query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why are bonsai trees so small, expensive, and prized? | [
"They are normal everyday full sized trees that are kept in nutrient deprived soil, shaped to grow forcefully by metal wires into the desired shape, and pruned to look like an itty bitty baby tree. It is basically starving and mutilating an otherwise healthy tree to aesthetically look the same but tiny :)"
] | [
"In bonsai you trim the roots carefully which causes the tree to limit it's growth. Home gardeners of citrus trees often do this on a small scale to keep from needing bigger and bigger pots all the time, which is called \"root pruning\". However to maintain a bonsai for hundreds of years is another level of skill ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
For numbered limited items, such as paintings, why are lower numbered prints more valuable than higher numbered ones? | [
"Back when prints had to be handmade, such as using screen printing, the tools used would only be made once. They can wear or have dried ink in spots or otherwise show signs of use. So the early in the run, the better the quality of the print. Now with modern printers, that's not necessarily a concern anymore. Un... | [
"Assuming you're talking about collector's value and not face value, it's because fewer of that specific type of coin were printed in that specific mint."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do companies like Snapchat, Twitter and free apps in general, make a profit? | [
"As a general rule, you are either the customer or the product. If you are paying for a service, that is how they make money. If the service is free, they are selling something about you (making you see adds, demographic information, what you do on the site, etc.) to someone. It is also possible that the service is... | [
"Simply put, buying the Snapchat will allow them to keep the user base. If they try and start their own only a few people will use it since Snapchat already exists, think Google+."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How do sex scenes in movies work? | [
"They don't really stick it in if thats what you want to know. Its a lot like wrestling, they don't really punch. They kiss and grope but they usually cover up the female genitals, there are lots of way to do that, stringless panties for example. Body doubles are sometimes used if an actor or actress is not hot eno... | [
"They want to have input over how the movie will come out and more experienced and famous directors won't let them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why putting your elbow on the table is considered bad manners. | [
"Putting your elbows on the table takes up space and blocks you (and everyone on either side of you) from conversation. It's harder for people to talk to everyone if someone is leaning forward onto the table; they'd have to lean backwards in order to speak around you."
] | [
"Removing your hat has been a gesture of respect in Western society for a while. So as a side effect of that, failing to remove your hat is disrespectful."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I can't see air, yet I can feel it. When wind blows against my hand when I stick it out of a car window, what exactly is hitting my hand that makes me feel it? | [
"What you're feeling is the collective pressure of trillions of air molecules hitting your hand with enough kinetic energy to move your arm. There are roughly 2.69 x 10^22 molecules per liter of air at sea level. When you blow up a balloon, it's the same thing: air molecules under pressure bounce around randomly, ... | [
"Airflow. If you purse your lips like your about to kiss someone and blow air through, it's moving very quickly. As a result, it loses its heat more quickly as well. However, if you just open your mouth and exhale slowly, the warm air from your lungs doesn't cool down as quickly. Therefore it's warmer"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
Why isn't there a "ch" sound in certain words like "psychic" or "chlorine"? | [
"The words psychic and chlorine both come from Greek. Psychic in particular comes from *psykhe* (ψυχή) and writing the letter χ in English became *ch* instead of the phonetic *kh* over time."
] | [
"A \"silent letter\" usually serves to signify the pronunciation of another vowel in the word. For example, compare \"man\" and \"mane\" or \"din\" and \"dine.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What is actually happening when you get a cramp or a side ache? | [
"General aches from working out is the overproduction of lactic acid in your body. Your cells make energy in two ways, with oxygen and without oxygen. Utilizing oxygen is much more efficient as far as bang for your buck, but it also considerably slower as well as limited by oxygen availability. Without oxygen is qu... | [
"Get rid of nervous/extra energy, wake up their leg if it's fallen asleep, try to ease the pain of cramps?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why haven't we found a way to keep ceilings/walls from leaking when it rains? | [
"Well, we have. It's called \"having a good roof\". I imagine that you have had the bad luck to live and work at places that don't maintain their roofs properly."
] | [
"Wood in old houses left alone won't rot on their own. They need stuff like broken windows to let in moisture, burglars to steal the copper pipes and get stuff wet, and melting snow that has blown in. A house that is well sealed from the elements will not rot. Unless, of course, the ghosts are pee-ing on the stair... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Architecture:"
} |
What exactly is the "Doomsday Clock" and how does it work? | [
"It's a way to illustrate an opinion. There is a group of scientists who discuss how close they think the world is to some sort of global catastrophe, and set the clock based on their opinion. That's pretty much all there is to it. If you wanted to, you could start a Doomsday Hourglass or Doomsday Thermometer to il... | [
"Context? What is a \"smart meter\", and where is this controversy based out of? Who is involved? Thanks!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are we more sleepy when doing something as opposed to trying to sleep? | [
"Sleepiness comes in waves. If you went to bed when you were sleepy, you'd be fine. But most people decide to go to bed when they are sleepy. Then they brush their teeth and dick around on their phone for an hour, and the moment is past."
] | [
"There are various causes, but I'd link them to one of three: 1. You may have some type of sleeping issue/disorder, whether it's something like needing a better mattress/pillow or your posture or sleep apnea. Something like sleep apnea is very serious and definitely affects your ability to be rested as well as your... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Sleep and boredom:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Sleep and boredom:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
British humo(u)r vs. American humor | [
"British humour is typically darker, and dryer. As well they tend to do self-parody and satire with more of a straight face."
