query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why do Americans think it is inappropriate to wear the same clothes two days in a row? | [
"Since the middle ages the first world has developed a long way in questions of body-hygiene. Since then people always have become more focused on being clean, because at the beginning this was quite useful. Within the last few generations I think the top-point of usefulness was left behind without being noticed by... | [
"If it's OK for me to do it, it has to be OK for everybody to do it. If it's not OK for everybody to do it, then it's not OK for me to do it either."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What do the sanctions against Kim Jong Un mean? How can you sanction a physical person/country leader? | [
"The US maintains a big list full of people you can't do business with. You can see it right here (you can confirm that Kim Jong Un is on this list): _URL_0_ Part of my job at the company I work for is to go through this list and make sure that none of the people we do business with (at least in the context of the ... | [
"Sanctions are a political tool. Who was going to sanction the largest economy in the world and political and military head of NATO during the cold war? Who would benefit from that? Why would anyone politically aligned with the US want to risk that relationship over a hypothetical bomb?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why are teeth naturally white? | [
"Because through the various traits of evolution (which doesn't really have a why, it just is) a substance which happens to be white turned out to be the best one for chewing food."
] | [
"Whitening toothpastes essentially just bleach your teeth. It isn't good for them. Teeth are naturally a light cream color varying from person to person - in fact, the brightest white in your mouth is usually hardened plaque."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why does a GPS tracker require a monthly fee/service to "connect," but a GPS car navigator (e.g. Garmin) does not? | [
"So GPS is a completely passive technology. A GPS receiver listens to signals broadcast by a group of satellites at known locations, and uses the timing difference between those signals to calculate its own location relative to the satellites. But the end result is that *only the GPS receiver knows its location*. T... | [
"Gps receiver in the phone doesn't need cell/data service to work. It'll receive the satellite signal(s) directly. If you travel internationally, download the map of the area you will be in beforehand then you can use the GPS in your phone to navigate without roaming data charges."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
When you throw a ball in a parabola, does it actually trace a parabola? | [
"A parabola is what you get in the idealised case where the force of gravity is a constant. This is a good aproximation for movement near Earth's surface, 13,000km from the planet's centre. In your case, though, gravity is nowhere near a constant, so the parabola becomes an ellipse."
] | [
"Short Answer: **Because they are round and they rotate** Long(ish) Answer (ELI5 Style or maybe Bill Nye style... you decide): Pick a ball and rotate it hard on a flat surface.... now throw the ball against a wall so that it bounces back to you ... or look at a youtube video of any guy rotating a basketball on his ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why, after an emotionally taxing event such as a tough breakup or loss in the family, do people not experience hunger for a while? | [
"Loss of appetite is a common response to stressful situations. I guess it makes sense - if your body senses something dangerous or wrong in the environment, it's probably safer to avoid eating while dealing with the danger. It's not a terribly appropriate response to emotional turmoil, but it's just how we're wire... | [
"Whenever this happens to me, it's usually because I'm feeling a mixture of things all at once and it can be quite overwhelming. Things like happiness, reward, relief, sadness, excitement, and maybe even a little anger or frustration all come at me and then the smile cracks and the tears flow. This has happened to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The relationship between thunder and lightning | [
"Lightning is very hot, and quickly heats up the air right next to it around 35,000°F (hotter than the Sun's surface). Heating up the air this quickly causes it to expand really fast, creating a sonic boom. It's the same process that happens when a firecracker going off, but on a much larger scale."
] | [
"Winter weather is more stable, summer weather can change from hot to cold very fast, which often causes thunder/lightning."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How would you explain the Trinity? How can God and Jesus be different and the same. | [
"Not a Christian anymore, but I went to a private christian school throughout all of highschool, so I hope those mandatory Jesus classes taught me something. Jesus is the Son of God because he was given birth to on Earth. He lived his life as a human and even died. This humanity factor makes him separate from God, ... | [
"1. Jesus is the son of God 2. That humanity was and is estranged from God because of sin. 3. Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection make it possible for humanity to be reunited with God and to give us hope of that reunion. 4. That we are called to repent our sins with the hope of eternal life made possible by... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How are people/groups of people legally allowed to place "bounties" on others? | [
"They're not \"bounties\" like in the Boba Fett sense. They're rewards to turn over information which would lead to arrest/prosecution. Boba Fett bounties (\"Capture and/or kill this person\") are illegal."
] | [
"They're not \"stalking,\" in a typical sense. Private Investigators do their job which is \"investigate.\" Stalkers may break into homes, cars, and other property to steal items and do creepy things in general. Private Investigators can also work in tandem with the police if a case requires it. In short, Private I... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is Obama visiting Burma a big deal? | [
"Burma (or Myanmar) was a military dictatorship for decades. Not as isolated as North Korea, but still one of the most isolated and authoritarian countries on earth. Myanmar has recently taken steps towards becoming more democratic, and releasing government control over the economy. An American President visiting M... | [
"North Korea is on a whole 'nother level compared to Saudi Arabia and Qatar."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why does hot water rise and cold water sinks but ice floats? | [
"Ice is less dense than water, due to a quirk of its molecular structure. When water freezes its molecules form ring structures, increasing the volume without increasing the total mass. This reduces density, and since objects less dense then the liquid they're in float, ice floats."
] | [
"Whether or not something floats depends on it's weight compared to it's size (we call that density). When something is more dense than water it will sink, and if it is less dense than water it will float. In this case, the lime you have is more dense than water, but the lemon is not. That makes the lemon float, bu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
when cannabis was still illegal in the US, how did high profile smokers e.g. Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen etc. Not get charged for possesion? | [
"Uh...I thought cannabis was still illegal in the U.S. Maybe not all parts of it, but...you know..."
] | [
"Yes. People in jail for marijuana posession etc are still in jail in the states that legalized it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Entertainment:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Entertainment:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do you tell the difference between a real and fake diamond with the naked eye? | [
"Find some glass you don't care about and drag the diamond across its surface, a real diamond will score the glass whereas a fake diamond will just glide along."
] | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why is it comfortable to sleep under a warm blanket in a cool room but uncomfortable to sleep without a blanket in a warm room? | [
"You're just used to sleeping with a blanket. The comfort and security isn't only about temperature."
] | [
"What you feel is the difference in temperature. When you are in a hot tub, you feel hot, because you are colder than the surrounding water. When you get in a cold pool, you feel cold because you are warmer than the pool water. Similarly, when you have a fever you feel cold because you are relatively warmer compare... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do people develop a phobia? | [
"I just came here to point out that trypophobia isn't a real phobia. It's a survival thing. It stems from your body not wanting to enter a small space because if anything at all shifts you will be stuck in that space and die. I really hate how popular that phrase has become because it's as normal as a fear of the d... | [
"How do you define your hints of schizophrenia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How does hair grow AFTER shaving? | [
"Shaving only removes the hair that's exposed. It does not remove the hair root. Your leg hair will grow back after shaving When it does grow back, the tip of the hair will be flat. That's what causes the prickling. Plucked hairs grow back more naturally feel"
] | [
"Possibly involves direct stimulation of hair follicle growth; may increase local blood flow; and stimulate dormant/resting hair follicles What's interesting is that once you start it you can't stop. If you start bucking the system it hurts hair growth. Much like acne medication or OTC creams you need to use it EVE... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
If I bought a brand new muffler for a car, put it to my mouth and screamed, would it make any noise? Why/why not? | [
"Mufflers are tuned in such a way to cancel out a specific type of noise. A 9 year old screaming would probably not be \"muffled\" to the extent that an engine is. [Read more here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Let me answer your question with another question: if you tape a grenade to the back of someone's head and pull the pin, what happens to the front of their head? Same thing, more or less."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why does some poop sink and others floats? | [
"Just for a quick answer a poop that floats is caused by having a larger amount of fat in it."
] | [
"do they squirm when you squeeze them? if so yes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I've heard that roads tend to be safer without speed limits. Why does the US still have them? | [
"Because roads *are* safer with speed limits. There are many scientists who work in road safety, and they would be in 99% agreement over this. The European and Scandanavian countries that have the lowest fatality rates in the world also have the lowest speed limits (UK, Netherlands, Sweden)."
] | [
"I know that in New York the state speed limit is 55, and if there isn't a speed limit sign for a certain distance, the state speed limit is assumed. You can imagine town speed limits as posted exceptions to the norm."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Driving and traffic regulations:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Driving and traffic regulations:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
If someone were farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in the other, wouldn't they just balance out? | [
"You aren't viewing the farsighted lens' vision through the nearsighted lens, to correct the farsightedness, or vice versa. You've got a farsighted (out of focus) image, and a near-sighted (out of focus) image. Two out of focus images."
] | [
"Vision can be evaluated using the Snellen chart. If you can see at 20 feet what you should be able to see at 20 feet, then you have 20/20 vision. If you can see at 20 feet what you should be able to see at 10 feet, you have 20/10 vision. If you have to be at 20 feet to see what you should be able to see at 40 feet... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do all in-flight map screens seem to utilise the same laggy style and design in this day and age of Google Earth? | [
"The computers on planes are years old because of the extensive and time-consuming safety testing they have to undergo, plus the delay in getting them installed (the airline doesn't like to take the plane out of service for upgrades)."
] | [
"Because large hit targets are much more pleasant to use on a mobile device than zooming in and panning to find the right button. What do you think is not intuitive about the mobile site?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
how are we able to manufacture computer processors with such high precision? Wouldn't just a few defective transistors out of the billions on the chip cause it to malfunction? | [
"Actually, a lot of the transistors produced ARE defective. Sometimes yields are quite low... usually below 50%! The \"secret\" to producing chips that don't malfunction is that each chip is individually tested and verified to be working properly. Kinda like condoms :)"
] | [
"Moore's law is just a rule of thumb, really. Transistors are *so damn tiny* right now that we have to invent new technology at every single step to get them any smaller. There's no way we could have made them that small back in the 60's. For one thing, we lacked computers powerful enough to design the very transis... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about technology:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about technology:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How can old game emulators create save states perfectly at any moment? | [
"An emulator is a lot like a virtual machine, in that you can do many more things (such as create snapshots of a single point in time) with them than you can with the operating system itself. A save state is a snapshot of the contents of the RAM within the emulated system, which can be loaded back into RAM by the e... | [
"They run the machine and the game. It's twice the job, since each input has to be translated into a game system input before being sent to the game, which returns something to the \"game system\" which has to be translated to be shown to you, while the game is running. If you add to this all the poor quality ROMs ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Technology:"
} |
The difference between feminism and equality? | [
"Feminism is a movement or school of thought concerned with equality. Equality is a concept regarding the state of being similarly valuable. Equality in this context means people within society having equal opportunities or equal social status"
] | [
"Left-wing answer: Not enough socialism Right-wing answer: Too much socialism"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How auto-dimming rearview mirrors work | [
"Yarr! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: how do auto-dimming rearview mirrors work? ](_URL_0_) 1. [ELI5: how do autodimming mirrors work? ](_URL_1_)"
] | [
"There is a sensor on the windshield, usually translucide so you don't see the wires. This sensor act like a phone touch screen, it changes capacitance when water is rolling down on the windshield. this changes inform the onboard computer and automatically engage the wipers. Some also provide how much water there i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why are parents more worried about giving their kids more freedom compared to the 70's to 90's when the crime rate was higher? | [
"The actual crime rate was higher, but the perception of crime is higher now. Lots of people talk about how the world got unsafer. That is not based on actual crime statistics (which have all been going down) but rather on the fact that because we live in such an interconnected world nowadays, we hear *everything*.... | [
"Due to tough laws (e.g. drug laws), some which require mandatory sentences. The three-strikes law, for example requires a long prison sentence for anyone who is convicted of three felonies in their life. Fun Fact: as these tough laws have been added to the books over the last few decades, the crime rate has dropp... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between turbulent and laminar flow in a fluid? | [
"Laminar as in layers. In laminar flow, the layers of air flowing across a surface or through a conduit move in the same direction at the same speed. In turbulent flow, the air tumbles around in different directions at different speeds. You can see turbulent flow as you pour cream into coffee. Turbulent flow makes ... | [
"Liquids can be compressed. Incompressible liquid is a common assumption to make for certain flow calculations because for example the compressibility of water in a river has virtually no impact on the flow. In high pressure hydraulic systems the compressibility of the oil can be important"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If students are unable to repay loans and have no bankruptcy protection, what are the negative effects for students? | [
"Off the top of my head the two big ones are wage garnishment (your creditor gets to collect part of your paycheck to pay towards your debt) and asset seizures (creditors can attach liens to your property, sell your property, and then use those proceeds to pay off your debt). Defaulting on your student loans can le... | [
"After you file, the lawyers will contact your debts and let them know so they stop calling you. They will ask about your assets, some of which may be claimed to go against the debt. For example, if you own a few vehicles, you may be forced to sell one or two. That depends though. Over the next 9 months, you make p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How are large national gangs like the Bloods and the Crips organized? Is there actually a central leader or just a bunch of groups that call themselves "Bloods" and "Crips"? | [
"The [STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW](_URL_0_) podcast does an episode on exactly this."
