query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
If light doesn't travel, why does it take time for it to reach earth from far away stars? | [
"Light definitely does travel. In fact, a [recent thread](_URL_0_) which was voted to the top of the forum asked the question *why* does light travel, and had an excellent explanation of why light travels. Edit: added link"
] | [
"The only way we could see an image of the past earth would be if it were reflected back to us. If there was some gigantic mirror out in space then we could look at it to see what the Earth looked like in the distant past. But, for many reasons, this isn't practical. But, we can't directly catch up with the image o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Australian Election: Liberal vs Labor | [
"Maybe check this out. _URL_0_ Asks you a bunch of questions about your opinions on things then tells you who to vote for."
] | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How do blind people learn to read Braille? | [
"Pretty much the same way that people learn to read printed letters/words. The Braille alphabet is pretty much identical to the one that you are using to read this very passage right now, but represented by a grid of six dots that can be felt rather than just seen. Once you learn which series of dots represents whi... | [
"Braille is not just used by the completely blind, a lot of people registered blind can still see see the signs, but cannot see well enough to read whats on them and have to use braille"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why are breasts often considered sexually attractive and private? | [
"Breasts are a sexual characteristic of human females. Other mammals only have breasts when breast feeding, otherwise they are small and look the same as the male breast of the species. Scientists are still trying to work out the specifics, but the attraction is thought to lay in something about youth (old people=... | [
"Like most things considered attractive, you have to understand that it's personal taste. Some people like boney-skinny women, some people like enormously fat women, some people like women in some range between those. As said below it's associated with skinnier women and located very close to the genitals so has mo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How different is State of Lawlessness to Martial Law? | [
"Pretty much sort of opposites. Ordinary civil law exists in a society with police and courts. Everything is orderly. Police make arrests, put people in jail. They are tried in a court of law. On a battlefield there is no civil law. US soldiers operate under a universal code of military justice. Crimes can occur an... | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What is happening in my brain when I'm trying to remember something and I feel myself getting close? | [
"Memory is really complicated and we still don't really fully understand the process. To our knowledge what is happening is, when your brain receives a cue it will pull out information relating to that cue that it received. When you get something \"on the tip of your tongue\" it is usually due to an inadequate ment... | [
"Because it helps to take your mind off of the embarrassing thought. I do that a lot when I'm hung over."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Neuroscience:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Neuroscience:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
diphthongs and monophthongs, with examples would be great. | [
"A diphthong is a vowel sound that essentially has two sounds to it, or two moves of the tongue. So a word like \"low\" is only one syllable, but in actuality it is comprised of the sounds \"lo\" and \"we\", although the second sound is more subtle. The word \"eye\" has \"i\" then a quieter \"ye\" at the end. A mo... | [
"One is an adjective- live broadcast One is a verb- They live This is actually pretty common to change the vowel with the part of speech. Ex: We record the record. (verb - noun)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are people in the US allowed to open credit cards under their children's names? | [
"They are not legally. When people do this it is identity theft and they are acting as though the child is 18 and filling it out on their own."
] | [
"If you don't have car insurance you have to have car insurance to drive a car or you could face serious trouble. If you want to eat cheaply/healthily then learning to cook is useful, or you could get involved with someone else who can do that. Your taxes will be taken out of your income automatically, or sent to y... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How is a coat hanger able to pick up radio waves when replacing the aerial in a car? | [
"The aerial is just a fancy coat hanger. \"Radio waves are a type of magnetic energy generated by a transmitter and a transmission antenna. The antenna on your car is built to pick up the magnetic energy of the radio waves and send it to the car's radio receiver, which in turn isolates and amplifies the radio waves... | [
"Maybe your cable was acting as a (really bad) radio antenna. Have you tried this without the plug touching your skin?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What is happening when one stutters? | [
"I don't remember where I read it (sorry), but some psychologist did an interesting experiment. He made stutterers talk while wearing special headphones that cancelled all noise, so they couldn't hear themselves. Interestingly, they stuttered much less (or even not at all). This showed that the stuttering was cause... | [
"What sort of five year old asks this question?!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Speech and Language:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Speech and Language:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does feeling or hearing certain things, such as rubbing your nail on sandpaper, literally send a shiver down your spine? | [
"Human hearing has evolved to be much more sensitive at certain frequencies (in particular the 1-4khz region). This is so that we can more clearly distinguish things like human speech, crying babies etc. As a trade off of this, certain sounds that have their root frequency (lowest and generally loudest frequency in... | [
"Because you can see it coming. The sensation of being tickled is something that your brain does in reaction to an unforeseen contact on your skin. The feeling is intensified in squishy regions such as belly fat, your armpits etc. If you know that you are gonna touch yourself in a specific spot, you are not going t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where did the saying 'The camera adds 10 lbs' come from and is it true? | [
"It mostly has to do with the focal length of the lens and how much distortion it has. A telephoto lens with low distortion will create a flattening effect. A relatively wide angle lens that you would see on an entry-level DSLR or point-and-shoot will have much more barrel distortion and can create a fattening effe... | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
why the US immigration system is so damn complicated | [
"Despite what the media says, no country will just allow anyone in, there has to be a selection process. In reality it's much harder to immigrate to other countries and some countries outright discourages immigration. You might be thinking of within the EU citizens of member countries can travel and work freely, b... | [
"Because congress passed a law that said it was simply not okay for health insurance, but did not pass such a law for car insurance. It may or may not really seem fair, but that's just the way it is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I love to take naps but why do you usually feel terrible after one? | [
"I never feel terrible after a nap. You might be sleeping too long. If you nap too long, you can get into a deep sleep cycle. If you’re forced to wake up before you come out of that, say by an alarm or noises in the area in which you are napping, you’re going to feel terrible because you got pulled out of deep slee... | [
"You can't fall asleep at night because you nap in the afternoon. Stop napping, as hard as it may be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Sleep and boredom:"
} |
If the camera lense is circular, why is the picture square? | [
"Because the film's square. Or rather, rectangular. And why is film rectangular? Cause it's easier and more economical to manufacture than circular film. The image created by a lens is actually circular. The picture you take with a camera is \"cut out\" of the center of that circular image. You can see this if you ... | [
"When you squint you cut off the top and bottom edges of your pupil, making your pupil closer to a pin hole camera. The smaller the hole, the sharper the image, regardless of the shape of the eye or the shape of the lens. The trade off though, is that the image is dimmer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Science:"
} |
What is Non-Euclidean geometry and how is it different from Euclidean geometry? | [
"Not a mathematician so I can't get into details, but non-euclidean geometry is basically geometry not on a flat surface. This changes a whole bunch of things like how parallel lines interact and the angles of shapes. For example if you draw a triangle on a deflated balloon the angles would all add up to 180 degree... | [
"All mass is energy, but not all energy is mass. This is a result of Einstein's special theory of relativity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Mathematics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Mathematics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do our voices always sound weird from a recording? | [
"It's mainly due to the fact that you aren't hearing your voice from inside your head, which tends to be deeper and more resonate. Your voice in a recording sounds more like what other people hear, and it may sound bad to you but it isn't that your voice is \"bad\", it just sounds different from what you are used ... | [
"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 query about Language and Communication:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Language and Communication:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why is Europe trying to keep the Euro/Eurozone together? | [
"Because together under the Euro their money is worth more."
