query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why do night vision cameras cast a shadow? | [
"Many night vision cameras use an infrared lamp to illuminate the scene being recorded. You can't see that light, but the camera can. Hth."
] | [
"Obstructions in your view such as water vapor, dust, heat, cause the lights to appear to flicker. I'm sure there are probably several other reasons as well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Science:"
} |
Why is it that the hair on our head grows without a limit, while the rest of the hair on our bodies only grows to a certain length? | [
"Because your head hair does grow to a limit. It's just a longer limit than the hair elsewhere"
] | [
"Your eyebrows don't \"stop\" growing. The hairs fall out after reaching approximately a certain age, and therefore a certain length. There is some condition that causes them to not do this and you can find pictures of people online with really long eyebrows. This also applies to all the hair on your body except fo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Science:"
} |
East/West Berlin divide still visible from space due to different lightbulbs | [
"East Berlin uses sodium vapor lamps for street lighting that look yellowish, West Berlin uses mercury vapor lamps, and those produce blue-ish white light. Both are commonly used for street lighting. Sodium is more efficient, mercury produces a better light spectrum."
] | [
"It's not air pollution. It has to do with the way light refracts on particles in our atmosphere."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How to calculators randomly generate numbers? | [
"computers and calculators, assumin no input, cannot generte random nunbers. what the do is invoke an algorithm (a series more specifically) that generates what appears to be a uniform and random series for all purposes. wait long enough and the patter eventully emerges, be it a million digit long."
] | [
"Its not so big. Its generated each time you search. Its contain a mathematical formula to create directions. Ps: vsauce make an explanation on YouTube."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do news channels care so much about who breaks the story now? Doesn't the internet make everything break at the same time? | [
"You want people to watch your channel instead of your competition. If you have a reputation for only getting the story after everyone else, people will be less likely to watch your channel. Sure, the fastest way is to get the info online, but the majority of people who watch news channels do so because they don't ... | [
"Media barons don't particularly care about news. They care about money. Journalism has taken quite a hit in the past years because of their focus on money. John Oliver just happened to do a great piece on journalism last Sunday too. The UK leaving the EU is a giant issue. Maybe the topic has subsided for you not l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does toast bread keep all the cheese in while normal bread lets the cheese ooze out? | [
"I understand your question. In lots of places in Europe, they have their usual bread, which most of North America would see as fancy bakery bread. It's either a sourdough, a fluffy white loaf or a dark rye. What they call \"toast bread\" looks what a North American would think of as regular bread. A pre-sliced lo... | [
"When you cook a pizza normally, the sauce soaks into the dough a bit. If you put cheese on first, it forms a barrier so you have no sauce in your dough, leaving it a bit dryer and less flavorful. Putting sauce on top also prevents the cheese from browning & browning provides a lot of flavor."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How is it legal for to pay someone for sex as long as you film it and call it porn, but prostitution is illegal? | [
"Check [this](_URL_0_) out. Basically, \"the distinction is that, at least in theory, porn stars are paid to act and prostitutes are paid for sex.\" Sex is a part of a porn star's 'role' - you could argue that they're being paid to act, not to have sex specifically, and therefore they're protected under the First A... | [
"I think the idea there is that by being an escort you are not offering sex, just someone to hang out with. Where as prostitution is meant for sex."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How did the Tupac hologram work ? | [
"firstly, it wasnt really a \"hologram\" as we would think of in a science fiction movie or something like that. it is an illusion technique called \"pepper's ghost.\" the wiki entry is pretty good on it: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Marketing. It's a way to frame a theme for their art. It's not a recent thing either. See Luke the Drifter (Hank Williams), Ziggy Stardust (Bowie), etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are ancient ruins underground? | [
"Not all of them are. Plenty of ancient ruins are above ground. That said, the simply answer is detritus builds up. In old forests you are walking on layers and layers of decomposing leaves. Every year new layers of leaves, wood, mulch and other detritus are added while at the same timethe lower layers slowly decom... | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why do pictures of far away galaxies appear so crisp and beautiful but recent images of an asteroid near earth is grainy and of poor quality | [
"The difference is like: * Asteroid...looking at a golf ball, at night, located across the street from you. * Galaxy...looking at a spot light, at night, pointed at you from a block away."
] | [
"We have never gotten any good pictures of pluto. It was discovered 85 years ago and the best we ever saw of it was a few fuzzy pixels and we're about to get great high-quality images of both it and it's moon."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
We see meteor showers around the same time every year.I would assume they would come at different dates as we rotate around the sun. How are they predictable? | [
"They occur when Earth passes through a large collection of space rocks. Since we go around the Sun on a round path that repeats every year, we know we are going to be back in that spot on about the same date."