] | [
"The Bloods were specifically created with the intention of fighting against the Crips. The Crip alliance (the Crips & Bloods are alliances/associations of street gangs rather than being two obvious groups) was increasingly powerful/numerous following its creation and was becoming a threat to rival local gangs like... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
if we live inside the Milky Way, how can we see the whole thing in the sky at night? | [
"We can't see the whole thing, or rather, the thing we call the Milky Way in the night sky isn't the entire Milky Way. As you note, our sun and all of the stars near us are also part of the same galaxy. However, we're way on the outer edge of the galaxy, which means that when you look in the direction of the center... | [
"No because it can't be done. For example if you put a football stadium on the Moon it would appear as 1 pixel in a picture by the Hubble Space Telescope. I know, but how does it look at other galaxies when they're so far away? Because galaxies are huge. Even something like the Andromeda Galaxy, which is over 2 mi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about astronomy:",
"pos": "Represent the document about astronomy:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between the federal election process in America and Canada? | [
"The actual ELI5 version? In Canada you are voting for a chair in a room of many chairs, in America you are voting for the throne."
] | [
"What's the reasoning behind term limits being a good idea?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How do they get release from people of prank interviews? | [
"Publicity. They understand its a joke show but there is a real underlying theme especially with the Colbert report. He has an agenda. That agenda is to inform people of real world events without bias by mocking the persona of similar news casters and exploiting their biases. Its purely entertainment but he's mocki... | [
"I want to know if prank calls take place between world leaders."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why are there so many different forms of pasta? Isn't it all the same stuff? What's the difference? | [
"Different shapes are intended to work [together with different sauces](_URL_0_) to improve flavour, supposedly. Also there's a lot of different pasta with stuffing inside and some types with unusual ingredients that mix up the flavour and/or the colour of the pasta itself - spinach, saffron, lemon..."
] | [
"I think of it like noodles and ramen. Ramen is a kind of noodle, but a very specific kind from a specific nation and culture. You wouldn't call spaghetti or mac 'n' cheese ramen, even if they're in the same broad \"family\" of food items, just like you wouldn't say that a Wile E. Coyote short is anime even though ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Does the movie studio pay the movie theater to show their movie? Or does the movie theater pay the movie studio to bring in customers by letting them show their movie? | [
"The movie studios and the theaters split the income depending on when people buy tickets to the movie, basically, each side gets a percent of ticket sales For example: Weeks 1 & 2: 90% studio / 10% theater Weeks 3 & 4: 70% studio / 30% theater Weeks 5+: 50% / 50% This can and will vary depending on specifics and t... | [
"The distributor will make a determination on that based on the quality of the movie, and they market at the time. Many movies are destined for DVD from the outset. Some may go straight to DVD based on what that studio and others have released at that time. The movie studios have to keep the exhibitors (that is, yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why airlines don't sell empty seats on flights at cheap rates | [
"Because people who purchase tickets last minute usually *have* to travel and will pay the full price. It's rare that a plane will be relatively empty. When that happens, it's probably just a fluke. If a route regularly has a lot of empty seats, they airlines will drop one of the flights and put it on a more profit... | [
"There are two reasons airlines are able to sell some tickets so cheap. The first is that they make up the money on other tickets. They sell a portion of tickets cheap, advertise those tickets like mad at times when they aren't going to sell too well, and get known for selling cheap tickets. But at times when peopl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What is HDR and why do people like it so much? | [
"HDR stands for High Dynamic Range imaging. In laymen's terms, it takes several photos at different contrasts sort of at once, and then combines the images together. This way, the picture looks more like what your eyes see."