] | [
"Because Canada does not benefit from that. Why do you think Canada *should* have the same size military as the US?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people still gamble illegally? | [
"Other reasons besides those listed. You gamble daily and don't want to drive 50 miles to place a bet. Also you can't place bets over the phone. You have to go in person. Your bookie has better odds. And the biggest reason of all when talking about \"placing bets with bookies\" is you are generally referring to ... | [
"Because the traditional, land-based casinos have very powerful lobbyists. They don't want people to gamble online, they want them to walk into their casinos."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The differences between a traditional bank and a credit union. | [
"_URL_0_ That addresses the structural answers of your question. _URL_1_ That one gets into a bit more of the difference to you if you're considering using one or the other in your personal life."
] | [
"Same as an individual, they borrow money, either from a bank or another country."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why does it become more difficult to sleep when you are severely sleep deprived? | [
"The other guy's answer is pretty spot on. I would just add that it also depends on what's keeping you sleep deprived. If you're stressing out over homework, like in college, you have adrenaline, and stress hormones keeping you up, which suppress parts of your sleep system. Caffeine is chemically helping, and thing... | [
"Your head feeling heavy after staying in bed for too long might be because of you not being able to take in any water or food for a long time, thus making you slightly dehydrated and malnourished."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Sleep and its effects on the body:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Sleep and its effects on the body:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Sleep and its effects on the body:"
} |
why is it when I'm about to fall asleep but have to pee extremely bad, I'll say screw it and go to sleep, but won't pee my bed or even when I wake up I won't have to pee for another 20 mins? | [
"When you're sleepy, certain hormones increase in your bloodstream and calm your sympathetic nervous system which controls urinary function among other things and your \"fight-or-flight\" response (which is why you shouldn't feel the need to pee if you sense you're in peril). That is, the neurons in your bladder ev... | [
"Teen here, it doesn't matter what i do, i cannot fall asleep before midnight. the only thing that has offered me any help is sleep aids, but they make me wake up feeling just as shitty as if i went to bed late anyway. but i'm just a kid that needs some prick to tell me to \"turn off your phone and go the fuck to s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Health and personal habits:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Health and personal habits:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why I see a glorious and massive moon sometimes, with my eyes, but when I go to take a picture, it just looks like a tiny minuscule dissapointment? | [
"One's perception of the size of the moon is heavily influenced by 'context clues', or other nearby structures. It's a bit of an optical illusion to say that the moon ever looks significantly larger or smaller. When you take a picture, you lose many of these context clues and your brain interprets the picture diffe... | [
"There are times in its orbit that the moon is slightly closer to earth. But what you are describing is an optical illusion. When on the horizon your eyes and brain can reference how its size compares to what it knows is big (a mountain, a certain stretch of the horizon, etc. When up in the sky there is no basis fo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it easier to balance a moving bike than a stationary one? | [
"Rotating objects have angular momentum, which makes them want to stay rotating in the same plane they're in. So a rotating wheel has some inertia which helps it stay upright."
] | [
"Object in motion wants to stay in motion. Its easier on a car and requires less force to maintain a speed than to get the car moving from a stop."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Automotive:"
} |
Why are more razors better when building a "razor" for shaving? Seems like after so many it's a waste. | [
"Multiple blades make it easier to get a decent shave *quickly* when you're half-asleep and not really paying attention to your technique, lubrication and whatnot. A double-edged safety razor can provide damned near perfect results at a fraction of the cost if you just pay attention to what you're doing. There's a ... | [
"The head is hard and bumpy. The face is not very flat, but the fat and muscle underneath allow it to conform to the razor better. The razor probably works for both, but by marketing for separate parts they can sell more razors."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How do parrots talk if they don’t have vocal chords? | [
"They push air through their trachea, and change the size and shape of the hole to change sounds."
] | [
"Our vocal cords are ridiculously focused on our ability to make sounds. We are the only animal that chokes on food to a life threatening amount, only species that manages to swallow water wrong down our trachea. Related: our vocal cords don't descend into the proper position till we are 2-3. Don't underestimate a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
how do companies make money from gift cards sold at other stores | [
"Card industry veteran here. The incremental cost of production and distribution isn't very high, a few cents per card. The point of sale retailer gets a small % of face value or a fixed $ amount. Motivation for the card brand retailer is threefold. 1) They lock in the spend - I will shop at Target not Walmart next... | [
"A company will often invest 50k in loss leaders like this to build trust in an online store. It's cheaper than a marketing campaign."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How is water healthy for you if there are no nutrients in it? | [
"Because water itself is a nutrient. You need water to live, about 3 liters daily. There's no other substance that you need more by volume than water."