] | [
"Related: what happened to the similar but different term Lakonia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are you able to drink water (H2O) but you can't drink hydrogen peroxide? (H2O2) | [
"Hydrogen peroxide is a reactive chemical, while water is not*. Hydrogen peroxide will burn your innards as it goes down. Its mechanism of action is oxidation, which is basically burning something without the light and flame. And when it isn't burning something, it is releasing oxygen molecules. Surprisingly, fre... | [
"Sodium is very reactive. This means that it will react easily with other things, like water, to make new chemicals. When sodium reacts with water, a lot of heat is produced. When a lot of sodium reacts with a lot of water, you get massive amounts of heat. One of the other things sodium + water makes is hydrogen ga... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Chemistry:"
} |
In Poker you play the opponent, not the cards. How are the best online Poker players able to win time and time again without being able to "play the opponent" and only going off the luck of the cards? | [
"Top-level poker players don't play the players, they play statistics. It's all about the statistical probability of another player having a better hand than you, now or later in the round. This will not guarantee you a win in any particular round (It's still a game of chance, after all), but over the course of man... | [
"It gives you an advantage over other players and takes the \"random\" part of the game you're all playing. Card games are designed so that you don't count cards so that all players have the same odds of winning. There is a limit to what a human can remember about cards that have been played already. Counting cards... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What happens (physiologically) during a massive heart attack? | [
"Over time, deposits of cholesterol accumulate in the arteries. This is why it's recommended you try to keep your cholesterol intake low, and why patients at risk for stroke or a heart attack will be prescribed an anti-platelet drug (\"blood thinner\"). Clots occur from time to time in the bloodstream. If a clot ge... | [
"It was probably a rush of adrenaline, which can cause heart palpitations, which cause the \"drop\" feeling. The adrenaline interrupted your normal heart rhythm for a second. Sorry about the girl."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why cant we resist the urge to cough? | [
"It's a defensive mechanism aimed to clear the throat or the lungs. So resisting it would not be a good idea. Why it's so difficult to resist it anyways? Well, that would be because it's a reflex. An action that is done without thinking, meaning an action that is skipping the thinking. Resisting it would require tr... | [
"Why does a post about the need to urinate make me have to pee?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:"
} |
Why do different cables cause phones to be charged drasticaly faster or slower, even when they're plugged into the same socket? | [
"Further to add to other post, the amperes (amps) tell you how many electrons in coulomb packets are being drawn per given time period. The socket is like a water tower. You can have different sized funnels or piping/tubes connected to your output. The size of the tower and amount of water (potential energy/voltage... | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How are the Sheikhs/Saudi Princes personally rich? | [
"In Saudi Arabia, the government owns all the oil wells. And it's an absolute monarchy, so that means the royal family owns all the oil wells."
] | [
"Which people and for what purpose? Do you mean like professional soldiers and fighters? Or just average people."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How is Fox so pushing-the-envelope liberal, but Fox News so conservative? | [
"Money. They make more money tailoring news toward social conservatives. They make more money tailoring entertainment towards social liberals. The overall company is fairly conservative."
] | [
"because in order to get ratings they have all learned to pander to the extremists in whichever party they serve. It used to be Fox but CNN followed suit and now extreme news programs like MSNBC and RT are the norm Channel 13 (our public channel here in NYC) news is the one I swing with for both local and internati... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why is glass transparent even though it's solid? | [
"Photons pass through glass because they are not absorbed. And they are not absorbed because there is nothing which \"absorbs\" light in visual frequencies in glass. You may have heard that ultraviolet photons are absorbed by glass, so glass is not transparent for them. Exactly the same happens with X-rays for whic... | [
"You can see through glass, but if you take that glass and chop it up in a pile you cant see though it anymore. Snow and ice work the same way. See wiki article for refraction"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:"
} |
Why does windows still have non 64 bit versions? | [
"1. Intel's first generation of Atom processors was 32-bit only. This means that there were 32-bit processors sold until 2010. It's a bit early to cut off support for them. 2. After people complained about Vista's requirements, Microsoft decided to put some effort into keeping the system requirements low. The Windo... | [
"You are on a 64 bit operating system, so Program Files is for for 64 bit programs. And Program Files x86 are programs that still use 32 bit."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
- Why does a community need to secure the RIGHT to create its own broadband? Why can't they just do it? | [
"Also, the cities often don't own the poles, companies like AT & T do. Thus, the city needs permission from whoever owns them to run cables and stuff on the poles. (I'm not an expert, I just found this out from people that worked on getting google fiber to come to their city)."
] | [
"They're trying to create a positive public image, which makes it easier to: - Get people to come work for you - Open a new facility in a new city - Get people to invest in your company"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why in the hell can't a fly figure out where the open part of a window is? | [
"Ecologist popping in, lately insects have been my thing. First, the fly is not actively trying to leave the room or your house as it may not even realize it's in an enclosed space. You're giving our little friends a lot of credit when it comes to their spatial awareness. Secondly, flies are not evolutionary equip... | [
"How the fuck do you accidentally throw a bowling ball at something above your head?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What does it mean when a statistic states that exposure to certain things increases your chances of cancer by 5%? Does that mean for the rest of your life? or just for a few days after exposure, and then you are safe? | [
"Statistical analyses don't always differentiate between the two. You might have a greatly increased risk that tails off over time, or a flat risk that remains the same. Either way, over your lifetime, you are 5% more likely to get the cancer than someone who was not expose. Also, the increase is to relative risk, ... | [
"15 years after quitting smoking, your chance of heart disease is the same as a non-smoker. The risk of other things such as cancer, etc lessens the longer you've quit. So you're still higher for a while, but it balances out after years away from it. So if you quit last year, you're still at higher risk. But 5 y... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why do we have to close our eyes in order to sleep? | [
"Keeping our eyes moist is a lot easier this way."