] | [
"The TV shows produced for Netflix and other networks are 16:9 already. I'm not totally sure what you're asking. Can you give us an example?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom still held in high regard? What purpose do they serve? | [
"The simple answer, Timmy, is tradition. England has had a monarchy almost continuously for just shy of 1000 years. Major historical events have centered around British Kings and Queens (the signing of the Magna Carta and the American Revolution for starters). People LIKE tradition, Timmy. It makes them feel secure... | [
"She gives Royal Assent to any laws passed by Parliament (as do the Governors General elsewhere in the Commonwealth, such as Canada). No bill passed by Parliament actually becomes a law until she signs it. That said, her signature is basically guaranteed; she isn't likely to usurp the authority of Parliament. Her n... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I'm five, explain how Google works. | [
"I actually am currently reading a book on Google and how it works. The search engine ELI5 link is good, but for Google specifically, they use keywords on websites to see what other websites are linked to it. The more traffic the linking websites get, the more important Google views them. Google also predicts simil... | [
"Because it's better than everyone switching to firefox."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why haven't we adopted IPv6 if we've practically 'run out' of public IPv4 addresses? | [
"From an administrative standpoint there's a certain amount of legwork to be done to convert over to IPv6, but there would also be issues with legacy devices being able to access IPv6 addresses and I assume this has factored in sonewhat. Also to be noted, ICANN (the organization that hands out blocks of IPv4 addres... | [
"That’s IPv6 (as opposed to the familiar IPv4). The standard has been around for quite some time and is slowly gaining traction. Most infrastructure anymore can route both, and you’ll sometimes see both addresses for your hardware. The big advantage of v6 is that allows for many, many more IP addresses than v4–we’r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why is desalination not yet a cost effective solution for the world's clean water demands? | [
"There are only a few ways to desalinate water. One way is to boil and condense the water, a process called distillation. The problem with this is that it takes a relatively enormous amount of energy to boil water so it isn't practical. If we had limitless energy available to us then it would definitely be on the t... | [
"The equivalent of 2,000 square kilometres of solar panels would produce energy equal to roughly 1% America's annual fossil fuel consumption. All the solar panels on Earth, put together, equal less than 20 square kilometres. Not to say solar can't be a part of our energy solution, it's just not likely to be a very ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Would a wet towel dry in space? | [
"Yes, the water would vaporize due to the low (almost zero) pressure. You can see a similar effect when water in a sealed jar is placed under a vacuum--it begins to boil, even at room temperature. _URL_0_"
] | [
"Why do I feel as though my bottles of water don't do this but instead just freeze normally in the freezer?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why you can drink in public, so long as your booze is in a brown paper bag. | [
"She was just being nice. While they cannot legally search your bag without your consent, they can detain you until a warrant is filed or if there is probable cause to search (read:obvious intoxication). Both of those take time. The chatting may have just been a way to gauge how drunk you were. She saw no over into... | [
"Who said you couldn't? Take your trash, bag it up, carry it over to your nearest volcano, and throw it in. While your at it, take mine too. Thanks."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does the number on an analog bathroom scale go up when you bend down to read it? | [
"A bathroom scale doesn't measure weight, it measures normal reaction. When you bend, the normal force on different areas of your sole changes to keep you from toppling over. If it increases at the place where the sensors are present, it gives a larger reading. A similar thing could happen if you stand on one foo... | [
"Mostly, it is a sign of low blood pressure or adrenal exhaustion. It takes pressure to raise a column of water a certain height. You are the height in this case and the water column is your blood. As you stand, your body has to increase the blood pressure to keep everything in balance. It is natural for a well pe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Health and Wellness:"
} |
Why did wireless charging take so long to come about given that the physical principles behind it are very simple? | [
"One big issue to consider is the ubiquity of rechargeable devices. Sure, 10-20 years ago we could have made wireless recharging mats and the like, but there wouldn't be a reason. No one had devices that required frequent recharging. For example, my first cell phone a mere 10 years ago needed to be recharged once ... | [
"A small solar panel isn't the most efficient or reliable energy source, so for a portable device to be able to be solar powered, it has to consume very little power and suffer no ill effects if the source is suddenly cut off. There simply aren't a lot of devices that fulfill both of these criteria. As it happens, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is happening inside when I'm losing weight? | [
"Usually, when the body gets more energy (calories) for what it needs for its internal functions (cell multiplication, moving muscles and heart beating, thinking, every single one of those would use up incredible amount of energy), it simply stores them as fat stored in several parts in your body for when it would ... | [
"And more importantly how do I get one for myself?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about biology:"
} |
Why does looking at the horizon help against seasickness? | [
"It gives your mind a frame of reference to determine exactly what is level. When you know what \"level\" is, your brain can deal with the motions reported by your inner ear. If you're inside a closed space and the boat is rocking around a lot, your eyes are telling your brain that you are standing on level ground... | [
"Your inner ear tells your brain that you're moving, but your eyes (focusing on the book rather than seeing things pass by outside the car) tell you you're not moving. This conflicting message makes some people sick, if they're prone to motion sickness."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why the order of numbers on a calculator and a phone dialpad are reversed? | [
"Because the two standards were developed by different people at around the same time. Some of the early calculator manufacturers decided on the ascending pattern, some of the early keyed phone manufacturers decided on the descending pattern."
] | [
"Your calculator doesn't store all of the digits for 2^50, so the 1 at the very end gets removed from the memory. How many digits a calculator actually holds depends from calculator to calculator."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Mathematics:"
} |
Why does cable T.V. show advertisements, but Netflix, which is way cheaper, doesn't? | [
"Two completely different businesses in two completely different industries, doing two completely different things. Netflix started out as a movie rental company, and because it was a startup and not in the slow-moving cable industry, it was able to jump on streaming on-demand content before anyone else. Which is ... | [
"Television in the US (free television) is regulated heavily on what types of content they can show, and when. AMC is a paid-for cable network and can typically show whatever they want. They are paid via advertisments and typically don't show anything viewed as obscene (advertisers won't pay em!) They aren't as ex... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Entertainment:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Entertainment:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does AT & T giving customers unlimited streaming mean a "war on an open internet" ? | [
"It starts creating walled gardens of the internet. With a limited data cap, it hurts any streaming service that's not covered under their unlimited streaming plan. Why watch Netflix when Hulu doesn't use up data? With zero rating programs like this, it's like every *other* service is penalized. Imagine if 10 compa... | [
"you can only get 60 channels on cable. Without net neutrality you may eventually be limited to 60 websites."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do countries still loan us money if we already owe trillions upon trillions dollars? | [
"Because the US government is a very good credit risk. The Dollar is a stable currency, and the US repays its debts. The US borrows money by auctioning off bonds. If people were afraid the US wouldn't repay, then the bids would come in lower. The effect is that the US would pay more interest on its bonds. Today, th... | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does currency in other countries have more value than currencies in different countires? | [
"Supply and demand, let's pretend there are three guys in a world that Jelly beans are money. One guy has orange beans, one guy has black beans and one guy has blue beans. Each guy has five beans and they buy and work for more beans. The orange bean guy said screw that and just made 10 more beans. The others compla... | [
"Let's be clear; Because a currency is worth more than another currency doesn't mean that the economy is better. Such as Cyprus, their currency exchanges twice of that of a dollar, however they have a small economy. With that out of the way, Canadia's dollar is worth less for a possible of reasons. Maybe Canada ha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Economics:"
} |
If our bodies are 37*C, why does water at that temperature feel warm? | [
"One important detail - 37°C is the CORE (i.e. inside your body) temperature. Your hands (which you most likely use to touch the water) are cooler, significantly so in some people."