] | [
"Because the moon is continually orbiting the earth. The moon doesn't follow the night when it orbits, so sometimes we can see the moon during the day."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If you built a house several miles away from anyone else, is anyone (or any government department) obligated to provide you with electrical access? | [
"It kind of depends on how they are regulated. Here in Sweden, for example, the power companies operate under concessions. One of the concession rules is that the power company must connect a new customer *who is willing to pay the actual cost*. That means, basically, that they are legally forced to give you a reas... | [
"Assuming by \"rural\" you mean not in any city or town: In America you can buy any plot of land that is for sale that you can afford, no application required. Building on it on the other hand is subject to various regulations by a plethora of government agencies. In unincorporated areas the regulations are minimal... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What determines the speed limit of a road? | [
"For traffic engineers it's the 85th percentile. In other words there is an assumption that 85% of drivers will drive at safe speed for road conditions. Speed studies are done, and this determines the speed limit. Unfortunately, the traffic engineers recommendations are often ignored by politicians, who set speed l... | [
"Well, that depends. We need more information. Which vehicle broke the traffic laws?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
how foodstuffs can sit on shelf a long time and then must be refrigerated after opening... is it just exposure to air that flips the switch? | [
"Right on, and exposure to bacteria. Moisture without oxygen in a sterile environment won't generate bacteria. Once opened you have all three, by refrigerating you actually just slow the enzymatic breakdown and reduce the suitability for bacteria to grow on the food"
] | [
"The tuna is sealed and pasteurized, if not sterilized. If there's nothing in there to grow and produce toxins it could presumably last forever. Sometines the consume by or sell by date isn't so much about safety as it is about food quality. The taste, color,or texture may degrade over the years, but if the can is ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Food storage:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Food storage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can't we tax everyone the same percent? | [
"There is literally no government policy anywhere that *nobody* would complain about. In this particular case, it makes little sense to tax people who are already on government assistance (even aside from whether it's right to do so)."
] | [
"All the federal taxes will be the same for everyone. No taxing one place or group more just because of who they are. That's how I understand it, anyway. Could be wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How a Jeep is able to climb an almost vertical incline with not much trouble? | [
"a combination of low gearing, low center of gravity, and engine location. the engine being in the front means that the weight helps hold the front end of the jeep down, making it far less likely to flip while climbing. the low center of gravity also helps prevent flipping in the same way. the low gearing allows fo... | [
"You probably dont want to be going very fast in a sled you cant steer. Mountain ski paths wind all the way down. Going straight at 30 mph into a tree or off a rock cliff wouldnt be very fun"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why is it that transplanted organs only have a short life span once transplanted? | [
"Primary reason is the person's immune system attacking everything that is foreign in the body, including the cells of organs that don't have the exact genetic markers that the immune system recognizes. So in a transplant situation, they have to match the blood type between the donor and the recipient, and it help... | [
"1) They need to be brain dead with no chance of recovery and with organs that can be kept oxygenated with a ventilator. Even then many will be disqualified for a variety of things that could be wrong with their organs. Once they are taken out though livers last about 2 days max, hearts and lungs about 6-12 hours. ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
does drinking chocolate milk give the same benefits as drinking regular milk? | [
"The normal positive aspects of milk (Vitamin D, calcium, protein) will all be in chocolate milk. The downside is that chocolate milk usually has quite a bit of sugar added to it. Edit: and as for milk with chocolate cereal, it depends entirely on the cereal. You'd just get bits of the cereal leaking into the milk,... | [
"Yes, yes, no, no. Milk contains nothing to stop hydration, and though not as effective as plain water it still hydrates very well. Milk also supplies some nice vitamins n stuff so you got nothing to lose. I love milk and probably go through a gallon every few days."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
At what heights do falls become dangerous? | [
"There are a lot of variables in that question. People have fallen and died from a standing position."
] | [
"It'll come back down to Earth. There are a lot of injuries because of it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are vaccines egg based? How are they made? | [
"They grow the virus with host animal cells, and eggs are high in supply."
] | [
"1. Not everyone CAN be vaccinated 2. Vaccinations don't work 100% of the time 3. Some children are in school yet too young for certain vaccinations. 4. Putting unvaccinated children together is just asking for a major outbreak 5. Said outbreak could result in a mutation that renders our current vaccines worthless.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What this Tesla Model S thing is about? | [
"Journalist smears Tesla. Tesla responds with telemetry showing journalist lied about events in article."
] | [
"I know what this is. But it shouldn't be what it is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How durable are pandas? | [
"Like all bears, pandas have ridiculously large and thick bones which make them very durable in general. In addition, bears also have thick layers of fat which can absorb impact, as well as dense outer hairs which provide protection. These attributes combined with their huge muscle mass make pandas and other bears ... | [
"Are all of your electronic made by Apple?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How does crop rotation work? | [
"Crops have different effects on the underlying soil. Vegetables tend to be taxing on the soil because they're grown really densely, they need a lot of nutrients, and they don't leave behind deep root systems to help replenish the soil by decaying. Legumes (like alfalfa or clover) harbor nitrogen fixing bacteria in... | [
"How much do they cost vs how much will they generate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why did the SpaceX exhaust trail (or what ever that was) stay illuminated for so long? | [
"because the rocket was so high up, that it was not shaded by the earth. just like the moon that is also visible in the video. This was only possible because it was shortly after sunset."
] | [
"They do make shadows. The shadows move very fast though. I live near an airport and every now and then it lines up perfectly where a plane flying gets between me and the sun, and for the briefest moment all the sunlight is blocked from coming into my apartment. If you blinked, youd miss it. But its really neat whe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about science:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Physics:"
} |
Is there a word, in any language -- that describes the deep, sinking feeling of knowing that life is short, and we're going to miss out on so much... | [
"Existential dread. Plenty of philosophers in lots of languages have discussed that feeling."
] | [
"We're born not know if there is an afterlife. All we can do is guess and hope there is more, and without knowing expect the bleakness that is death. Expect that we will never know why we were born to expect death, only that it is a fact."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Plasma, in the electrical sense. Why is it its own state/phase? | [
"Plasma forms when you heat up a gas to really high temperatures. The electrons get ripped away from the atoms due to their high energy. This is called ionization. This makes plasma highly electrically conductive. Plasma is its own state of matter because its properties are so fundamentally different from a gas, in... | [
"There is no difference in chemistry. There is a difference in electric charge (static electricity) inside the device. Empty memory has no charge."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What causes our muscles to feel weak when we are nervous/ in a high tense situation? | [
"When you are stressed, you're body reroutes blood away from your limbs to supply your brain and other areas. The lack of blood can give you that weak feeling."