] | [
"why do we yawn when we read about yawning?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is it that, after a particularly intense gym session, it can take up to a couple days before you really feel sore? | [
"There are a couple of reasons, but the most basic of them is that your body becomes inflamed. Inflammatory processes happen in your body when something needs fixing. In this case, the muscle fibers need fixing (it is good to note, muscle fiber destruction or micro-tearing isn't directly correlated to soreness, but... | [
"Well, it’s not something I would say to a five year old, but here it goes... I’ve had sex with a hangover a few times. Surprisingly, it relieves the symptoms amazingly well. The good feelings we release during sex trump our hangover suffering every time. Mind you, though, it’s not a complete cure. After a while, t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does ownership of airspace work as you go further up in the atmosphere towards space? | [
"[From Wikipedia:](_URL_0_) \"There is no international agreement on the vertical extent of sovereign airspace (the boundary between outer space—which is not subject to national jurisdiction—and national airspace), with suggestions ranging from about 30 km (19 mi) (the extent of the highest aircraft and balloons) t... | [
"National borders are usually understood to travel all the way to the center of the Earth below. Above they extend to the border of the atmosphere with space which is typically defined as 100km in elevation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Space exploration and international relations:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Space exploration and international relations:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why does getting hit hurt so much more when it's cold? | [
"The nerves in your hand get much more sensitive when they're cold. Also, your veins constrict, and blood runs less to your extremities and more to your vital organs to preserve heat. This makes your skin more rigid, which causes pressure to be applied to these already sensitive nerves. So everything is getting les... | [
"EIL5: Why can't I stop sitting with my legs crossed, even though it hurts my knees, and why does it hurt my knees?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does garbage always seem to have a common smell regardless of what's in it? | [
"The smell is composed of small Nitrogen and Sulfur based molecules, produced when microbes break down organic matter. So as long as it's organic material. Because these molecules are small, they are easily blown into the air and up your nose. It does not really matter what you start out with, it all ends up as the... | [
"Because when you burn something, it doesn't magically disappear. The smoke and ash have to go somewhere. Depending on what the trash is, burning it can be significantly worse than just having a garbage island."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How come some animals like dogs go in heat, while humans don't and why don't we? | [
"The secret is we are always horny. Seriously... Animal need a function to tell them to procreate. We enjoy sex, so we want to do it."
] | [
"Lots of other animals can reproduce more quickly, but they also tend to die a lot younger. Some animals take longer to reach sexual maturity than we do, and tend to live longer. I seem to remember there's even a species of insect that's born pregnant! Like tribbles. Crazy, huh? But they don't live very long."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about biology:"
} |
why Google and Facebook use URL's that redirect to the desired site instead of direct links | [
"Servers can't see what you do in your browser, they can only see requests you actually make to them. So google forces you to make a request to *its* servers so that it knows what you clicked, and then shoots you along to your destination."
] | [
"The long link is parsed by the server to determine what to display. It has meaning that's picked up on by Google and other search engines gets indexed better. The short link is just looks up the long link and forwards to it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How is our posture not damaged when we sleep in weird shapes everyday? | [
"Because we move around, we don't sleep in that same posture forever plus when you're stood up that's weight of your body acting down on you where as when you sleep you often lay down and so the weight is spread out better."
] | [
"Your neck is the most flexible part or your spinal column which is the boney part surrounding your spinal cord which is the nerves which report sensation and allow movement. Wait till you get older and have shoulders which have been injured in the past and scream bloody murder if you fall asleep in the wrong posi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Health and Wellness:"
} |
What is the longterm significance of the SpaceX landings and or program? | [
"Preface: I am no expert, I just like space Basically, right now we invest billions of dollars into making a rocket that we send into space, leave most in space, and crash the final bit back into the ocean. With Space X being able to land the rocket and reuse it, and also producing them for as low as $500 million, ... | [
"Because Kazakhstan is where the USSR built its launch facilities. It was the USSR that compete in the space race, not Russia. Russia just uses the facilities that are already built. And it wasn't Kazakhstan that launched a success. It was a joint mission to send supplies to the ISS (headed by NASA and the Russian ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why can't a perfect vacuum exist? | [
"There's no physical law that forbids it, the problem is that (a) it's really difficult to remove every single atom from an enclosure, (b) even if you do that, it's hard to prevent atoms from the enclosure's surface breaking off into it, and (c) even if you do that, your space is still filled with photons and neutr... | [
"Yes, you answered your own question. Light cannot escape a black hole."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does London use only one type of taxi cab? | [
"Actually, they don't. Although the famous \"black cabs\" predominate, there are other styles and colors. There are also \"private cabs,\" which come in all styles. Although these are cars for hire like a taxi, you have to arrange in advance for one, like renting a limo, but not as upscale. The reason the black cab... | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do people like alcohol? | [
"When i'm drunk i do things i wouldn't do otherwise. Some of them may be stupid, but it always gives me great story to talk about and great moments with friends. Thinking too much just keeps me from some experiences (even though it's the once not everyone likes to have) i enjoy them. And even more when i share them... | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Are there any proofs of the existence of fourth dimension? | [
"Yes. The fourth dimension is time, which we experience constantly and can measure easily. Dimensions beyond that are explained using advanced physics that is rather beyond the scope of ELI5, unfortunately."