] | [
"Distilled water has been turned into steam and collected and cooled to remove all the impurities, metals, minerals etc. Spring water often has higher amounts of minerals and metals than tap water and other waters, because as the water travels through the spring, it picks up minerals from the soil and rocks in the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Would it be possible for humans to live on a completely different sleep/daily life cycle? | [
"It's not only possible, it's well documented and experimented. There are many cases of people taking strange sleep cycles for extended periods. Trans oceanic sailors for example (the ones by themselves). They're responsible 24/7 and the ship requires constant attention, so they adopt a cycle of 30-40 minutes of sl... | [
"It helps with circadian rhythm and our 24 hour clock by giving us darkness simulating a day-night cycle. Scientists are still studying why we sleep though and more about our internal clocks. I think they did one study to see if an individual could still get a sense of time without any cues from light sources and a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What is the purpose of paratroopers in warfare? | [
"> but why are those soldiers being thrown from planes? For mobility. If you need to get troops somewhere RIGHT NOW and you don't have time to send them by sea or land, sending them by air provides another option. Also, maybe you want to attack a location behind enemy lines. One famous example was D-Day, when the A... | [
"It has a few different meanings in different contexts. What setting are we talking about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about finance:"
} |
Why doctors are so often not timely with their appointments and don’t compensate you for your inconvenience if you run late? | [
"Because they are expected to spend 15 min or less with a patient and that rarely is sufficient time to fill out the paperwork let alone give and accurate exame. So they will always run over delaying things. If you are seeing the doctor the expectation is that you will take the whole day, or several hours off. You... | [
"You are forced to take time off work and you get little to no compensation for it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
; Why global warming is based on facts. | [
"They can look through ice layers and see changes in chemical composition of air/water."
] | [
"Well, that theory you heard is unsupported by science. [Based on the data, it is unlikely that female orgasm is related to reproductive advantages] (_URL_0_) Your question in itself is based on a faulty assumption, which kinda makes it impossible to answer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How can gambling be illegal in US States that run a lottery? Isn't the lotto just state-run gambling? | [
"Perhaps unsurprisingly, when you are the body that makes the rules, you can make exceptions for yourself in those rules. Lotteries were made illegal for a time and there is no national level lottery. However, many jurisdictions have made government lotteries legal again. There's no requirement for the government ... | [
"Because of a loophole. Native American land is considered not territory of the state it is in and thus does not have to follow state laws (but Federal ones still apply). There are several states that forbid gambling, however this does not apply to Native American reservations. Therefore, some have opted to open th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
With all the droughts happening worldwide, where is the water going? It's still on earth so where is it? | [
"It's not actually disappearing. It's just going elsewhere. While California has been having a horrible drought this year, my state of Indiana has been getting so much rain that it's killing crops."
] | [
"Obviously we wouldn't have to be digging up resources and polluting the earth. On the other hand, all of that extra heat wouldn't be good for the environment."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Environment:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Environment:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do worms always end up all over the sidewalk after it rains? | [
"Actually, they can only move across sidewalks when it's damp, otherwise they dry up and die. The ones you see are the unlucky ones that get caught when the sun comes out. They don't drown when it rains."
] | [
"They hide under plants when it's sunny. Otherwise they'd dry out. When it's rainy, they can move around without danger of drying."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why do we have to "press start" in the main menu of most of the video games ? | [
"To confirm that you're ready. What if the game just started and something came along and killed your guy?"
] | [
"Because they weren't written for it. Though they appear similar, computers can be as different as consoles as time moves on. What you're asking is akin to \"Why can't I play Playstation 1 games on my PS4?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the crisis of masculinity? | [
"It has to do with guys growing up feeling like the rules and culture of society are stacked against them (devorce and custody laws, ads always have girls being good and boys being bad guys, bumbling dumb father figures in tv shows, lack or awareness or support groups for men who are abused, etc...). Whether they a... | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What exactly is meant by "the math breaks down" when talking about general relativity and quantum mechanics? | [
"When you do quantum mechanics in the obvious way, you get infinity as the answer to a lot of problems where the right answer isn't infinity. There are special tricks you can use to get around this normally, but the tricks stop working if you try to add in general relativity."
] | [
"The scientific laws are generally just observations, not theories. The law of gravity doesnt explain gravity, it just describes it - whereas the theory of general relativity provides a model for how gravity works within the bounds of spacetime"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is there such a thing as ‘check-in’ when flying? | [
"The airlines want to be able to fill every seat. If they make a rule that says you have to check in, and people don't check in, they'll sell your seat so that the plane stays full. It's more profitable for them to do this."
] | [
"First things first, why would a 5 years old ask questions about cocaine?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How are we able to control the flight of objects we send to space? | [
"An object in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted on by another force. So, if you push something in space, it will generally keep moving in that direction. The gravity of near-by stars and planets will effect the direction and speed, but other than that you're home free. Want to go towards Mars? Do the math ... | [
"A satellite is an object that is orbiting around something else. A spacecraft is an object that is designed to fly in outer space. As for manoeuvring in space, they can use thrusters or reaction wheels. If you want to learn more about space flight, play Kerbal Space Program"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Is it realistic in movies where someone gets shot and doesn't realize until they see the wound? Wouldn't they notice immediately from the pain? | [
"There have been plenty of instances where, when someone's in battle, their adrenaline levels are so high that they might not notice a grievous injury. Like, my grandfather told me about one of his friends in the Korean war who got shot in the leg, and didn't notice until hours later. Another guy who was in Iraq wi... | [
"This is not true in either case. It depends on where the injury occurs and the state of the victim. For instance, I was stabbed in the hand. I felt pain instantly. My son was shot three times by muggers. 2 in the back and 1 in the side. He reports that he felt the bullets and knew he was shot but didn't ever feel ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do Pizza places typically sell Pepsi products? | [
"Aside from restaurants that are part of the Yum brands umbrella of companies. In general, Pepsi sells their syrups slightly cheaper than Coke. Since people don't typically pick the restaurant based on the type of soda they serve, there's no reason to serve coke at a restaurant."