] | [
"I believe it's really just a heart palpitation... In other words, your heart is racing. I think it's due to your fight or flight system kicking in. It also can happen when you're stressed or having an anxiety attack."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is it that when ants or other bugs fall from the ceiling to the floor they don't die/can still walk, but me falling from a short height could break my legs? | [
"Square cube law. They don't have nearly the volume per unit of surface area you do. So assuming approximately equal mass per volume, the ultimate force generated by the same fall and stopping with the same negative acceleration will be much higher for you because of the increased mass. F=ma Also chitin is quite a... | [
"It's the same reason as why you don't often find humans dead at the kitchen table, it happens sometimes but not often. There are a lot of things in a bug's life besides just eating. Many bugs die because their 'brain' breaks down and they can't coordinate to flip themselves off their backs, so unless you find a bu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are children more likely to fall off the bed while in deep sleep than adults? | [
"When you sleep your brain turns off your motor-cortex (the thing that controls your limbs) so that you are basically paralyzed. This is also the reason you sometimes feel like you are falling when you are about to fall asleep and suddenly jolt yourself awake. In children this function is still developing and somet... | [
"Your body is mostly paralyzed while you sleep, which does most of the work, but that doesn't always work, I used to roll of the bed quite often when I was young."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do Indians bob their heads forward and backward when they talk? [FIXED] | [
"The culture is different in india. A left to right wobble means \"I agree\". If they sort of bobble their head in a circular motion it means they are listening. If slow its friendly if fast its more like \"I really understand\"."
] | [
"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 title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
If Mary was a virgin (and had thus never 'known' Joseph), why does Matthew 1:1-17 explain the lineage from Abraham to Joseph as the Genealogy of Jesus? | [
"The lineage was to establish Jesus' royalty by identifying him as a son of David and heir to the Kingdom. It was not meant to establish strictly biological descendency. Notice that it does not say that \"Jacob begat Jesus.\" It specifically says that Joseph was the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus. *Right ... | [
"So, in the Bible there was a similar question posed to Jesus himself. Some of the religious leaders of the Jewish community at the time asked Jesus if a woman had 7 husbands that all died before she did, who would be her husband in heaven. Jesus' response (boiled down) was that we would be \"like the angels.\" Tho... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do some companies or sites pay for annoying pop up ads when they only make us angry and less likely to buy their products? | [
"I can only assume these ad bring in a sizeable return. Businesses don't play around especially if it would only serve to ruin their reputations - but if something makes them money then they clearly wouldn't be competitive if they didn't take advantage of it."
] | [
"Notifications mean that they can engage with you *without waiting for you to come back to the site*. If they can sent you notifications, they can remind/prompt you to come back & use the site more. The more you visit a site, the more ads they can show you, the more likely you are to pay for some sort of premium fe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why do we feel the urge to keep throwing up even if there is nothing left? | [
"It's because of the physiological mechanisms involved in throwing up. When you first start, it's in response to the body trying to expel something. The muscles around your stomach contract and squeeze it to propel the contents out (there are other elements involved, but they're not relevant to the question). After... | [
"It gives you the chance to hold something and breath without swallowing. Imagine if the substance was blood, poison, or saltwater: would you really want to swallow? By the same token, say your mouth is full of water and you try to breathe through your nose; do you want that water going into your lungs? It's all to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do buffets make money? | [
"For everyone that eats 5 plates there are people who went to a buffet had a plate and then realized they were not as hungry as they thought."
] | [
"How much do they cost vs how much will they generate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why fizzy drinks like Cola are stored in aluminium cylinders, while milk in cardboard cuboids? | [
"Probably because cardboard doesn't keep the carbonation from escaping soda as well as aluminium."
] | [
"Beer will go flat sooner in plastic bottles, as it is much more porous (microscopically) than glass. By the way, beer is commonly sold in plastic bottles in places like ball parks."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How can a plant which has always been an indoor plant and never been outdoors suddenly have ahids or gnats? Where did the bugs come from? | [
"Aphids are small enough to get through window screens and can be windblown onto screen from nearby plants, and most houseplants are kept near windows. They can also hitch a ride on you when you brush by aphid-infested plants then go inside. Most gnats seen in houseplants actually come from the soil, their larva fe... | [
"There are so many variables that are very different for every plant. First is type of soil, how well it drains and ph. Second is the ph of the water and amount of water you give it, most plants do not like their roots soaked all the time. Third is what type of nutrients the plant needs and whether its getting need... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
- why, in the wild, does rigor mortis set in an animal carcass in just a few hours, but the meat from my butcher stays 'fresh' and limp for days? | [
"Rigor mortis is not permanent. Depending on several things it does goes away & the body relaxes after a few days (typically 72 hours or so)."