] | [
"That's why nobody talks about \"The age of the universe\", but only, \"The age of the observable universe\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Astronomy:"
} |
In what ways are prop engines better than jet engines on a plane. | [
"Those are turboprop engines. They use an jet turbine to turn the propeller. The thing about lots of thrust is that you can have a high-speed thin stream or a low speed wide stream that produces the same thrust. Thin streams can more easily become unstable, an instability is bad in a super-sized fuselage like that.... | [
"They use their propellers (or turbine engines, for jet aircraft). The wheels are not powered as in a car."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How to charge clients/get paid in general when you’re a freelance artist? | [
"I’m a musician, and I always make sure the payment/terms are agreed to in writing before the work is done, even if it’s just an official e-mail. There’s third parties like PayPal that hold the money for both parties, that could work, or e-transfer. Whenever I can though, I work for cash, even if it means a small p... | [
"Unless you have some sort of specific skillset that can contribute to turning those ideas into an actual product, (art, project management, programming, screenwriting, etc.) your job title is unemployed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Video game design:"
} |
When your body creates new blood what happens to the blood that it's replacing it with? | [
"The Kupffer cells in your liver go to work. The iron gets taken out of the hemoglobin to be used in the new cells (that's why humans do not need much iron in their diet). The rest of the hemoglobin gets converted to bilirubin (a building block for bile in the digestive tract). The cell itself doesn't have a nucleu... | [
"The heart doesn't make blood. It just pumps it around. Bone marrow is what makes blood."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What were the VHS players doing when the VHS tapes were messing up and it would say "TRACKING"? | [
"VHS players have read \"heads\" that had to sync up with the magnetic tape. Actual physical changes in the tape would mean that the read heads would have to be adjusted to get it to play correctly. [howstuffworks has a great explanation](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Your 12 year old dvd \"Player\" ? Playing a DVD and ripping a DVD are two different things."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why would ordinary people donate money to a political campaign? | [
"I'll add that \"voting with your dollars\" carries a lot more weight than simply casting a ballot on election day."
] | [
"Because it is worth a lot of money to the government!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do we, physically, store visual memories? Is each neuron used as a "pixel", and if so, how do we have enough room in our brain for it all? | [
"Neurons do not just store one thing. A 'pixel,' in your analogy, would actually be represented by a specific combination of many different neurons. Each of those neurons may be used in many other combinations to represent many other pixels. And there are [around 140 million neurons in the primary visual cortex](_U... | [
"I'm not really sure what you mean. Because our brains aren't really compressed. There isn't exactly high pressure inside our cranium. We do however have more folds in our brains compared to other species. That simply allows us to have more surface area and therefore more space to process information."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How were computer codes actually created? How can you just tell a blank system to accept a certain sequence of keystrokes to mean something if it has no software to start? | [
"Basically the first 'programming' is done by computer engineers using electricity and various materials to move it around. By correctly arranging components you can get them to make circuits that will do math or otherwise have some useful and predictable input- > output. [You can use other materials too.](_URL_0_)... | [
"They are still complex calculators. The only thing that a processor can do is take different values, add, subtract, multiply, divide, and then do something with the result. The only thing that's changed, is that some of those numbers have meaning, and that meaning might include something like a color or pixel posi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What happens when you miss a shift in a manual car? | [
"Each gear is a compromise between torque and speed. 1st gear gives you maximum torque but super slow speed. 6th gives you speed but very little torque. During initial acceleration from 0 to whatever you want to have perfect timing when switching gears in order to get to the end line as fast as possible. By skippin... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do they make the olympic flag fly? | [
"They are probably using compressed air running up the flag pole to make the flag wave."
] | [
"How do you even take a picture of the center of a tornado?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does an album get leaked? | [
"I've worked for several record labels, and the answer is pretty simple, the music just changes hands a lot from the recording studio to the factory that manufactures and packages CDs. There are often hundreds of people that need to be involved to bring an LP from creation to distribution on store shelves. Often ti... | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do airlines determine flights? | [
"Yes, there are indeed algorithms where you can input all the trips people want to take, and what resources you have, and get a roughly \"optimal\" combination out. In practice, there is a *huge* amount of manual intervention that complicates things, for example: - We've advertised this specific flight for a long t... | [
"Yes has to do with frequent flier Also has to do with luck. If you ask and they have extra seats they may give to you. Same with the emergency exit seats and other seats with extra leg room."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why does coffee/tea make me pee like a racehorse when drinks with 3x or 4x the caffeine content (like energy drinks) do not have this effect on me? | [
"Its because caffeine isn't that strong of a diuretic by itself but it's metabolites of theobromine and theophylline are. Energy drinks use pure caffeine while natural teas and coffees have high theobromine content which explains why they make you pee more than energy drinks Edit to be more ELI5: caffeine makes you... | [
"They don't. The only drinks that cause dehydration are alcoholic ones, because they make you pee more than you drink. Caffeine also makes you pee, but not nearly as much."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The Christie Bridge Scandal | [
"The Daily Show gave a good overview of it. Check it out: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why don't the number keys on phones and keyboards go the same way | [
"Numbers on your keyboard, and calculator a have 1 2 3 and 0 on the bottom because people who used to \"calculate\" things such as scientists and accountants needed to use 1 and 0 a lot. They wanted them right next to each other and easy to get to without having to reach over other keys. Phones on the other hand, t... | [
"Because it takes up less space in the gui. If the keyboard were layed out in one string, QWERTY-style, then no one would be able to find the letters they're looking for. We use QWERTY because we know where the letters are when arranged in three rows (four if you include the space bar). In order to show you more of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is the text opticians make you read always reflected through a mirror? | [
"So the chart is far enough away to be effective. If his office is only 10' across the image can be sent across the room, reflected in the mirror and would essentially be viewed by you at 20' away."