] | [
"Generally three things: 1) Which drinks are more popular in that area, Coke (Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc) or Pepsi (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc)? 2) Are there any nearby restaurants that have an exclusive agreement with one company or the other within a certain range? (This is rare; nether company has much interest in sto... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Is it possible for another planet to be on the exact opposite orbit as Earth so we technically would never see it? | [
"You mean to be hidden by the sun? It would, but it's gravitational influence on other celestial bodies would give it away. In other words, it's not necessary to actually *see* a planet to detect it's presence. Most of the outer planets were, in fact, *predicted* to exist long before they were actually detected wit... | [
"The moon probably used to rotate more independently, but the gravity of earth has tidally locked it so that it only rotates once per revolution. The Earth could become tidally locked to the moon, but it would take so much time, the sun would burn out before that happened. It's also mostly referred to as the far si... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
If the Devil is such a bad guy, than why would he punish people for sinning? | [
"In many traditions, he doesn't. He's in Hell being tortured along with all of the sinners. In other traditions, he's just an overall angry guy who will torture anyone. People in hell are just convenient. In jokes, he's usually a real nice guy, until a punchline ending in sex with Bill Clinton."
] | [
"In the bible, when Adam and eve committed the first sin, they brought sin upon all of mankind. Thus, all of mankind was sinful. Fast forward, and God decides that man needs a savior to save them from sin. And so, Jesus died on the cross, to save us from our sin. Kind of like if you break something as a little kid ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
The difference between MP3, V0 and FLAC audio files. | [
"Music files on a CD are pretty big. FLAC and MP3 are both ways of compressing the files down to a smaller size. FLAC's output is bigger than MP3's output because it sounds exactly like the sound from the CD; no part of the sound was taken away at all. MP3 can get smaller file sizes because it does take away some p... | [
"You know how if you make, say, an MP3 file, it doesn't sound exactly like the original? And how it's worse when you encode at a lower bitrate? The video you linked to was once compressed with an older codec that had quite bad artifacts. At the time codecs weren't as developed, and there was little processing power... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do cleansers (or other products) label that they can remove "99.99% of germs" as apposed to 100%? | [
"Yep, pretty much. There will always be that *tiiiiny* percentage of germs that the sanitiser either missed or somehow had managed to survive the sanitiser. So to cover their legal asses, companies that make hand soaps/sanitisers say 99.99% rather than a full 100%"
] | [
"You're touching on [Zeno's Paradox](_URL_0_) here, and to be honest, there's no easy way to answer it. You can be confident that the drugs do leave your body, but you can never actually prove it. To prove all the drugs have left your body you would need to test 100% of the cells in your body, and that's just not p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
American keg parties *AS SEEN ON TV!* | [
"At the parties I've been to there were multiple kegs. Also, is 10-11 pints of beers in one night really normal for you?"
] | [
"Viacom - OUR STUFF IS WORTH MORE, GIVE US MORE MONEY! DirectTV - FUCK THAT SHIT"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How come the percentage of left handed people is so much higher in the MLB than in real life? | [
"Left-handed hitters are a couple of steps closer to first base. Left-handed first-basemen have their glove hand in a better position to catch pickoff throws. Left-handed pitchers have a better view of the runner on first."
] | [
"Heavily debated (sometimes by less than reputable people) but the general consensus is no, it has more to do with the fact that the majority of black people and Arabs live in poor regions of the world with sub-par education which leads to lower average intelligence from a global point of view."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How do nuclear bombs work exactly? How do the ones we have now differ from the ones dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? | [
"They all work on the principle that matter is an extremely concentrated form of energy, described by the equation e=mc^2. Multiplying the mass [m] by the squared speed of light [c], a huge number even when not squared, gives a vast amount of energy. The mass of a dime, roughly 2 grams, would equal enough to run a ... | [
"Aside from Fat Man and Little Boy being the only two nuclear weapons that existed at the time, it really wasn't that powerful compared to modern nukes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is it that cracks seemingly spread on their own? | [
"Because of how the mechanics of the crack work. The stress in a material is related to the radius of corners, that is, rounded corners, like the bottom of the letter U, have less stress than sharp corners, like a V. Sharp corners are actually referred to in mechanical engineering as \"stress raisers\". And what's ... | [
"I believe that it's just you not perceiving them or that they blend into the structure. They are used on almost every structure now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
The Baby Boomer generation and why they are often blamed for some of today's problems. | [
"When the US had crushing debt after WWII, the top marginal tax rate was raised to over 90%(!!!). Our debt was far worse than today and the WWII generation was not willing to pass that debt on to their children. This WWII debt was paid off relatively quickly and responsibly. The boomer generation is very often crit... | [
"The wealthy have managed to convince the working class that the working class is evil and the cause of all their problems."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How celebrities, with their closely guarded contact info, contact each other. | [
"Assuming they didn't give it to each other in person, they can go through a third party, like two agents talking to each other, or a mutual celebrity friend."
] | [
"It's all about who you know, how well known you are, and how you sell it. Still, I have no idea why they actually pay so much for it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do animals shed fur all their lives, but when you make a fur coat, it doesn't shed? | [
"Because fur on an animal works like hair on a person - it grows and sheadding is a built in way to keep it clean and maintained. Along with grooming habits like licking. A fur coats fur does not grow, as a fur coat is not alive. And the skin has been treated to retain the fur as much as possible."