] | [
"You can eat raw meat as long as you do it right away (as soon as it's killed). _URL_0_ It's not that it's raw, it's more that when an animal dies its immune system (obviously) is compromised and the meat begins to become infected. Bacterial colonies start to prosper, that kind of thing. Being alive is nature's way... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Do any other forces besides supply/demand factor in a company's stock price? | [
"Profit (technically) doesn't matter when it comes to stock. When you see a \"price\" for a stock, that's not the price sticker of the stock like an item on a shelf in the store, that's just the average price people are willing to pay for a share of it. You can sell your stock for less, you can sell it for more, as... | [
"The actual market is a lot more complex than the MR/MC chart in an econ book. Expenses and market conditions vary significantly in the short, medium, and long term. Companies sell some products at a loss to drive sales of other higher margin products. Consumers don't shop by price alone. Production efficiency move... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does hot water (or heat generally) clean better than cold water (or cold generally)? | [
"It's all about the chemistry. Heat is a measure of kinetic energy, so hotter chemicals are moving faster. In most chemical reactions adding heat will speed things up as the faster moving molecules will collide more often and therefore are more likely to react. Because of this, hotter chemicals have a higher reacti... | [
"I think it may have something to do with the saliva, since saliva is 98% water. Water has a high-specific heat, which basically means that it takes a lot of energy to get it to change temperature. A wet environment (such as your mouth) experiences less dramatic temperature changes than a dry environment (such as y... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Chemistry:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Chemistry:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why did the FBI publicly release the information about Patraeus's affair? Isn't that part of his private life? | [
"If he has something he wants to keep secret, that's an opportunity for blackmail. And blackmail is a big concern when you have access to top secret information. By making this information public, they remove a potential security risk, because you can't blackmail someone over something everyone already knows. Damag... | [
"If the president didn't know about them, how would we know about them? How would we know if any even exist if they are of that level of secrecy?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Politics:"
} |
How are time statistics calculated? I.e: every 20 a kid dies and stuff like that. How accurate this kind of numbers are? What is the time interval used for sampling? | [
"It's not literal It's just an average based on totals over a total amount of given time Like if you knew in 1 year 12 people died from auto erotic asphyxiation the you would say that 1 person dies from it every month. Wheras the reality might be that they all died the same day at an auto erotic asphyxiation anon... | [
"What do you mean? Your question needs to be a bit more specific. Are you asking what it is? Or how it's set? Or how the payments are made?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are some people naturally talented with maths? How does it happen? | [
"I think this gets in to a nature vs nurture situation. It's likely he wasn't born with an ability, but had a recurring need for this ability through early childhood or something and it became thoroughly developed through time. Or just lots and lots of practice"
] | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do cuts burn when you put hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol on them? | [
"The chemicals in rubbing alcohol when applied to an open wound activate the same nerve receptors in your skin that let you know that a flame is hot, giving you a burning or stinging sensation. 🔥"
] | [
"I think it’s because the acne is caused by bacteria- and the cut isn’t. So, it’s an infection whereas the cut isn’t infected and should just heal from being cut.(unless it gets infected). The acne lesions on our face also are in contact with sweat, dirt, oil and bacteria on our fingers, where on other parts of our... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
After being bothered by mosquitoes, I began to wonder: Do mosquitoes have any purpose? Why do they bite certain people more than others? If mosquitoes were annihilated, would anything affect human society big time? | [
"I've often heard that \"scientists\" have said that mosquitoes could be made extinct without any adverse affect on the ecosystem, but I frankly find that hard to swallow. Bats would certainly not be happy if mosquitoes went extinct. As for purpose, to say that any living thing has \"purpose\" is more or less nonse... | [
"Fucking look at them. But seriously, insects are inherently alien to humans, with extra arms, weird body shapes, and huge (compared to their size) eyes. They also represent dangers to mankind. Bees and wasps sting, and if allergic or just stung by enough of them you can die. Flies and roaches are attracted to filt... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why Comcast "Xfinity" ads are allowed to continue claiming they are the fastest ISP in the country when they are clearly lying? | [
"They offer 305mbit/s fiber residential service in certain metro areas - they are the fastest residential isp In those and likely other areas as well _URL_0_ edit: also they may be saying something like \"fastest national ISP\" because one-offs like Google Fiber are not a nation-wide ISP. And when they offer 305mbi... | [
"The ISPs have monopolies/duopolies in almost every area of the United States. They have no reason to offer this, as they have limited or no competition. If there was proper competition, then this would be a great way to attract users. As it is, Verizon or the company formerly known as Time Warner Cable do not give... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Technology:"
} |
Why is the post-WW2 50s decade considered the quintessential time period for defined gender roles when throughout the 40s women were in "men's" roles for the first time? | [
"Because after the war there was a push for women to go back to traditional roles, this didn't fly. So women have been fighting to gain equal footing as men in career roles ever since."
] | [
"It used to be common for men and women to wear their hair long. The main exception to this was that soldiers would wear their hair short for hygiene reasons. (Lice aren't fun.) In the 1910s, and again in the 1940s, we fought two major wars, where (pretty much) entire generations of men would go to the army and hav... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
why window tinting is black instead of white | [
"sane reason sunglasses are tinted dark or a color instead of white. It aborbing the light prevents it from coming in. Also if it was white it would reflect on the inside too. Possibly making glare which is opposite of the point. (car light lamp or otherwise)"
] | [
"Where do you live where most cars have tinted windows? Tinting the front windows and windshield is illegal in many states."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why my computer was so brilliantly fast when I first purchased it is now intolerably slow after only a few months of use. | [
"So reinstalling Windows will really improve things? Is there a way to re-install while losing no data or settings?"
] | [
"This is assuming that your PC is properly maintained and cooled. Leaving it on at all times will wear out some parts faster, but in most PC's it's not fast enough to really matter. You'll probably end up upgrading parts or buying a new PC before it really matters. Some people leave their computers on all the time ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How older films can be made into 3D (eg Titanic, beauty and the beast). Can they do it with TOPGUN? | [
"I just want to mention top gun is being converted: _URL_1_"
] | [
"I mean, a indie movie on bluray is gonna look worse than a Disney movie on DVD. Do you have any examples?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does the US have so much more aircraft than any other country? | [
"One of the main tactics used by the American military relies on overwhelming air superiority. Ground forces discover enemy fortifications and locations, and call for bombing runs. And, of course, there's also the matter that the US military is often fighting around the world, and the fastest way to get across the... | [
"The United States are *not* the wealthiest or most advanced country on the planet. And what exactly do you mean by anxiety?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why does folding a piece of paper both ways help to tear a straight line? | [
"Folding paper weakens the bonds at the fold. The outer bonds are stretched more, so folding both ways weakens both sides at the crease. When you tear, the rip follows the path with the weakest structure which is usually the crease."