] | [
"Because realistically we don't look directly at it so it is always in the corner of our eye, hence the corner of the page."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why do people hate planned parenthood? | [
"This is older than any videos. PP is synonymous with abortions, even though only a small percentage of the facilities actually provide that service. Unfortunately, the conservative side of America (or whatever the fuck they are), think it's appropriate behavior to protest abortion clinics, or to make death threats... | [
"whats the point of hospitals if we are all going to die anyway"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is it that when you're inside in a bright room, you can see screen brightness- but if you're outside, with the same amount of light, you can barely see the screen brightness at all? | [
"What *seems* like the same amount of light is actually nowhere close. The sun puts out more than 1300 watts per square meter. It's just that your eyes quickly adjust and there's not much we can detect with our eyes beyond \"it's bright in here\". I'm not positive on the numbers, but roughly... You'd need a 70,00... | [
"Probably a night/day sensor light. So when it's bright out (or any artificial light such as the tv in this case) or is bright enough, it will be dark! But when it's dark such as when you moved your hands toward it, it blocks out the artificial light and turns the bulb on!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why did Superman's parents send him alone? why didn't they send a female with him to procreate? how did they know he could mate with a human? | [
"So, depending on which version of the origin, your answers are: they only had the one rocket prepared at the last minute and could only hold him, none of the other Kryptonians believed Jor-El when he said the planet was going to blow up and thus wouldn't trust their kids to some mad scientist to be rocketed off to... | [
"he is a fictional space man given super powers by the sun...What kind of answer are you expecting to get?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What is going on when half my face is tingling before I get a fever blister? | [
"The herpes virus that was dormant within your facial nerves is becoming active and the disruption apparently manifests as the full face tingling."
] | [
"Why do they randomly twitch just once? I dunno. Why do you get a twitch that won't go away? Potassium deficiency. I used to get eye twitches all the time before I figured it out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Why does transmission of high amounts of electrical current through a wire cause a humming sound? | [
"Electric current creates a magnetic field, high currents create a strong magnetic field, and strong magnetic fields create strong forces What you are hearing is the result of the current creating a magnetic field that physically squeezes and releases the wire 100 or 120 times per second. The wire is actually movin... | [
"The microwave induces a \"voltage differential\" in metal--that is to say, it effects the metal so that one area of it has a higher voltage than another. This causes electricity to flow from an area of high voltage to an area of lower voltage. Moving electricity generates heat; enough heat starts a fire."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do Native Americans refer to themselves as "Indians"? | [
"Most Native Americans refer to themselves by the name of their tribe or people rather than \"Indian\" or \"Native American\" - both of which are names that were given to them. When dealing with the outside world, \"Indian\" has 500 years of history behind it. \"Native American\" has about a tenth of that. However,... | [
"Hispanic is not a race. It's an ethnicity. There are white Hispanics, black Hispanics, Native American Hispanics, and even Asian Hispanics."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do I have an instant beef/jealousy for people who like the same things, and/or act the same way that I do? | [
"Perhaps it comes from thinking of yourself as a unique snowflake and having that identity challenged when you find out other people are similar to you."
] | [
"People are funny. different strokes for different folks. It's theoretically possible to be attracted to literally anything. Some people just happen to be attracted to furries."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why are terrorist organizations so active in the Middle East (Iraq and Syria), but not in the one country almost everyone in the Middle East hates, Israel? | [
"Israel gets hit by attacks all the time, but the Israelis take defense very seriously and have a relatively small country with well-guarded borders. They're also willing to use somewhat less-than-kosher tactics with respect to counterterrorism."
] | [
"It's not that Middle East has such a history of violence. Rather industrialized countries have a remarkable period of peace. Historically Europe for example has been wars, wars and wars. Some have said that the last time Europe had relative peace like EU has was under the Roman Empire almost 2000 years ago. After ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How is Levar Burton able to use STTNG as a selling point for his Reading Rainbow kickstarter? | [
"Which ones do you mean? Giving out tickets to events, letting people take pictures with his visor, or just saying \"I played Geordi\"? None of these violate any sort of trademark, since it's just him doing stuff with his personal property. If he started making Star Trek merchandise to sell, that would be different... | [
"These companies don't get prime placement (at the beginning of the show) By having something quirky, it makes them more memorable. I find myself saying their slogans in time after my favorite shows on Netflix. It's marketing/branding."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Advertising:"
} |
the concept of "consumer surplus" | [
"Let's say I would be willing to spend up to $10 to buy a certain product. In other words, you could say the value I ascribe to that item is $10. You could also say I would be indifferent between having $10 and having that item. If someone sells it to me for $7, $3 is my consumer surplus for that transaction, becau... | [
"It would be helpful to have some context regarding how the word, \"embarrassment\" was used. \"Embarrassment of riches\" means an overabundance of riches, for example. _URL_2_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
the physics of popcorn | [
"Popcorn is dried corn kernels that still have a small amount of water inside the shell, contained in the stuff inside it, called *endosperm*. When the popcorn kernel is heated, the water boils and turns to steam, but there's no place for it to go, so it superheats the endosperm inside the shell- however, the press... | [
"There is its called florescent lighting. Edit: typo"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Technology:"
} |
why do Formula One races go in the rain, but Indianopolis 500 type cars don't go in the rain. | [
"Indianapolis 500 type cars, also called Indycars, do go in the rain. They just don't race in the rain on ovals. This is because rain tires are made to have optimal grip at a lower temperature than racing slicks. On an oval the outer most tires have more loading than the inner most tires which makes them hotter and... | [