] | [
"Because your lungs are quite moist, as you breathe the cold air in it works like wind-chill, rapidly cooling the surfaces inside your lungs (and your lungs have a LOT of surface area). Your lungs, like most of your body, have nerve endings which detect this and send a pain signal to your brain Remember that cold a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What is the process of remastering old films/movies? Also, as a followup, how long does this typically take? | [
"Strangely, (at least it seems strange to some people) regular old film is extremely detailed, somewhere around 25 megapixels per image. In order to distribute a movie, it gets converted to an easier-to-use format, but this process loses some of the detail. This isn't a problem because if they convert it to DVD, fo... | [
"George Lucas wanted all films to be shot digitally. He invested a lot into the digital process and Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones was one of the first feature length films to be completely shot digitally. So basically Disney is saying fu to Lucas who was trying to push digital film adoption with the success of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do airport runways cost "14-18 billion pounds to build?" | [
"very quick calculations at the rates we use for roads shows about 100 million dollars just to place the material, 3000m x 50m of crushed rock base and concrete surface. thats the absolute bare minimum. you also have costs with excavation, transportation, buying the land, fittings (lights and signs etc), probably a... | [
"Believe it or not, all other options were actually more expensive than $34.5 million. The reservoir is huge, and any attempt to cover it would cost a significant amount of money. Edit: from _URL_0_ > Each ball costs only 36 cents, making it a cheaper solution than alternatives such as dividing the reservoir into t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How did artists like Van Gogh paint self-portraits without the painting being mirrored? | [
"You could always make a trace first and flip it if you're that concerned about 100% accuracy, but I wouldn't assume that a lot of famous self portraits *aren't* mirrored unless there's a clearly defining asymmetric feature that's present in both portaits and self portraits. Just a note about Van Gogh specifically,... | [
"The camera and photography occurred. Most art before the invention of the camera was for duplicating and capturing life-like images. Why hire a painter to paint a portrait when a photo will do? Now that we can capture images perfectly, art has to focus on things that aren't so easily captured: emotions and ideas."... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is it that the majority of sinks dispense aerated bubbly water rather than a smooth uninterrupted stream? Is this done on purpose? If so why? | [
"Yes it's done on purpose, the tap of your sink has an aerator on it. If you look at it from below, you can see the little mesh screen, and you can unscrew it if you really want to. It's in place to reduce the amount of water you use because you will almost never need a solid column of water. It also helps to keep ... | [
"They run the pump one way when circulating the water to wash the dishes - this way round it sucks water against the filter. When it's time to empty the water out, it runs the pump the other way, flushing all the stuff - even quite big things like peas - down the waste. At least, that's European dishwashers. I've n... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do astronauts get enough air? | [
"The ISS atmosphere is 21% oxygen 79% nitrogen at 1atm pressure. Oxygen production is carried out by electrolysis of water in the station's 2 oxygen generation systems (ECLSS in the US Discovery module, and Elektron in the Russian Zvezda module). Backup is provided by oxygen tanks and emergency solid fuel oxygen ge... | [
"Truthfully, we don't really know, that is part of the mission of the International Space Station. To monitor the effects long periods of weightlessness have on the human body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What is the idea behind people being 'served' papers, usually through some form of trickery as seen in media. | [
"I served papers for about 3 months. It was an allright job but could be a pain in the ass. I personally never had to use any trickery. I just walked up to there door and knocked. A few people did avoid me. My boss did not use trickery she would just sit outside there house and wait. Eventually people have to come ... | [
"A mixture of contacting them, most likely through a friend of a source kinda deal and reenactments. Not like the police can use it as evidence."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Law and Entertainment:"
} |
Why does the death penalty cost tax payers more than life without parole? | [
"All of the appeals that are allowed before the sentence is carried out. Court costs"
] | [
"Due to tough laws (e.g. drug laws), some which require mandatory sentences. The three-strikes law, for example requires a long prison sentence for anyone who is convicted of three felonies in their life. Fun Fact: as these tough laws have been added to the books over the last few decades, the crime rate has dropp... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Back in the first half of the 20th century, how were movies edited? What was used to apply special effects? How was the movie distributed to theaters before any major digital technology came out? | [
"You know how in video editing they call it a \"cut\"? Well, in the film days movies were edited by literally cutting the film with a razor blade, and gluing it onto other film. Special effects were largely done practically during shooting. For example, they would use a mirror to make it look like an actor was ins... | [
"Rotoscoping is the correct answer. Rotoscoping is defined as any technique whereby animation is created on top of live footage, either with the intention to replace it entirely or to integrate it into the original shot. The technology we use to achieve this in modern day filmmaking is different from the techniques... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What are the limitations that prevent us from making super-fast vehicles (e.g. 1,000mph cars) | [
"Wind resistance increases something like square of the velocity. And we only have the science to reduce drag by so much. You eventually hit a point, like with say the Bugatti Veyron or F1 cars where to go 1 mph faster would require 100 more horsepower, requiring 50 lbs more weight.... and the hp/weight starts brin... | [
"Rigid ships like the Hindenburg were 3-4x bigger than a 747 and travelled around 80 Mph, where the 747 holds 8x the number of passengers and travels at 500 Mph."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does observing an electron modify how it acts? | [
"If you observe something you have to interact with it in some way. For instance you might shine a light on it or hit it with some energy or a particle beam. Well, that interaction will have a consequence. So things will happen that would not have happened if you did not interact and observe it."