] | [
"Take a tube and yank on it. It stretches out to be very thin but the hole in the center doesn't collapse! Do this carefully a bunch of times and you can end up with good thin needles."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why wireless devices/electronics can't be used in an airplane below 10k feet.. | [
"Previously the FAA was worried that the small EM field generated by electronic devices could introduce interference to an airplane's internal electronics. This was well before shielded everything on these planes. Recently the FAA has come out in favor of consumers, saying they are going to recommend the allowance ... | [
"Commercial helicopters almost universally aren't pressurized, meaning they cannot go above 14,000 feet MSL at all, can't go above 12,000 feet MSL for more than 30m without oxygen, and typically don't go above 10,000 feet or so. Cruise altitude is much lower than that, usually 2000 feet or lower."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is Africa as unstable as the media portrays it to be? | [
"Africa's a pretty big place, and the experience can certainly vary depending on where you go. Blood Diamond was set during a civil war in Sierra Leone, so the shitshow factor is going to be pretty high in such a situation by default. If you went to some place like Nairobi, Cape Town, or Johannesburg, it'd be more ... | [
"Scientology isn't as popular as they want you to think it is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Religion and Crime:"
} |
How do American street names work? | [
"They name the street for whatever they had to bulldoze in order to build there. Oak Street, Cypress Road, Forest Glen Lane, and so forth."
] | [
"Why do people in Western countries use forks?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are rainbows shaped like arches/parabolas | [
"You're only seeing a portion of the full circle."
] | [
"No. A rainbow is not a physical object. It's an illusion created by light refracting through water droplets suspended in the air."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Physics:"
} |
How is it legal for the US to conduct drone strikes in foreign countries that result in the deaths of innocent people without any repercussions? | [
"Who would stop them? Typically the drone strikes are done with the consent of the country in question (Specifically Pakistan). Public hand wringing doesn't necessarily equate to private Disapproval."
] | [
"Because Guantanamo Bay is in Cuba, and not in the US? Or do you mean, how come the US has a military prison where they conduct torture at Guantanamo Bay and not the US? Remember, torture is technically illegal in the US. So is detaining inmates without due process. There's your answer."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
why don't hockey teams hire a 500 lb. goalie to block the whole goal? | [
"There is a sports science episode covering this. It basically boils down to 1)It does not cover the whole net. And with the assumption that a 500lb guy isn't too athletic, the open part of the net will just be free goals. Also regulation sized protective equipement does not cover a 500lb man."
] | [
"Basically it is becaise no one wants to get in between two 6 foot+ 220 lb men swinging haymakers at each other. That, and it's just part of \"The Code\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How do new, unpublished writers ensure that their original work is not copied/stolen by the publishing house they give their work to consider? | [
"Copyright protection, unlike patent protection, exists automatically to protect a work. No registration or other action on the part of the author is required. So if a publisher were to steal an author's work, the author would sue the publisher and -- assuming they could prove that they indeed authored the work --... | [
"You write the book, you send a copy to publishers to see if they’re interested, or you self publish. Google is your friend, there’s plenty or resources on the entire process and all the options"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What does a part-time teenager do with his W-2 form? | [
"More than likely your parents will claim you and they should handle this. However you can file a return yourself (see below). Make sure to check with you parent if they are claiming you as a dependent. You can file a tax return and get any federal (and probably state) taxes you paid back in a refund check. Goto _U... | [
"You buy the cheapest options, get assistance from family/church/insurance and are billed for years."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why the news doesn't report on suicide (unless it's a celebrity)? | [
"Because comparatively few people care. It is not a story that has an effect on a significant number of people."
] | [
"Its an amazing example of media fear mongering. When theres no news, you create news. Whats a better way to get viewers than a special horrible thing everyone will have to hear about to be safe. Bonus points because you can attribute your coverage to it not happening anymore (even though it didnt happen in the fir... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why does my pen work on a sheet of paper, but doesn't on another one? | [
"A ball-point pen requires a certain amount of friction between the ball and the paper in order for the ball to rotate, which moves the ink down from the reservoir to the paper. Also, the paper surface needs to be porous enough to pull the ink off the ball onto the paper. Other types of pens have similar requiremen... | [
"If you're pretty sure the kids are oblivious, you can put a sheet of carbon paper under the paper they write on, and get a duplicate on the next sheet down."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why Do Animals Leave Permanent Water Sources? | [
"Staying in a place is making predator job easier and making it harder and harder to find near food."
] | [
"Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Ada... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why has iTunes been deleting all my music since 2004? | [
"Sounds like what is happening here is that you are syncing a device with a device with an unassociated library. An iDevice gets linked to a particular authorised computer + library file, and when you sync your device with an unrelated computer, it will erase the content. I know you said you manually manage the dev... | [
"It was backed up to iCloud and restored to the computer when you signed in with the same Apple ID."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Where does the extra water go during low tide? | [
"It shifts to a different part of the earth causing a high tide in that region."
