query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
How blood is tested to identify the owner, given there are 7 billion potentials. | [
"You don't really use it to identify the owner, unless you already have their DNA on file. You would generally use it to compare one set of blood to another (ie, blood left at a crime scene compared to your suspects to find out whos blood it is)"
] | [
"No, blood can be used from anyone as long as it's the same type. The extra chromosome has no affect on that :)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can you domesticate bats? And if not, why? | [
"Given enough time, you could probably domesticate most animals. However, it might require centuries, or even longer. There are many features that can make a species suitable for domestication, but the most important one is being *useful*. Domestication takes a tremendous amount of effort, typically not the sort of... | [
"There's usually not much you can do to sway their minds. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Is there a good reason why we need to wear socks with shoes? | [
"Reduce friction. Absorb sweat. Keep insides of shoes cleaner, fresher. Adjust fit of loose shoes. I've searched tha seven seas fer an answer. Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: why do we wear socks with closed shoes? ](_URL_2_) ^(_5 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Why does putting socks, wh... | [
"Why do people in Western countries use forks?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why is a ceiling fan virtually silent, but not box fans/stand up fans? | [
"It's speed. Box fans are smaller so you want them to go faster. When I turn my ceiling fan on top speed, I hear it."
] | [
"Actually, it's to make sure the motor is able to overcome static friction to get the fan moving. If it started at 1 and the blades didn't start turning for whatever reason, it would burn out, or at least seriously damage, the motor. So start at high so that the blades are almost guaranteed to start turning, then r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is it that some primetime shows have 20 episodes per season, whereas others only have 10 episodes, or two 8-episode "half seasons"? | [
"Because different shows have different scheduling needs and different paces at which they want to put the story out there. It's usually the network's decision."
] | [
"There are definitely shows like Daredevil with varying lengths for episodes, ranging from 48 to 61 minutes each. So some shows will indeed take whatever amount of time they need to tell their story on Netflix."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How have we been able to artificially make some fruit seedless while others not (grapes vs. cherries, for instance)? | [
"A farmer grows 10 apples trees. When the Apple stork arrives and drops off the baby apples, the farmer finds that one tree is growing apples without seeds. The farmer shoots the stork, and using its dead lifeless beak, grafts the right parts of the tree for use in planting more apple trees. These end up having les... | [
"Apples are popular, so there’s a lot of effort that goes into new varieties. There aren’t heaps more heirloom types of apples than other fruits. There are heaps of figs, avocados and peaches for example."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If listening to music at high volumes is bad for your ears, why are headphone / PC amplifiers such a big deal? | [
"Headphone amplifiers are not merely just for increasing the volume. There are different specification for each headphones namely impedance (ohms) this value means it is harder to drive (or just harder to power). If you put a 600 ohm headphone on a soundcard/headphone amplifier that could only power a 300 ohm head... | [
"Learn the difference between open and closed headphones. Honestly that’s one of the only real specs that will truly affect your listening experience. If you’re going for speakers, then pay attention to your room dimensions and how you place your speakers. Most audiophile culture is frankly a rip off, but there are... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How can migratory birds cover such great distances, over such short periods of time? My friend said there are birds that can fly for 8 days straight. How do they do that with no sleep? | [
"Birds and other animals for that matter don't sleep exactly the same as humans do. Birds for example sleep sitting all the time. A human sitting on a branch would fall down the second he started sleeping. Most animals sleep standing on all fours. Dolphins sleep while swimming. And migratory birds sleep while flyin... | [
"That is what they are adapted to do. It is like asking how fish can swim all the time or how whales can hold their breath for so long. The stress of being used for what they do isn't something difficult for nipples to do."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why haven't consoles offered the option for multi-monitor gaming? Hardware limitations? | [
"Less hardware limitations, more interest limitations. Like any device, consoles are going to be developed to meet the needs / wishes of most of the target market. And most of the people playing consoles do not care for multi-monitor gaming. Half of the advantage of a console is that you can easily plug it into you... | [
"If you mean say between PC and consoles? You can from a technical perspective, but the different controller schemes are problematic, everytime anyone tests PC versus - anything the mouse and keyboard and higher FPS of some PC gamers just wrecks the console experience, and if you have chat for example, PC gamers h... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do only mediocre bands participate in Eurovision? | [
"Because it's not relevant. It's not a measure of quality. It's not a prize that's respected in the music industry. It's just television entertainment."