] | [
"If the photon is permanently caught, it cannot make it to your eye."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why is it wrong for a country to save a lot of money? | [
"Basically German domestic consumption is really, really low because they save so much. Consumption is what drives economic activity and the Eurozone in particular has suffered from a dearth of consumer spending. The fact that Germany has tons of money but squirrels it away in corporate and government savings acc... | [
"Because it is worth a lot of money to the government!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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What does the President of France do as Co-Prince of Andorra? | [
"The coprinses have, like most heads of state of modern monarchies, more of a ceremonial function than a political one. The don't even have the right to veto governmental decisions. They are also have representatives in place so the President of France will normally not directly concern Andorran affairs that often.... | [
"The Head of the Church of England is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Head of the Catholic Church is His Holiness Pope Francis."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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Why can we see faraway light source (e.g. cars, lamps, stars) clearly when it doesn't seem to illuminate my position? | [
"The difference is this: For you to see light, the light has to be strong enough to reach your eye and produce a reaction there. For it to illuminate you, it would have to reach you, scatter off you, reach someone else's eye, and produce a reaction there. During the scattering, the light is spread out more, so it b... | [
"Compared to nebulae, planets are very very very very very small. You can see a mountain that is 1 kilometre away from you much clearer than you can see a grain of sand that is 1 metre away. Edit: as several people have mentioned, planets don't emit any light of their own, this makes it extremely difficult to see p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about astronomy:"
} |
Tv/Cable, ISP, Phone companies | [
"LOL nobody in this thread knows what the fuck they're talking about. The definitive answer is the Telecommunications Act of 1996, signed by Bill Clinton. This act deregulated markets to allow corporations to operate across state lines, ostensibly to foster competition. In reality all it did was let the mega-corpor... | [
"Relevant entertaining and informative youtube video Electrocution in Water: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What is it about overheating that is bad for computer parts? | [
"Simple, Heat causes things to expand very slightly. Lets say you have a microchip that's just been soldered onto a circuit board, and it runs very hot. The circuit board around it doesn't run hot since it's a circuit board, which means the microchip expands, putting STRESS on those solder joints. Those can eventua... | [
"So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
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How does medicine work with our body to relieve pain in different parts of our body? Back ache-Take an asprin. Tooth ache-Take the same asprin. | [
"Pharmacist here. To ELI5 this: basically, there are enzymes which facilitate reactions (cause them to happen more rapidly and more often) which cause signals to be sent producing pain. The name of the enzyme medicines like Ibuprofen target is called cyclo-oxygenase, or COX for short. Meds like this are closely rel... | [
"They both function a bit differently, but essentially, here are some key points: Paracetamol/Tylenol: More effective at reducing headaches, more difficult for liver to process when taken in large amounts, fever reducer, more of a pure pain killer Ibuprofen/Advil: More effective at reducing inflammation/general ach... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
- Bandwidth and broadband linespeed | [
"_URL_0_ gives you the results in bits per seconds, while it's generally presented in bytes per second in applications used for downloading. So when you're downloading at 1.1MB/s, you're using 8.8Mb/s, because 1 byte is 8 bits."
] | [
"Here's a pretty good explainer. _URL_0_ Basically it comes down to different memory, different promises (reliability and service life), and different marketing."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does tap water seem to taste better or worse in different areas? Is it because of what we've been accustomed to or is it a mix of minerals that actually contribute to the taste? | [
"There is a lot of variety regarding minerals in the water in different places, plus different water sources that need more or less treatment and may have undesirable tastes or colours from contaminants or byproducts. Water quality can vary greatly, even water deemed \"safe\" can be of a lower quality in one area t... | [
"Water's flavour can be determined by the mineral content of the area in which it is gotten. If a region has a high salt content in the ground, the water may take on a salty flavor. If it is iron rich ground, it may taste like iron. Typically the advanced water treatment facilities have methods that can take 99% of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do tired children become all restless, not calm? That does not seem to make sense. Or does it? | [
"Based upon my 14 month old daughter, it's because they're fighting the sleepiness. Their bodies are telling them that they need to rest, but their mind is telling them that they want to keep playing and explore and interact or whatever. It's how bedtime goes most nights. She fights it and gets crazy and squirms a... | [
"A lot of nerves in your ear canal link to most of your body. Tickling them makes your blood pressure drop and thus leads to pleasure. At least that's what I read. Correct me if I'm wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Health and wellness:"
} |
How can meteorologists predict temperatures, even within 2-3 degree ranges? | [
"Meteorologists haver been keeping records of things for a long time...they are some of the first \"big data\" people. Basically, on a global scale, things like temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind direction measured and recorded. Patterns and trends are observed... if the data in a certain area looks a certa... | [
"It means that, looking at the current atmospheric conditions, rain (or snow or other precipitation) occurred about 30% of the time when similar conditions were seen in the past."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about weather:"
} |
How does salt act as preservative in food? | [
"Salt kills bacteria and molds by drying them out. The growth of bacteria and molds is what makes your food go bad, so inhibiting the growth of those stops your food from going bad. And no, the food does not get less salty as time passes. Maybe the salt becomes more evenly distributed, but the amount of salt remain... | [
"OJ needs to be refrigerated because it usually doesn't contain preservatives. Preservatives have more of a negative effect on OJ flavor than most juices."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Food and Beverage:"
} |
why in Germany or The Netherlands the youth unemployment rate is under 9% while in countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal the same rate ranges from a 40% to 60%? | [
"Overall unemployment in Germany and the Netherlands is significantly lower, so without a lot of unemployed, experienced workers around, businesses have no real choice. They would either have to get into a bidding war with other businesses over older, already trained workers, or hire young people and train them the... | [
"Retirement age is as low as 55 for some jobs, pensions at 80% start at 58 (compared with 65 for many other countries like Germany). There is a heavily bloated public sector. This is combined with a culture of tax evasion even called \"national sport\". It could be as high as 40-45% of taxes uncollected."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What being "spiritual" but not religious means? | [
"When people say they are 'religious', it generally means they can put a name/label to their beliefs (ex. I am a Christian/Muslim/Buddhist/etc). When people say they are 'spiritual', it usually means they believe in a higher power/supernatural forces but don't have a name for it (ex. they believe in miracles, but t... | [
"I believe being sexually and emotionally attracted to someone of the same sex is what makes you homosexual. That's just what I've been told though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
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The IMF and their relationship to Greece and Germany. | [
"The IMF was originally created to serve as an international institution to prevent another Great Depression and World War from happening. Much of the discussion that went into creating the IMF also serves as the global financial backbone of the world economy. I wouldn't say that they have complete control over Gre... | [
"The decline of the British Empire leading up to two World Wars that almost bankrupt most of Europe."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about World Affairs:"
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If you are killed out in public (i.e. hit by a car, stabbed, etc.) how do the police find out who your next of kin is to notify them? | [
"Depends. The easiest way would be to find your wallet. They also try and ask people around the scene or wait until a missing persons report is filed. Edit: Oh and fingerprint, dna, and dental records can be used too."