] | [
"It's drier in your climate during the winter, leading to more static buildup."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What is happening, physically, when you feel like you've burned off your taste buds with hot tea, soup, etc? | [
"You've destroyed the nerve enedings. That's why sudden pain then numbness. The mouth regenerates very quickly however, thus feeling will come back in a relatively short amount of time."
] | [
"Pour a bunch of sugar on a piece of paper. Put the sugar and paper in your mouth and chew it. Once you don't taste any more sugar, spit the paper out. Do you think you just consumed some calories even though you didn't eat any paper? The answer is yes. Same concept applies to gum."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
The Orch-OR (Orchestrated Objective Reduction) Theory | [
"I can't explain it, much less in terms a 5 year old could understand. Any explanation, at a minimum, is going to have to include introductory explanations of Platonic forms, Godel incompleteness, neurobiology and cell structure. All I can tell you, very simply, is that no one who is helping to create and refine th... | [
"Meta-Philosophy is philosophy about philosophy Meta-Films are films about films Meta-Cognition is cognition (thinking) about cognition (thinking) Meta-Threads are threads about threads"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
why is turning your assets into cash called "liquidating"? | [
"This is known as a \"metaphor\". Money isn't literally liquid, but we *do* refer to it as \"cash flow\". Basically, having your assets liquid means you can easily move them from place to place."
] | [
"the richer you get, the less you keep money in a bank. putting money into a bank means it's stagnant money. and stagnant means it's losing value. rich people put their money to work by investing it into either stocks or real estate or businesses"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the point of internet contests, does anyone actually win? | [
"I won an Xbox 360 with Connect from an internet contest about 5 years ago, Mars candy corp I think. I entered like 20 times. It was legit, they just emailed me, I signed a form and they just mailed me the the Xbox. Then I sold it to my sister for $300. Best deal ever."
] | [
"All you need to leave a comment is a name and address. Both Comcast has, so they can enter as many as they want. A better question would be: why aren't they facing criminal charges for doing so?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Cardio gets the heart working which ultimately makes it stronger. So why do recreational drugs that do the same thing cause harm to the heart? | [
"when you exercise your whole cardio vascular (heart,lungs and arteries and veins) system adjusts to get more oxygen into your muscles, and also more waste out. All the components are working in tandem, increasing, decreasing and stabilising as required. Its a very nicely synced system when you take cocaine its JU... | [
"Exercise isn’t good for you because it gets your heart pumping. In fact it’s almost the opposite, exercise encourages your body to improve the cardiovascular system so that the next time you exercise your heart doesn’t need to pump quite as much. But those benefits aren’t confined to just when you exercise. Train ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Caisson disease (the bends) and why the reverse doesn't happen (an astronaut going from low to high pressure) | [
"They're in a pressurized environment so there's no pressure change. Submariners don't get the bends either, for the same reason. Anyway the difference between space and sea level is only one atmosphere so it wouldn't be an issue anyway. You've done a one atmosphere change at something like ten meters underwater, ... | [
"Their internals are at the same pressure and push back Humans can withstand immense pressure too, as long as we ramp into it slowly and are breathing a pressurized gas. The pressurized gas keeps your internal pressure high enough to counter the external pressure The deepest recorded scuba dive was 1044 feet, the p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why can’t light stay still? | [
"Light *always* has at least *some* energy. That's part of what it is. Light can't *not* have energy. When light loses its energy, for whatever reason, it literally stops being light (or stops existing, whatever — your choice of interpretation). Now, light is small. Very small. So small that, there's actually no wa... | [
"I guess its because of that everything is more silent at night, if that makes any sense..."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What happens when people fall asleep on their arm and it becomes unmovable completely numb? | [
"A nerve is getting pinched, blocking signal from reaching the brain. It's relatively harmless, but is uncomfortable (especially when your limb \"wakes up\", causing a flood of conflicting signals that were backed up to all get sent at once)."
] | [
"The feeling of pins and needles in your legs, also known as paresthesia, is your muscles gasping for air. Basically, your legs had pressure exerted on them (like choking someone's throat) or were put in a contorted position (like a bent water hose). This cuts off the blood circulation to the cells in legs. The fee... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do german and scandinavian languages use different letters for ö/ø? | [
"swedish and icelandic use the ö/Ö however, a likely explanation is that Ø came from latin Œ (a letter currently used in french), and that the slash was just a different way to write it. as for why the difference, it's theorized that the Ö was used in old norwegian texts in order to distinguish between the short Ö/... | [
"First, what you're talking about isn't just diacritics, but also additonal letters. Danish, for example, doesn't have any diacritics either, but it does have a few extra letters (æ, ø and å) -- but they are fully-fledged standalone letters, not diacritics added to a \"normal\" letter. So your question should be br... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how the show moonshiners works and how it is legal | [
"* All they show is people hauling clear liquids around...that is not sufficient proof of a crime. * Large portions of the show could very well be staged."
] | [
"because there are business owners and stockholders out there looking for different ways to do things The tv ads during Sunday morning news shows are even more obscure - defense contractors, food processing companies, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Health Insurance for those that have not elected in 2015 | [
"If you want to get coverage for 2016, the exchange should be open til December 10. The cost of coverage really depends on how much subsidies you're eligible for."