] | [
"Hairs don't stop at a maximum length, they just fall out when they've grown for a certain amount of time. Then a new hair starts growing in it's place. So the maximum length of a hair is the amount of time it can grow before being shed times its growth rate. If you have a dog or a cat you might have noticed that i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Biology:"
} |
Tons of candy bars advertised everywhere in the 1990s. Now, you barely see anything advertise, but the products are all still widely available. Why? | [
"For TV ads, it could be partly what you're watching - if you were a kid in the 90s, and the candy companies target shows that kids watch, the amount of advertising might not have actually declined, you personally just see less of it."
] | [
"It's advertising, as to suggest that they are so great that there's more to it than simply consuming them as a snack. In reality, however, you generally do just eat them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do we enjoy certain foods in adulthood that we hated as kids? | [
"Adults actually have less taste buds than kids, so something bitter, for example, will have a more intense bitter flavor for a kid than an adult. And sometimes you just learn to like something after trying it a bunch of times."
] | [
"Your preferences in food is a combination of: * Innate taste: we're genetically wired to prefer sweet, salty, and savory taste, and instinctively reject bitter and sour. * Yo momma: flavors pass into amniotic fluid, and what your mom tastes (and smells!) while she's pregnant with you influences your preferences la... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What is bicarbonate? | [
"Bicarbonate is HCO3(-). It acts as a buffer keeping your blood within certain pH values. It is formed when H2O and CO2 are combined in red bllod cells by carbonic anhydrase(an enzyme) to make carbonic acid, H2CO3. This carbonic acid quickly breaks down into H and HCO3. When it reaches the lungs the bicarbonate is... | [
"A lot of meds sound similar because it is indicative of what drug class they are in. Here are a few examples: -Caine = local anesthetic -mycin = antibiotic -olol = beta blocker -statin = for cholesterol"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why youth unemployment is so high in Europe? | [
"The system in Europe is more toward once you are in, it is hard to fire you. Basically it is just like government jobs in America(assuming that is where you are from). Also Europe is on the austerity bandwagon which has hurt heir economy. Recession hurts the youth because of their lack of skills. For comparison yo... | [
"Why is election on weekdays instead of weekends?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
how is red meat carcinogenic to humans? | [
"1) It is not all of a sudden. They have know it for decades. 2) It is not in moderation where there is a risk. It is when you eat massive amounts of it. 3) And it was only confirmed for processed meats, and suspected with red meats."
] | [
"Your teacher is an idiot. Talk to a doctor about the best way to beat a type of cancer. That being said, a diet high in vegetables and low in red meat would lower your chances of getting cancer in the first place."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In TV/movies, when someone snaps another person's neck, how is it done so the actor doesn't get hurt? | [
"Often it's done much the same way as an on-screen strangulation -- for safety's sake the actor playing the victim is in full control. The actor doing the killing has their hands in the position required, and the one being killed turns their head themselves. They'll have likely practised with the other actor in ord... | [
"I really don't think there is much science behind it or a link to an evolutionary trait in tribal times, and I have never heard or seen someone do this in real life. It is probably a trait that has been applied to television and repeated several times, giving people that impression. The only practical use it would... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why are all the "ethnic" foods at trader joe's names similar to joe (ex. Giotto) except the Chinese food (Ming)? | [
"Because they wanted to choose a Chinese name that was easy for Americans to pronounce, and Ming is one of the absolute easiest ones."
] | [
"many places around here (upstate NY) deliver hamburgers and subs... what is hard to get is hotdogs and mexican food (except some very simple stuf)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What makes bullet proof glass bullet proof? | [
"1st it's not glass it is polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a fancy name for shock absorbing plastic. You need a couple centimeters of the stuff to be effective, but the main idea is it spreads the impact capturing the bullet and fragments by means of stretching due to the heat created by the bullet energy."
] | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does a battery's storage capacity decline over time? | [
"Over charge cycles and due to external factors like temperature, the batteries begin to have wear and tear. Every time that you charge the cell, an electrical current pushes lithium ions from the battery’s cathode (made of lithium cobalt oxide) to a graphite anode. When you turn on your device, the lithium ions f... | [
"While the voltage of a battery remains relatively consistent as it is used, it does drop slowly as the battery is depleted. So, based on that the device can make a good guess. Now, this does vary a bit as the battery ages, which is why they automatically recalibrate themselves every so often."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
To whom does the U.S. owe $18.1 trillion dollars to? | [
"People who buy US treasury bonds. About 1/2 of bond holders are American. Japan I think is the largest non-us holder with 9%. China holds 8%. Go buy a US treasury bond, and you to can be owed money by the U.S."
] | [
"You're only bankrupt if you can't make payments on your debts. Fortunately, $15 trillion in debt isn't that bad when your GDP is $15 trillion. Hell, I owe $100,000 on my house, and I only make $75,000. Does that mean I'm bankrupt, according to your logic?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does Oral Rehydration Therapy Work? | [
"Water follows salt in the intestines. The reason why ORT works better than Gatorade is because Gatorade doesn't have a lot of salt but has a lot of sugar, so while you're drinking a lot of water it can't in the body. The sugar and salt in ORT go through the same channel in the intestinal lining. When this salt get... | [
"Many reasons. The most common are: * Dehydration * Low electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium commonly) * Stress * Tiredness * Anxiety * Muscle Damage"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I don't get this pynchonian "chinese joke". | [
"Sometimes chinese jokes make more sense actually, you know, in chinese lol there are a lot of nuances and tones and wordplay we might be missing from the english translation, so the original text would probably help. source: am chinese"
] | [
"i wanna know this. also u got some of that hum... \"karma\"? *cough cough*"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people remember random, pointless things that happened twenty years ago but can't remember recent things? | [
"The more often you remember something, the stronger that memory gets. Say you've got a thousand childhood memories, you might randomly need to think of a few in a given period of time. Those ones get a little stronger, and that makes them easier to recall next time. Then, when you're looking for an example of som... | [
"You remember stuff that you care about. I can still remember what bands made certain pop songs from 50 years ago. I was interested in pop music back then. I don't care for current pop music. I could try to memorise who recently recorded what and could probably do it in order to win a bet but a month later I will h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Cognitive psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Cognitive psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Cognitive psychology:"
} |
What's the EU commission's problem with the planned German road charge? The charge would *bring justice*, not the opposite. | [
"Do other EU countries charge road tax to German nationals when they are visiting and using (up) the roads?"
