bitter less noticeable. This is why cold coffee tastes bad. And why cold vegetables can taste bad. Also changes in temperatures can cause fats to solidify.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How satellites on Direct TV and Dish Network maintain their signal as the Earth rotates without skipping/dropping your program? | [
"They are in a geostationary orbit. That means that the satellite is rotating with the earth, and remain directly overhead."
] | [
"Because these interviews are not over landlind internet connections. TV crews are not hooking up to free WiFi in the area or relying on spotty LTE connection to stream video. All of this is happening via satellite, and because it takes a few moments for light to go from the studio, to the satellite, be reflect bac... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can't I use bold, italics, or underline in texts? | [
"Text messages are only text, it's entirely possible to implement something like this, but you'd need to add something like reddits formatting: **bold** *italic* is **bold** *italic* The problem is that both ends need to know that pairs of ** around words means \"this should be bold\" and texts can be sent from... | [
"It's a little context sensitive but I'd say that document format dictates how your document is structured while style dictates what that structuring looks like. For example my format defines paragraphs, headers and hyperlinks. My style defines that paragraphs have a normal font weight, headers have a bold font wei... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
When websites are redesigned, why is it sometimes impossible for developers to switch back to the prior version, even if the new version is very unpopular? | [
"If they did not have access to the original source code (which is very likely, if it did not get sold to them in the deal) then it would be near impossible to do without putting a team of developers on it for a year, with no guarantee it would function the same."
] | [
"The site definitely knows that you're visiting it with a desktop instead of a mobile device (as /u/Gnonthgol explained, it's done using the User-Agent header). Keeping you in the mobile site instead of redirecting you to the desktop site is just a choice by the site's developers. The main reason for this choice is... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Since reusable rockets can reduce the costs, Why NASA never had the interest or investment like SpaceX ? | [
"NASA was hugely interested in it. The Space Shuttle was a completely reusable rocket powered spacecraft. It brought back and reused the engines, the most expensive part of the launch system. The Solid rocket boosters on the sides were also reusable. Only the big fuel tank was destroyed each flight, and that was on... | [
"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 Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
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