] | [
"Benefits to a private insurance company: * Everyone must enroll Downsides to a private insurance company: * At least 80% of all premiums in the individual market (85% in small group) must be paid to medical providers (leaving only 20%/15% for admin/profit) * New taxes on the insurance companies * Earlier filing de... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does countries calculate its land area? | [
"These days the most accurate answer comes from GIS data. This basically describes the shape of the country as a polygon, i.e., a shape made up of a sequence of straight lines connected together. There's a (relatively) simple [mathematical formula](_URL_0_) to determine the area of a polygon. There are some minor c... | [
"Because those are finite and don't really have a good connection to the economic value of a nation. By using the trust standard, you are valuing a nation's currency by valuing it's economic power. This also frees up valuable materials for other uses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
why isn't hunting lions and other endangered animals banned world wide? | [
"The reason it isn't banned world wide is that there is no governing body for the entire world and no enforcement agency that could legally enforce any sort of international treaty on it. This means that the countries with the animals are the governing body over those animals, and it is their sovereign right to do ... | [
"When elephants reach an age where they can no longer reproduce, often they will fight with young males who are still fertile and prevent them from impregnating female elephants. Hunting these old infertile elephants can be a net gain for the overall elephant population. Also, hunters have to pay money to get hunti... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why don't snakes choke when they devour large prey whole / is it ever possible for a snake to choke ? | [
"Yes, snakes can choke. Sometimes they start to swallow a prey, and when startled or find that it is too big, they reverse the swallowing process. It's usually not healthy for the snake to do repeatedly, and can hurt the snake. Also, snakes have a special extendable tube trachea they push forward to the front of th... | [
"It isn't fun, that's for sure. Stomachs tend to hold things tight, so the rat isn't gonna be moving all that much. Then it will suffocate rather quickly, and die within several minutes. Cold blooded animals can live significantly longer without air, in some cases even ripping their way(partially at least) out. Suc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How metropolises such as Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, other southwestern U.S. cities, get enough water to supply the huge population with no lakes or rivers near. | [
"All these cities share water from the Colorado River under an agreement called [the Colorado River Compact](_URL_0_). it is carried through the area by pipelines."
] | [
"It's been a long time coming. In the 1980s, the average well depth in California farms was around 10 feet. Today, it's closer on 600-800 feet. California's population has continued to grow for decades, even as it's had to seek more and more water supplies from out of state or upstate, building pipelines through th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How reactors don't melt if stuff going on inside them hit millions of degrees? | [
"What's going on here is they keep the stuff that's millions of degrees from touching anything else, and they only use very very tiny amounts of the stuff they're heating up. The most common way of doing this is to trap the little wee cloud of hot hot stuff within a very strong magnetic field. Because it's not tou... | [
"Well, no one has answered yet... So I'll try to explain it: To put it simply. An MSR uses salt instead of water to transfer thermal energy. However, instead of having fuel rods like in traditional nuclear reactors, the uranium fuel is mixed in with the salt. This creates an inherently stable reactor, as when the h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why can't your phone use wifi and 4G/3G together? | [
"[You can do it on Android](_URL_0_) In general it's undesirable because mobile bandwidth is far more limited. Something like watching youtube in high quality could easily use up all your limit in very little time if you fail to notice. It could also result in you being charged a lot of money, and people tend to ha... | [
"It is the slowest form of Internet on your phone. If you've not got a 4G signal it will look for 3G. If you've got no 3G it will look for 2G. If there's no 2G it will look for GPRS."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How do people keep "discovering" information leaked from Snowdens' documents if they were leaked so long ago? | [
"The documents were given to journalist/lawyer Glenn Greenwald. Snowden did this because he trusted Greenwald not to release any documents that would put anyone's life in danger. Greenwald is going through the documents and publishing them slowly to ensure this and to only show documents that implicate government w... | [
"A followup question: I know what *information* was revealed by the leak, but I'm curious what was *actually* leaked. By which I mean what documents did he actually leak as proof and so on. I remember seeing a powerpoint that was leaked, but I'm curious if there are any other documents that are available on the web... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
why do collegiate athletes from military schools (Army, Navy, Air Force) need permission to play in pro sports? | [
"When a person is accepted into a service academy, they don't pay any tuition but they make a commitment to serve a certain term of years in their chosen military branch after graduation. If that player is drafted by a pro franchise, they can ask the military to defer or waive their service requirement which in thi... | [
"Because there aren't 'minor leagues' in either sport. You are either college or professional in basketball and football; baseball has minor league teams [the Staten Island Yankees for the NY Yankees, for example]."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What causes us to wake up right before the alarm goes off? | [
"Your body has proteins that act like grains in an hourglass. When they run low your body knows it's time to go to sleep. While you sleep the hourglass fills back up until it's full enough that your body starts to wake up. If you keep a regular schedule, your body's natural cycle will start to sync with your artifi... | [
"Depends. What kind of waking up are you talking about? The one where you have no chance to go to sleep again (insomnia style) or more like waking up, realizing it’s still bed time, rolling to the side and going back to sleep?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Biology:"
} |
What exactly is happening when I put a cup or bottle to my mouth and suck the air out? | [
"You aren't creating a perfect vacuum, but you are reducing the air pressure inside the cup, causing the ambient air pressure outside to hold the cup to your face."