] | [
"Because then they would probably lose the right to operate in Belgium, which would cost them more money than the amount of the fine."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
region locking on games and DVDs. | [
"Imagine you have two friends. Bob is very poor, and can only afford to spend one dollar a week. Bert is very rich, and can afford to spend a thousand dollars a week. RegionLockGames bring out a new game. They could put in on the market for one dollar, and both Bob and Bert would buy it, making them two dollars. Or... | [
"Could be that it's 231 minutes for just one server. Reddit has a lot of servers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Economics:"
} |
Why is Marxism viewed with such hostility by the West? | [
"At the most basic level, it's because Marxism is 100 percent incompatible with capitalism. In fact, Marxists explicitly seek to abolish the capitalist system of production entirely. So, it stands to reason that a capitalist state wouldn't look fondly on Marxists who want to wrest power away from the ruling class."... | [
"The EU is thought by Americans to be secular because their political leaders don't constantly talk about God. Political Christianity is very much A Thing in the EU."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why aren't noise cancelling headphones as effective in cancelling high pitch sounds as their in cancelling low pitch sounds? | [
"The way noise cancelling works is that it has a microphone pick up some noise and then a speaker produce that noise phase shifted 180 degrees. The resulting waveforms precisely cancel out. However, the microphone can only pick up the noise as it's passing by and there's a delay before it can generate the phase-shi... | [
"The use active noise reduction. There are two microphones, one pointed towards the mouth and one pointed away. One picks up speech + noise and the other just picks up noise. Subtract the 2nd signal from the first and you are just left with the speech. Similar technology is used in telephones, noise cancelling hea... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What would be needed to allow guns to fire in space? | [
"Nothing would be needed...gunpowder has it's own oxygen source necessary to burn in a vacumn."
] | [
"As far as we know right now, there isn't a way for us to get enough fuel to Mars to be able to fly back."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How sometimes people don't feel that they've been cut? | [
"There's nothing at the injury site itself that hurts. It's all in your brain. Nerves at the site of the injury send signals up about what's going on, and then the brain sorts it out. The brain actually integrates a ton of information very quickly, including memories of past \"pain\" signals in particular locations... | [
"Because it can make some people feel vulnerable. If you love it might be lost. If you love it may not be reciprocated."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how do currencies work? how do we know that 1USD=114.1253JPY for example? | [
"In *theory* (meaning this rarely actually happens), the exchange rate will reflect purchasing power parity (PPP). So for, example, if 1 apple costs 1 dollar in the US, and 1 apple costs 114.12JPY in Japan, then the exchange rate will be 1USD=114.12JPY."
] | [
"In Japan they only have yen. In the US we have dollars quarters dimes nickels and pennies. So you are dividing the total in dollars by 100 instead of saying 10000 pennies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Probatio diabolica or "Devil's proof." | [
"You can't prove a negative. For example, you can't prove that ghosts don't exist, because you would need to check every point in space at every point in time and show that there isn't a ghost there, which is not possible. Since you can't prove they don't exist, anyone who says they do needs to prove it, because th... | [
"Using reddit search I found: ELI5: Jehovah's Witnesses _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does only one of my nostrils get stuffy at a time? | [
"It's not just stuffiness that gets passed back and forth that way. At any given time, most of what you're doing with your nose - breathing, smelling, et cetera - is only happening, by and large, in one nostril at a time. This \"load sharing\" behavior is designed to give the mucous membranes and cilia (nose hairs)... | [
"Sounds like dehydration. It can do a lot of fucked up stuff to you. Headaches for sure. Do you breathe from your mouth when you sleep? The combination of both could probably dry out your throat quite a bit overnight overnight. Maybe look into a humidifier as well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why is it perfectly normal to walk on moving escalators but when they are not it feels super weird? | [
"In one regard, an escalator's steps are taller, and spaced differently than we are used to on a staircase, so this alone presents some unusual sensation as we advance. Additionally, it is theorized that we adapt to moving surfaces like airport moving sidewalks and escalators, with the expectation of their movemen... | [
"Basically your brain is receiving conflicting signals from your eyes and ears. If you are looking at the floor when in a car or on a bus or a book your eyes are telling you that you are not moving. But your ear is telling your brain that you are indeed moving. So instead of your body realising you are reading a bo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
Are humans the only species that derives pleasure from watching other members of the species have sex? | [
"No, there are other primates who show interest in it; there are primates, for example, that trade food for the opportunity to look at pictures of genitalia of the opposite sex. Can't recall the species, though."