"> anyone unathletic can drive Anyone can also throw or catch a football, but that doesn't mean the professional's who play football are not athletes. Same goes for motor sports, you can't take any person driving on the freeway and put them into a 500 mile race and expect them to do well at all."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Dogs and Cats being scared of the Vet. | [
"I won't speculate on anything else, but the answer to your last question is that prior experiences with the vet have often been traumatic, like getting surgery (spaying or neutering) or being vaccinated, which from their perspective was just getting stabbed with a metal spike randomly. It's the same thing that hap... | [
"Bacteria on your tongue. Go brush your teeth."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor, would it be possible for apes to evolve into a type of human themselves? | [
"I mean a lizard could potential evolve to have the intelligence of humans too. You have to remember, we are just animals too. Theres really nothing different between us, monkeys, and even fish for all that matter at a very basic level. Any species of animal with enough time could potentially evolve to have human ... | [
"Animals don't evolve. Species evolve. All animals die with the same DNA as they are born with (not 100% accurate but good enough for the sake of argument). Evolution is what happens when animals have offspring with slightly different DNA than them. These differences can add up to create a different animal, which c... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why do magnets completely distort the coloration of older TVs and computer monitors? | [
"Old CRT (cathode ray tube) displays work by firing a beam of electrons through a large vacuum tube at a screen with phosphors that glow when struck by an electron. The electron beam is aimed by electromagnets in the TV, since electrons are, themselves, essentially tiny magnets. Bringing another magnet near the TV ... | [
"A TV has equipment inside of it to pick up radio broadcasts of TV stations & speakers to play sounds. A monitor is just a display."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it that, when I concentrate on my vision, I can see a sort of "static buzz" on everything? | [
"Just wanted to let you know that your not crazy as I can perceive this effect too. I never really thought to much on this before as I just assumed it was something along the lines of the photon receptors in the retina chemically resetting after processing the previous photon. Now I will have to spend time resear... | [
"Don't quote me on this, but I wanna say your eyes try to pick up on images or shapes in the dark rather than completely relaxing. Like how you can sorta hallucinate in the dark because your eyes want to make images out of it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why do unsalted nuts cost more at the store than salted nuts? | [
"Salt keeps them dry and they can have a longer shelf life, whereas non-salted have to be a bit fresher."
] | [
"Lard is the best baking fat, by far. You might need to go to a different grocery store, unless you're in some vegetarian place like California. However, most people buy baked goods rather than make them at home, so there's not a huge market for it. Olive oil or Corn oil is cheaper and probably better for you when... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What did Harry Potter have that made it such a massively successful series? | [
"It was easy to read, appealed to an audience, and grew up with that audience. The themes in the books got progressively more mature each book. Also, it's success is hardly \"unrivaled\"."
] | [
"The American publishers didn't think Americans would get the reference, and also thought that Americans would find philosophers less exciting than sorcerers and so would not want to read the book. Bear in mind that nobody at the time realised just what sort of a smash hit the *Harry Potter* books would be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why dogs do not get boogers in their noses like humans do despite the fact that they're closer to the ground and inhale more dust/dirt. | [
"Dogs do get boogers. Our childhood dog sneezed on my sister once and left a booger behind. I'll always remember that day."
] | [
"Because they often lick their noses. Think about how it smells when it rains. It's a pretty strong, distinct smell, isn't it? It isn't the smell of the rain that's sticking out - it's everything else. Moisture makes it easier to smell things we normally would have missed. With dogs and cats, it's the same exact th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What is race-baiting? | [
"Bringing the subject of race into a conversation when it is irrelevant. Person 1: I think that illegal immigration in America is a problem. There's no way to see if any dangerous individuals are entering the country. Besides, they can't pay taxes, yet many receive government benefits. Person 2: Why are you racist ... | [
"What about the US election do you want explained, specifically?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can't average car companies make a $20k car the performs like a $20k car, yet looks like a $500K+ car? | [
"People who are buying $20K cars need space to carry passengers, groceries, etc. These requirements greatly inhibit the capability to shape the thing like a $500K supercar. As an alternative, you could build a kit car. There are some that perform quite capably, yet can be built for $15 to 20K: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Well they have if you compare apples to apples. Remember the first cars were simply seats on the mechanical components. So your question is asking why one of these basic cars costs less than a Mercedes with leather, radar systems, navigation, aroma dispensers, seat massagers, etc. But if you compare a modern equi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
Why has there been so many early access survival games released on the PC lately? | [
"In the words of Totalbiscuit, it's a \"desperation genre\" right now. People are desperate to play them because they're the hot new thing, and developers are desperate to make them quickly to cash in on it. The interesting thing is that really, not many of them are actually 'released', they're just in Early Access... | [
"The game has been released and is in really early development. A lot of the features being advertised are not in the game [yet?]. People think it's false advertising and are unhappy with the end product."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why is the Midwest called the Midwest? | [
"It's west of the original States of the US which were mostly located on the East Coast. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 signed by the US and Britain after the Revolutionary war granted the US that region for settlement. It's considered \"Mid\" because the south was mostly owned by Spain and the north and far west by t... | [
"Where do you mean? Europe? The US? Middle East? Africa? Eastern Asia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people feel pride when they hear a countryman did something great? | [