] | [
"Your mouth is slightly warmer and covered in warm saliva so it warms the water up almost immediately. If you were to put an ice cube in your mouth see how fast in melts as oppose to holding it in your hand."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Science:"
} |
Why can't web services simply scale up by buying more servers? | [
"It's all about initial design. Other users have described how \"bottlenecks\" can develop due to design limitations (/u/WRSaunders example of ticket sales is a great example). The next problem is how these \"bad\" designs start in the first place. Basically it's simpler and easier to write a program that only has ... | [
"It is a solution to the C10K problem. With a typical web server, each HTTP request is a thread, and most computers start have serious performance problems once they reach a certain number of threads (sometimes, but not always about 10,000 threads). At that point, you need more web servers, no matter how big and st... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why were animals SO much bigger back then? | [
"When you say back then I'm going to assume you mean millions of years ago, and more specifically the Carboniferous period (300-260Mya). The reason organisms were much bigger then is due to the increased oxygen levels within the atmosphere allowing much larger organisms to be supported. An example of this that is q... | [
"What if WE are the ones going backward?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why does antisemitism refer only to the Jewish people even though the term "Semite" encompasses both Arabs and Jews? | [
"Because the term was coined by people who used it to refer to groups that specifically hated Jews (Such as the Nazis), not groups that hated Jews and/or Arabs (For example, the Nazis got along pretty well with the Arab world, especially because of their shared antisemitism). _URL_0_"
] | [
"Jewish refers to both a religion and an ethnicity. Jews from Europe and Jews from the Middle East actually turn out to be very genetically similar, while being dissimilar to other Europeans or Middle Easterners. They share common ancestry in the original Israelite tribes of a few thousand years ago. Not all religi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What are Complex numbers, why, how and what for? How can square of number be negative? | [
"The thing you need to know about math is that it's an invention. It isn't some transcendental property of the universe it is just a man made set of rules. So mathematicians create a rule to call lowercase i the square root of negative one and that's that. Then if a number has a real part and an imaginary part, lik... | [
"That's like saying 1 is the only real number. All others are derived from it, i.e 5 = 5 *1. > Why is 1/0 not considered an imaginary value? Because an imaginary number has a specific definition. In some extended complex planes 1/0 is defined, for example the Riemann Sphere, where it is equal to infinity. But in t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why don't we breathe in fully (deeply) with every breath? | [
"At rest the body does not require a lot of oxygen. It would be a waste of energy to expand the lungs fully each time we took a breath. Also try taking multiple deep breaths at a time, you'll start to feel quite light headed!"
] | [
"Because of the humidity. The shower is warm and damp, which makes the air harder to breathe. Your shower is most probably a closed space so this humid air isn't carried away properly. (this is also why it's hard to breathe in a sauna) What this means is when you take a deep breath before holding it, you don't get... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does alimony exist in a world fighting for equal women rights? In other words, how is it okay for women to demand men's earnings after a divorce? | [
"Usually the man has a job in the marriage and it is by the highest earner not always by the man"
] | [
"\"No fault\" divorces first appeared in the US 50 years ago. Prior to that, it was more difficult to get a divorce. Plus there's now more women in the workplace (who can support themselves instead of relying on a husband) and we have birth control so that couples can be childless if they want (making divorce more ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why can time be dilated or compressed but never go backwards? | [
"Yarr! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Why time moves forwards, not backwards. ](_URL_5_) ^(_5 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Why is time travel backwards not possible? ](_URL_3_) ^(_6 comments_) 1. [ELI5: What causes time to move forward? ](_URL_6_) ^(_28 comments_) 1. [eli5: How can we... | [
"I'm not going to comment on the philosophy of time, but I can explain the physics of it. Time is not the same for everyone. In your reference frame, you always see time passing normally. However from my reference frame (if we're moving fast relative to each other), I will see your time passing differently. Time i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the psychology behind competitiveness? | [
"Dominance. Usually being the best puts you in a leadership role. Leadership means success. And humans usually tend to strive for success."
] | [
"How do you define your hints of schizophrenia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do we rely on donations from the public for disaster relief? Isn't this the government's responsibility? | [
"No, because if they did people would build in flood zones all the time for the pretty views. If you know that Hurricanes and Earthquakes are possible, and if you don't we have science class for that, then you should be buying insurance. Admittedly, companies may be uncomfortable since they don't have the risk scie... | [
"Most police departments are taxpayer funded. Where do you think the money is going to come from?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What criteria do ingredients need to meet in order to be classified as "active/medical"? | [
"It needs to enact a physiological change on your body, as opposed to simply being processed like normal food. The change has to be noticeable and measurable, and often directed towards a specific medicinal goal."
] | [
"Because \"natural\" is a vague term. There aren't regulations on what you have to do to say you sell \"natural\" foods."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does it sometimes feel like time slows down and and I have enhanced reflexes? | [
"This usually happens when your brain senses that you are in danger (even if it might not seen dangerous to you) and to assess the situation better it 'slows down time' and enhances your senses"
] | [
"It depends on how aware we are of the concept of time at that moment. When in deep focus, time seems to fly by, and while we are bored and restless, time seems to go by in snail phase."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How come humans need to eat three times a day to sustain good health? | [
"Eating three times a day is a relatively new thing. Eating once a day was quite common throughout most of civilised history, and before that eating once every couple of days may have been quite common. Humans are warm blooded mammals with a high basal metabolic rate (the amount of energy we use each day). We much ... | [
"They use less energy because they do not move around or are cold blooded. Or they have a lot of fat stored up. Fat humans can easily survive not eating for a months. Give them vitamins and supplements and they'll be perfectly healthy as well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What's the problem with loaning money for college in the states? | [
"> Shouldn't the US support their citizens getting educations? The US government does, and this is exactly why education costs have spiraled out of control. There is a limited supply of top notch universities, an ever increasing number of students wanting spots in those universities, and a government all to willing... | [
"In which countries is it even done this way, except the US?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do we determine the directional source of a sound? | [
"I think it has to do with the time difference between one ear hearing the sound first, then the other."
] | [
"This is simply because of the natural variations in the density or types of particles in the air."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where did the phrase "1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi" come from? | [
"The idea is that it takes one second to say Mississippi. So if you want to time something in seconds, you count it out while saying Mississippi."
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.