] | [
"This is one of the cases where we tend to anthropomorphise animals - that is, we apply completely human terms to them. As humans, something like that would be extremely painful, but it's not like that for animals. They just don't have that kind of connection to what we'd call family. In fact, many animals are pret... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why my employer-provided health insurance premium just increased 300% | [
"I'm assuming you're in the US. The Affordable Care Act means that health care providers can't restrict people in more at risk situations from receiving affordable care. However, to actually still turn a profit, revenue across the board has to go up. You can't simply add these people into the minimum revenue sectio... | [
"The way it usually works is this: Premium - Monthly fee, always the same. Your work might pay all or some of this for you. Deductible - Total amount you have to spend on health-related costs before insurance starts to pay. This is often something like $2000. The first $2000 in health fees you incur in a year you p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why do pirates use torrents and not just upload the whole game file instead | [
"Imagine you want to get a jigsaw puzzle your buddy has. So he makes a copy and mails you a piece one at a time until you have the entire thing. You get there in the end but boy it takes a good amount of time. And if your buddy gets bored and does something else your shit out of luck with half a puzzle. But this ti... | [
"Because the website doesn't hold the files themselves, it only holds a directory to find the torrents that are distributed across peoples computers around the world. Imagine Pirate Bay is a phone book. Even if the phone book is destroyed, the physical addresses still remain and can be found again by simply using a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
When you drop a ball spinning it like a top, why is it spinning the opposite direction after it bounces? | [
"For the same reason that balls bounce in general. When you drop a ball without any spin on it, it begins to compress when it hits the ground. It eventually ends up compressed enough that the momentum of the drop is canceled out, at which point it begins to *de*compress, causing it to rebound upward. Well, when you... | [
"A boomerang is basically two wings. When travelling through the air these wings make lift just like an airplane would. Now when you throw a boomerang while holding it straight up and down, instead of pushing up, this force pushes sideways instead of up*. Since the boomerang is spinning, it doesn't flip onto its si... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can Social Security "run out" whereas programs like Welfare cannot? | [
"\"Running out\" is a bit misleading. Most people will get money pulled each paycheck to go towards Social Security, so assuming the system doesn't change, there will always be something to pay out to retirees. What can run out, though, is the Social Security Trust Fund. For a while now, Social Security has taken i... | [
"Social Security is a mandatory retirement security program, run by the US government. You pay money into it when you're working, and then you get money from it once you retire. If nothing changes, and you're young enough to retire in more than 25 years or so, Social Security will only be able to pay you 75% of the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
In music, what's the difference between 2 artists working together "and", and when they are just "featured"? | [
"And implies they were both involved in the creative process, lyrics, rhythm, etc. Featured means that one is the primary creator, and just needed a second artist for one reason or another. A male rapper wants a female to do one of the verses he wrote, she's featured."
] | [
"Music producers like Calvin Harris are the one finding the melody, the music, the rythm, everything that composes the song, and it can be a shitload of different sounds and musical notes, instruments. Most of the time, the singer gets a finished song with no singing in it, and must sing on it, thus respecting the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What prevents us from just arranging Protrons, Electrons and Neutrons together in any way we like to create any elements we want and make anything we want out of nothing? | [
"Protons, electrons and neutrons are so tiny, it's not like you can get a tweezers and connect them just how you want them. No, you have to smash them together at high speeds, millions of times, and hope that you get the thing you want. It's like building an alarm clock by shooting springs and bells and gears at ea... | [
"Well, we have observed it directly and can make it in laboratories. There isn't any reason to argue for its existence any more than there is a reason to argue for the existence of electrons and protons, we can just look at the stuff and see how it behaves."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why am I exhausted all day at work, and the moment I punch out I'm wired? | [
"I get the same thing sometimes. My guess would be that when the workday is over, you feel the burden come off, and the rest of your day is ahead of you, work free."
] | [
"I'm the same way. I get bad anxiety, racing thoughts, can't even get the energy to shower etc etc. If I pull an all-nighter, or only get a couple hours of sleep, the next day I feel amazing. Everything seems so calm and stable. I feel confident and full of motivation. Not manic...just....normal. For once I feel li... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Health:"
} |
[Data Warehousing] why are keys of the fact table meaningless? | [
"The key to the fact table is simply a pointer to somewhere else. If that key also has 'meaning' (represents some data you care about), then it's subject to change for reasons that have nothing to do with its job as a pointer. Consider giving directions to your house based on the street address vs. giving direction... | [
"Their databases were set up with maximum character counts per cell. When configuring a DB, you set character limits."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why is a burger NOT considered a sandwich, but a pulled pork "sandwich" is? | [
"a burger is a sandwich, it is meat between two pieces of bread. Hotdogs are typically one piece of bread with the meat on top. But ya a burger is a sandwich, which is meat between two pieces of bread."
] | [
"If you are getting a footlong Italian with cheese, a lot of dressing and whatnot, then that is not healthy at all, your sandwhich can easily be 1000 calories, whereas a double cheeseburger from Wendy's is 790, though more fat due to having much more meat. SUBWAY isn't healthly at all unless you get something like ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Language and Etymology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Language and Etymology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
If my fingerprints (used to identify me with Android pay) get stolen (from my phone memory), does it mean my fingerprints are now compromised forever (can't change them) as a secured authentication method? | [
"Fingerprint data is stored in a very specific way. It's stored in such a way it cannot be got from the phone in an unencrypted way and as such you can't take it from the phone. This sums it up. Google has made a noteworthy step in the right direction by moving all print data manipulation to the Trusted Execution E... | [
"Encryption varies from pin (or pattern) protection due to the way they protect the data. A pin prevents a user from using the UI directly. They can't proceed past the verification screen so they can't access the phone's data. This is good if an attacker needed quick access to your phone without you noticing. Howev... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What would actually happen if I didn't have airplane mode on during a flight? | [
"I learned a lot about RADAR and RADAR theory while I was working intel in the Navy. I believe the primary concern about electronics on airplanes is electronic interference with important systems on the plane. That said, it would take an awful lot of consumer electronics to actually interfere with those systems. I'... | [
"I've been taught that the real actual reason is the period of time during takeoff and landing while the plane is below 10,000ft is the time when an accident is most likely to take place. Basically, they want you paying attention to what is happening rather than dicking around on your phone. Source: Studied aviatio... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Technology:"
} |
Why is it sometimes appropriate to have an open casket funeral and when is it in bad taste? | [
"There are reasons for both open and closed. Is the body or face presentable? You want the deceased to be respected. Are family members willing to see the deceased? For many, seeing the person at rest permits a final look, (to remember) and the sight of the dead person brings a feeling of closure in that a dead bod... | [
"They're there to help pose the body in cases where it's displayed during the funeral (open casket). If the deceased looks like they're \"just sleeping\", or at least resting comfortably, it's more reassuring for those attending the funeral. That's part of why preparing the body for a funeral also includes a makeup... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What factors determine the order of posts on the reddit frontpage? | [
"Well, you didn't ask *how* the system works, so I'll just post you a link to answer your question: [How Reddit ranking algorithms work](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Why are empty threads showing up on the front page? This makes no sense."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When you get sick with a cold is it trying to kill you? | [
"No, it's just trying to survive. Rarely do sicknesses \"want\" to kill you they merely want to reproduce and spread. Best way for that to happen is for a living host to come in contact with people to spread around. But sometimes due to evolution and mutations they'll become too strong or come in contact with peopl... | [
"They're usually caused by a virus or infection. Takes some time for your body to fight it off."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
If the President (USA) has school-aged children, how do they do everyday stuff (like going to school) while their parent is in office? | [
"I'm pretty sure they have a secret service escort at all times. They also undoubtedly go to a private school since the Obama's are fairly wealthy regardless."