] | [
"While I am not a LEO right now, I am taking an internship at my local PD. From what I understand from the course, Citizens Arrest is so that someone that is a danger to society can be held by a citizen until the police show up. A good example is if someone stabs someone, drops the knife and runs. But you saw it, a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Law enforcement:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Law enforcement:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
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nitroglycerin pills for heart attacks vs. nitroglycerin needs to be handled carefully or it blows up. How is this the same substance? | [
"Nitroglycerin tablets are solid. It is the liquid form that is unstable. This link might help you _URL_0_"
] | [
"For some, you do! Some start with a double dose first and the. A single dose for the duration. But too strong a dose can cause side effects and may be more than body can absorb before expelling other ways."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
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How is it that Sweden has a lower GDP per capita than Mississippi, but a much higher standard of living? | [
"Sweden doesn't have a lower GDP per capita. Mississippi's GDP per capita in 2015 was $35,717. Sweden's was around $50,000. GDP per capita also doesn't take into account wealth distribution. If a few people make billions of dollars in a year while most everyone else just makes a few thousand, you can have a high G... | [
"Because most of its citizens are still poor, subsistence farmers or low skilled factory workers, etc. The economy is massive but their population is ALSO massive. Their per capita GDP is about 1/7 that of the U.S."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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why does rice have more genes than humans do? | [
"The number of genes isn't what determines complexity, it's how those genes are used. Imagine the same principle with language. If you try to describe something simple with thousands of words, your description isn't more complex than a short and precise one. To oversimplify: In plants, 10 genes might do 10 differen... | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
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If marriage is a legal framework, why is adultery not a punishable offense? | [
"It is - in most places - grounds for the dissolution of the contract of marriage - aka divorce. There are plenty of contract violations that are not criminal offenses."
] | [
"The second and third marriages are not state sanctioned. They might call each other husband and wife, they might have a religious wedding, but there was no marriage license. Even if they lied, saying they had never been married, the subsequent marriages would be declared invalid as soon as the first marriage came ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Why does burnt stuff taste so bad? | [
"It's because foods have sugar in them. Caramelization is what makes the sugar taste sweet, and if it burns, the compounds in the sugar change, making it taste bitter. So basically, the hotter the sugar gets, the bigger the taste will differ."
] | [
"Your mouth would taste like nothing if it's very clean. If it's not clean it still tastes like nothing because your used to it. If you want to taste it drink some water. You'll say \"eww! The water is gross.\" Turns out the water is just fine. It just brings out the bad flavor in your mouth. Brush your teeth and t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
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} |
If WWI and WWII never happened, what would the be our current population on earth. | [
"There is no way to know because history would be entirely different. Maybe we wouldn't have been so hesitant about using nuclear weapons in the Cold War since no one saw the destruction caused by the atomic bomb and we would have nuked ourselves into near-extinction. Or maybe we would have all gotten along really ... | [
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does a fingerprint scanner work? | [
"These scanners look for certain points on the fingerprint and then convert it into a hash, a number, to compare it against the enrolled fingerprints. Not all points need to match, allowing a bad image or damaged finger to authenticate. Given the hash you can not recreate the finger print. Some scanners, like ones ... | [
"Are you asking how a wheel works ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
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Why aren't American politicians taking payments from companies prosecuted/fined/penalised for bribery/corruption? | [
"They aren't taking direct money into their pockets. That would be bribery. Super PACs that support them and run all of their advertising, lawyers, strategists get the money. This is considered separate."
] | [
"Singapore is very authoritarian and treats crime extremely harshly. Corporal punishment (caning) for minor infractions is not uncommon, and the death penalty is regularly applied, even for nonviolent crimes like drug trafficking."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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Why does it take several decades to dismantle a nuclear power plant and only a few years to build it? | [
"While being built, none of the parts are radioactive. You don't need any special protection and can discard waste as any other construction site. However, many of the components become radioactive during use. Waiting some time allows the radiation levels to drop off, and upon dismantling, the waste must be careful... | [
"People believe movies. People think Chernobyl is how most nuclear plants are built and operated. Most people aren't aware that it's statistically more dangerous to live near a coal power plant (radiation and all) than near a nuclear power plant."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Do the countries where the immigrant children escape to the US (like Honduras) want the kids back? What are the reactions of those governments and what happens when those kids are sent back? | [
"At the beach I worked at there are a four and five year old down by the water's edge for ten minutes. On rotation I go over, ask them what they're building, how its constructed then, \"Who are you here with? They look at me dumbfounded and then at each other. Without really considering I ask, \"Where is your mom... | [
"Who is \"America?\" I think you'll find that comparatively few people actually support the wall. Besides, these days less than half of people illegally crossing the southern border are Mexican. Most of them are from other central american states like Honduras and El Salvador."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why is it common for McDonalds in multiple countries to have technical "problems" with their ice cream machines? | [
"It doesn't break. It's down for maintenance. The maintenance cycle takes a few hours and they can only perform maintenance during work hours."