"Humans are instinctively *tribal.* We treat members of \"our own group\" as if they are connected to us much more than people not in our own group. Why? 1. People from our group are likely to share our DNA, which we've evolved to pass on. 2. People from our group are more likely to be our allies, and we benefit w... | [
"They just do it for the fun of it I suppose. People like to have some kind of power that makes them feel a little bit better than everyone else, no matter what."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Are roundabouts more efficient in cost, speed, and safety than traffic lights? | [
"Roundabouts can work well but they do depend on a few things. If the traffic is very busy indeed, they will lock up, and it depends on people being courteous when using them. Stupidly busy times, lights are better, otherwise roundabouts work better. In the UK they get around this problem in some places by having ... | [
"They are counting cars and measuring how fast they are going for a traffic survey. If the traffic is heavy enough, they may install traffic lights or traffic calming devices like speed humps or chicanes, depending on the desired outcome."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
why do companies continuously lose experienced employee for salary raises? | [
"Bad management and the belief that the employee can easily be replaced. Any employee *can* be replaced, but there is always a cost. The stocker at a grocery store can be replaced at minimal cost. Giving a stocker a raise of 2$ might be less profitable than replacing them, given that introduction for such a positi... | [
"Because every business is driven by profit , so they pay the least that they can legally .theres no incentive for companies to pay people livable wages , it just cuts their profit margin ."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Explain to me like I am five if you could, why timing and rhyming with words feels so good. | [
"First off, it's probably highly culturally and linguistically relative. In some languages, like Japanese, for instance, there are a lot of regular patterns at the ends of words for grammatical purposes, so it is trivial to rhyme in Japanese, such that rhyme gets shut out as a poetic and musical device. In English,... | [
"I am the only person in my social environment that manages to accidental do this every fucking day and it feels good to know that this is known (?). Would love to read why"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Sleep and its effects on the body:"
} |
What does it mean to root your cellphone (android) and why is it desirable/beneficial? | [
"Rooting gives it root access. Basically it allows you to have full control of it. This means you can block ads, install custom fonts and animations, fix bugs, get rid of bloatware, or even install a custom rom."
] | [
"Some devices are locked so you can only do what they think you should. (Mostly Apple devices). This controls simple things, such as settings your favourite song as a ringtone. \"Jailbreaking\" is the art of finding a loophole in the software. If you can find the loophole, you can run extra commands to give extra p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
If all cells are made of lipid walls, what stops two cells from blobing into one when they collide? | [
"It's because cell membranes aren't just made of lipids, they're made of **phospho**lipids. Phospholipids have the typical hydrophobic fatty acid tails that other fats have, but at their head, they have a very hydrophilic phosphate group. Stick a bunch of these phospholipids in water, and they'll naturally group th... | [
"So here's the thing, a cell wall is just a protective sheath. In things like humans, it also allows for tissue differentiation. For simple organisms that don't need to differentiate, but still grow to large size, it doesn't matter if there's trillions of individual cell walls, or one big one. The nuclei in these t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Digital TV, how can TV signals passing through the air be digital? | [
"An analogue wave can be interpreted digitally, much like a thumbs up and thumbs down can be interpreted digitally despite the impracticality of transitioning between the two states without intermediate ones."
] | [
"A TV has equipment inside of it to pick up radio broadcasts of TV stations & speakers to play sounds. A monitor is just a display."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do zits/pimples actually form on your face? | [
"Zits form when facial pores become blocked or clogged, the body tries to clear the blockage by pumping the infected area with liquid (that gross stuff that oozes out when its popped) resulting in pressure that is painful and turns the skin red. So short answer: just wash your face."
] | [
"Acne is also common on the back and upper arms, many people suffer with acne there. But to answer your actual question, it's because the facial skin is more porous than skin in other places leaving it more susceptible to blockage which leads to a minor infection aka: acne."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How come people in Africa are starving but there are uncontacted tribes in the amazon who are surviving just fine? Why cant the starving people in Africa do that those tribes are doing? | [
"I would wager it has to do with location (availability of resources) and population (how many people are competing for said resources) as well as land that others (elites or governments generally) won't allow access to for free."
] | [
"Hell no. We wouldn't have immediate access to modern agriculture and there are 7 billion of us. We would have no high yield GMOs and would have to rely on crappy natural seeds. Foraging and hunting isn't going to sustain the population, especially when a large portion doesn't actually know how to do either. More l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about construction and finance:"
} |
Why is task manager more effective and faster rather than pressing the X or alt + f4 when something freezes? | [
"Because being able to end a program that won't exit by normal means is one of the features of the Task Manager. Whether you hit X on a program window or press alt+f4 you are essentially asking the program: \"will you please exit?\". Under normal circumstances the program will then go through whatever it needs to ... | [
"This is because the program is stuck in some sort of loop, so sending commands to the program does not work. Ctrl+alt+del sends an interrupt, which means that it tells windows to drop everything it's doing. Next windows will show the ctrl alt del menu. This (generally) will not stop the program from being in the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are there so many different shapes of water towers? | [
"Not exactly an answer but remember that water towers do not supply water: they supply water pressure to the whole system. The key design feature is that the water has high potential energy to drive it through the whole system. [Like this](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What does the halo represent above an angel's head? | [
"I'm not aware of it existing in religions other than Christianity. In Christianity, it is a representation of divinity, the light coming from divine grace in a good soul. Hence, it is also sometimes found on Christ and Saints, in addition to angels."