] | [
"Well, a lot of the expenses are on their own dime, but it still costs the taxpayers money. Why? Presidents don't actually get to take vacations while in office -- they just get to do it in different places from time to time. President is a job 365 days a year. These \"vacations\" have a lighter than average work l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do cans of compressed gas get cold when you let the air out? | [
"It's all to do with the relationship between pressure, volume and temperature. Keeping it very simple compressing something, raising the pressure, also raises the temperature (or uses heat energy to change the fluids state, so the gas turns into a liquid as it's compressed into the can). With rapid discharge from ... | [
"The pin in the center of the can that holds the flap in place is also covering a vent hole. When you open the can you pull out the pin to open the vent hole before you open the drinking hole. Under normal conditions you will cover the drinking hole with your mouth but the vent hole will still allow air into the ca... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Are there any theories on what is "outside" of the universe? If the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into? | [
"It's not expanding into anything, the space between all things is expanding."
] | [
"> What happens when you reach the boundary of the universe? As far as we know there is no such thing as the \"boundary of the universe\". The closest thing to that is the edge of the observable universe which is due to light not having enough time to reach us from more distant locations. This edge is impossible to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about astronomy:"
} |
Why do some people become really prone to "motion sickness" when travelling on a boat, ship or plane, while others seem they haven't had those problems even in their younger years? | [
"The reason for motion sickness summed up in a few words is we simply haven't evolved fast enough to get over it. Your eyes and ears have to agree with each other. It's only become a problem recently because before the last few hundred years you weren't capable of flying or trains or cars or rockets where you move... | [
"Some people can get motion sickness from certain games, especially if they play for a long time. I personally have never had this problem, but everyone is different. I can play games for hours with no issues whereas some people can barely even play for a few minutes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How much of what's portrayed on shows like "House of Cards" and "Scandal" actually happens in government? | [
"My exgf father hates the show he says its so unrealistic and nobody talks like that. He should know he worked for the carter administration in the whitehouse. That was 40 years ago so possibly his experience is dated. But that shit does happen, just not to all the same characters, more so its a combination of doz... | [
"Have you watched the show? It has twists and turns and addresses serious subjects and social issues that were not part of mainstream media in the 50s and 60s. It wasn't just sci-fi and spooky... It hit racism and McCarthyism and lots of other moral issues head-on, without apology. It bends your mind and makes you ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do chargers or power sources for some machines have a box in the middle of it's power cord and some don't? | [
"The electricity coming out of the wall is AC (alternating current). Most electronics are powered using DC (direct current) which is entirely different from AC. The black boxes (typically known as transformers) act to convert the AC to DC as well as convert the voltage and clean up the electric signal. Some electro... | [
"This is a problem when the outlet is higher on the wall then the length of the cord to the transformer. The weight of the transformer can slowly pull the plug out of the outlet exposing high voltage on the pins. That's part of the reason that so many \"transformer in the middle\" have detachable high voltage cabl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
If we all feel lobbyists make America corrupt, why can't we simply vote to ban lobbyists on election day? | [
"Your premise is wrong; people *love* lobbyists! They donate lots of money to the ACLU, NRA, NAACP, PETA, Heritage Foundation and so on. People don't like lobbyists who lobby for things they don't agree with, but of course that's not how democracy works. You can't just ban lobbying by the other side. And of course ... | [
"You can lobby the government too. Call up your senator, that's lobbying. Professional lobbyists just happen to have more resources at their disposal then you. But if the majority of the population lobby their government then they'll usually give in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What are those random blurry circles on some pictures? | [
"If it's in lower light and a flash is used, it most likely dust. Like what you see in a sunbeam. The camera is just not as good at focusing as your eye is. Source: I'm a professional photographer"
] | [
"What color is the skin of most of the people who make and utilize those drawings? Theres your answer"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why after millions of years of evolution, is it a common thing to remove our wisdom teeth? | [
"Evolution doesn't get rid of adaptations the second they become less-useful.... It only really works on things that affect an organism's ability to survive and breed. Those third molars used to help our ancestors grind down plant matter, back when they probably had wider mouths. Our jaw might have changed since th... | [
"...and diabetics crave sweets... and head injuries that cause the body to kill itself by swelling the brain... and putting an amusement park next to a waste dump between our legs. Our bodies are very far from perfect and definitely could be designed better, but people don't want to hear that. The true \"why\" is b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
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