] | [
"The individual store records the fact that they gave out a free drink, and the corporation refunds them partially or fully. Often, individual stores are allowed to opt out of these promotions, hence the \"at participating locations\" disclaimer when they are advertised."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Do mental issues run in the bloodline or do they develop, if they do, what causes them? | [
"\"Mental issues\" is very vague here. Some have genetic factors, some are exclusively a result of some sort of trauma, and many are in between. It *really* depends on which one you're talking about."
] | [
"The genes can be there in a person, but that does not necessarily mean that the disease will actually break out. One reason could be recessive genes (everyone has two sets of genes for everything - one from each parent - and if they are different, one kind usually has priority. If that is the healthy set of genes,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How did Brachiosaurus' find enough Vegetation to eat, and how were plants enough for this huge animal? | [
"They dont have to chase their food and theres a lot of it so they spend their entire day eating. Its just like how cows produce insane amounts of meat from mostly grass or hay. Because they eat constantly."
] | [
"They do have a lack of nutrition that's why they sleep 90% of the time, Its why they have to eat almost a ton of bamboo a day to survive, They don't have enough energy for sex which is part of the reason they are going extinct."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do people who plea guilty in court get time knocked off of their sentence when they still committed the same crime? | [
"Costs the state a whole lot less if they can avoid a trial, guarantees a conviction, etc. It's a form of leniency for admission of guilt and saving resources."
] | [
"If someone comits two crimes, you wouldn't just sentence them to life in prison for one of them and then forget about the second crime just because they already got a life sentence. Someone comits two horrendous acts of crime, they are sentenced separately for each. Besides, if someone were to appeal their life se... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why does it take so long to download something but such a short amount of time to delete it? | [
"When you download something every individual byte of information has to travel down the line to your computer. So it has to sent that amount of information. For example maybe say 40 Gigabytes all down the line to your computer. When you delete that information you dont remove that 40Gb what happens is the computer... | [
"So, I've read a lot of the answers, most of them are saying similar things. Where does it save the vide on your computer? For example, if I have less than a GB of space left on my computer, why can I still watch a several-minute HD video on YouTube without running out of space?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why is it in northern states (US) it can snow several feet and daily life doesn't change, but in southern states ~1 inch of snow can shut everything down? | [
"Infrastructure in place to deal with it, both people's stuff and city wide. If you live in an area that regularly gets snow, you have snowblowers. You have shovels. You have winter tires, and they're already on the car. The city has huge salt reserves, plows, you name it. if you live somewhere that *doesn't* get s... | [
"I think has to do more with road conditions more than temperature it has to be like really cold before they will cancel for temperatures usually. But if there's snowy, slushy or icy road conditions than that can put people at a safety risk when commuting to and from. That's how it works here where I live, I also h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why are American college athletes unpaid? | [
"in a way, they are getting paid. they get a free ride for their \"work\", is it fair? that's another story. * no tuition USD10-50k per year (depends on what school you go to) * usually, free meals during the school year * free housing * my freshmen roommate gets free books from the book store too. * some athletes ... | [
"College sports are billion dollar industries because the nation as a whole is invested in alma maters, student athletes, sports in its \"purest form,\" and the idea that \"I followed this player before he made it big.\" That's why people like Coach K have multimillion dollar salaries. It's economics, supply-and-de... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why do tractor trailers need so many gears? | [
"Just to allow them to tug more weight. You would need an insane amount of power to tow those trailers if you only had say 5 gears. Either you wouldn't have enough power, or your top speed would be very slow. Having more gears allow the driver to start moving the weight using the gears to keep the engine in it's op... | [
"> How do cars know how fast they're going? They know how big their tires are and count how many times they turn."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
Why has it been so hard for President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay? | [
"He is the President. He is not Congress. Most of the members of Congress do not want Guantanamo Bay closed. That is the simple answer. But this is ELI5. Lets get broader. Guantanamo Bay is a United States base leased from the Cuban Government for, I believe, 99 years. That government is long since vanished. But th... | [
"They could. The thing is, campaign promises are unenforceable. Obama promised to end the Afghanistan war, close Gitmo, protect whistleblowers and have a transparent administration."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How did a bunch of great actors agree to star in a movie that would obviously flop (emoji movie)? | [
"The producers managed to solicit funding for a passing fad from people who had more money than sense. They had a big outlay of cash and rather predictable costs for the actual production, so there was plenty of cash to pay for big name voices. I'd be willing to bet most of the voice work was remote; they just paid... | [
"Nightcrawler Ex Machina Inside Out Maybe you're just looking at the most heavily advertised movies. They get made simply because people pay to see them. And a lot of them are pretty awesome, 'reboot and adaptation' aside."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If humans were made for physical activities (not sitting for long hours), how is our body adjusting to us sitting for long hours staring at a screen | [
"There will only be an evolutionary change if people who have spontaneous mutations that allow them to complete desk work more easily and remain healthy end up having more offspring than those who die early of sedentary heart attacks."
] | [
"Next time you work an 8-hr stint behind a desk, count how many times you get up. Now see how far you can stretch or move around when you get cramps. Now see how long it takes for your arm to tire while holding on to the same object, always having at least one hand on it at all times, and moving or adjusting its po... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Somebody in the comments of this video said it wasn’t a heart problem. Why is this guy like he is? | [
"In the Reddit post about it, somebody claiming to be an ER/trauma doctor said it was a condition called [flail chest](_URL_0_). Rather than being the heart beating, the broken ribs move in & out as a response to air pressure from breathing."
] | [
"Probably flip a shit, when he turns out to be brown."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Religion:"
} |
Why is there a second explosion? | [
"So this is actually pretty cool. The second \"explosion\" you're seeing is called sonoluminescence, which can sometimes happen when bubbles in a liquid collapse. Basically it is a collapsing air pocket that explodes due to a violent change in pressure. You can see as the bullet strikes the gel it creates a large a... | [
"How do you even take a picture of the center of a tornado?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
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