] | [
"Also a black figure would look odd and distract the viewer from what is actually going on in the picture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How does someone, without millions of dollars, start investing? | [
"For the average joe who just has a little bit of money they want to see grow, your only smart option is index funds. They typically track the market, or at least a segment of the market, as a whole, and move up and down with it. Historically, index funds almost *always* beat out individuals who try to 'time the ma... | [
"It's like a farmer who has to spend time and money growing the crops for months before getting a chance to harvest them... just on a longer scale. It takes money to make money, as they say. In this case one of the big upstart costs is time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is Asia much more populous than Europe? | [
"Europe: 2.304 million square miles or 5.98 million square km. Asia: 18.83 million square miles or 48.77 square km."
] | [
"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 argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why lonely women are associated with having cats | [
"It's a stereotype that, since women doesn't have a husband or kids, she adopts cats in order to take her mind of her situation. It's associated with filling up the house, since she doesn't have actualy people to do so."
] | [
"Blondes were generally thought of as prettier than other hair color, thus blondes could survive more on their beauty finding a man therefore Blondes don’t need their intelligence to find a companion."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
why do s's look like f's in older written texts? | [
"It's called long s. The shape of our letters evolved a lot over the years, starting with ancient Roman cursive. The long s is a little closer to the ancient cursive, and coexisted with the short s (the current standard). Early printers used both versions, but when you're making each letter out of metal, there's an... | [
"It's easier to read that way. I'm possessed of the bad habit of not capitalizing my sentences. makes it harder to tell where they start. notice: its easier to read that way. i'm possessed of the bad habit of not capitalizing my sentences. makes it harder to tell where they start. plus, it lends emphasis to proper ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
my daughter has a book that colors in when wet and returns to normal when dry, how? | [
"Well the obvious answer is that someone probably bought it for her. Maybe your wife?"
] | [
"Think tiny spray cans putting a tiny amount on the page that soaks it up. You can still smear it when it's wet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why resource-intensive programs recommend at least 15% of your hard drive is free. | [
"Unless you've modified your settings, normally computers will have a virtual memory setting that will use part of your HD space as RAM, in case you don't have enough RAM for those resource intensive programs."
] | [
"One is required space to hold all files once they are installed. Second is the actual size of the downloaded files."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How do reposession agents (repo man/woman) not get charged with a 'break and enter' when repossessing property on private property, such as airplanes in hangars (as seen on Discovery Channel's Airplane Repo). | [
"Because you're watching a scripted TV show. Not real life. In real life, repo agents cannot break locks to open doors."
] | [
"The cash is kept as evidence in the event of trials of the people being investigated and seized. The cars and houses are usually sold at auction once they've been cleared and aren't needed anymore, though I know sometimes some cars can be seized by the police and used as spy cars or bait cars Edit; a little anecdo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did pre-clothing male humans thousands of years ago do anything remotely physical with their genitals hanging out?? | [
"Humans became anatomically modern around the time we lost our body hair, so clothes were probably always used in our species or at least early on. The size of human genitalia has also increased over time. Edit: Homo sapiens: 200,00-present, pubic/body and head lice divergence: 50,000-200,000 yrs ago"
] | [
"The body hair prevents chafing from your arm skin rubbing on your torso skin. Preventing chafing is also the main purpose of pubic hair so your legs, butt cheeks, and genitalia don't rub together and get chafed. It's not like scrotum hair ever kept anyone warm in the winter."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Biology:"
} |
why gerrymandering is legal | [
"Because the people who would make it illegal used it to get elected."
] | [
"They can and do. Illinois' 4th and Florida's 5th are prime examples of the dems gerrymandering. Unfortunately the only way our government tries to fix gerrymandering is with more gerrymandering. Edit: got my districts mixed up"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why can you sometimes see the Moon in the middle of the day? | [
"The moon goes around the Earth at a steady rate but *not* once per day, it takes about 28 days for the moon to go around the Earth. This causes the phases of the moon. The moon is visible for about 12 hours every day and has nothing to do with whether it's currently night or not (although this makes it more obviou... | [
"The moon cycle is not caused by the Earths shadow. It is caused by the Moons own shadow. If you were standing in the Sun then only half of you would be lit by the Sun and your other half would be in the shadow. It is the exact same thing with the Moon. Half of the Moon is lit by the Sun and the other half is in it... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why is tomato juice so popular on planes? | [
"They theorize it may be because when you're on a plane your tastes shift slightly. This may make for tomato juice being more popular on flights. More details in this short newsweek article: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Do you also cough when eating popsicles and frankfurters/hot dogs? If so, it might be your technique."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
With all the wireless signals going around (mobile phone data, digital TV, text messages, phone calls, etc), how do they not interfere with each other? | [
"The signals don't interfere because they use different bands of wavelengths. They just pass right by each other. Wireless signals are sent out in all directions, or in a broad range of directions. It doesn't need to \"find\" the receiving device: rather, the receiving device just needs to hear the transmitter. Thi... | [
"It disables the cellular transceiver in your phone. It just turns off the part of your phone that sends and receives data from cell towers. The idea is that you will not be creating electromagnetic interference that could potentially interact with the aircraft's instrumentation. The reality is that everything is s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
There are incurable hearing conditions described as unbearably bad, but surgery which deals with it by completely removing the sense of hearing is unheard of. Why is that? | [
"I have a hearing condition which is actually caused by my brain. This is similar to a lot of cases of tinnitus. My doctor literally said this to me last week \"I could chop your ears off and you'd still hear it\""
] | [
"It's called tinnitus. It's a sign of damage to the equipment in your inner ear. If you regularly experience it, that is something you see a specialist about, and it may be indicate the potential for permanent hearing loss down the road."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Health:"
} |
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