] | [
"If you're talking about America, that's simply not true. Go to any big Reddit thread and you'll see hundreds of comments talking about what a glorious socialist utopia Europe is. Many Americans also have varying degrees of obsession with British culture. Half the women in my family got up at 3 in the morning to wa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did people translate languages accurately when they didn't understand a word the other person was saying? | [
"If you have a living person who speaks the other language, you can work together to figure out each other's language, especially if you know anything about linguistics. It might take some time, but you can work it out with another person. If there's no living speaker then you need some kind of reference that let's... | [
"You can say the words out loud, but you can't really \"speak\" it, because it's not a living language with real speakers. You can only study it. Even if you do speak to other Latin scholars, since there aren't any native Latin speakers you won't know if you're pronouncing it like it would have been in ancient Rome... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Language and Translation:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Language and Translation:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Race, Breed, Subspecies: what are the differences? | [
"Races only have small physical differences that aren't really reflected in the genetic makeup. It's very possible for there to be more genetic variation between two Germans than between a German and a Kenyan, but the two Germans are still of the same race just because of their skin color. Subspecies have more sign... | [
"Where do you mean? Europe? The US? Middle East? Africa? Eastern Asia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When you're about to fall or spill something what is that feeling in your belly? | [
"It does have to do with adrenaline! When you become anxious or afraid, your body's stress hormones (including adrenaline) move blood from one place to another. Your digestive system needs blood to make it work. But if you're in danger, you don't need your digestive system to work as hard any more. The blood is sen... | [
"Here's a follow up question: Personally, when I see something that makes me wince, like serious violence, I feel a tingling sensation all over the back of my head. What's the deal with that?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How do they come up with the names for medicine? | [
"a lot of the time they are shortened versions of their very long and complex chemical names. for ex, Ibuprofen from **isobutylphenylpropanoic acid** (i bu phen pro)"
] | [
"Holy cow, how do you guys come up with these questions?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Isn't threatening to revealembarrasing videos of people for money extortion? How are people not prosecuted for it? | [
"It is indeed extortion and illegal. Many people end up going to jail for it. For example, [Autumn Jackson](_URL_0_) was sent to prison for trying to extort Bill Cosby."
] | [
"what crime are you refering to?unethical isnt the same as criminal"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why do flies come back to me after I try to swat them and miss? Doesn't it register into their fight or flight response? | [
"They can't really comprehend that you're actively targeting them. The most they deal with outside of humans are animal tails swinging in their general direction. Flies don't understand hatred, they are beautiful, shit-eating beings like that."
] | [
"Their brains aren't complex enough to feel fear. They're literally instinct inside a shell. Your body is warm and full of blood, so bed bugs will bite you. Turn on a light and a roach knows it's more likely to be squashed, so they scatter. They aren't afraid of humans because they basically have such limited minds... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Entomology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Entomology:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How did weed strains become increasingly more potent since the 70s? | [
"Ever notice how friggin' gigantic some strawberries are? It's because of selective breeding. Take the biggest strawberry from a bunch of strawberries, pollinate it with the second-largest, and then plant its seeds, and hopefully the gene that caused it to be massive will be hereditary and be passed on to at least ... | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why does 'republican' mean something completely different in Europe compared to what it means in the US? | [
"Because it is the name of the other major party of the US, so the political ideology and goals of that party greatly define what republican means in the US. In Europe on the other hand there are still a lot of monarchies (UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain) so republican is more understood as the opposite of ... | [
"It's not the same thing. England is a country. The United Kingdom is a country made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Britain and Great Britain is the island on which England, Scotland and Wales is on. You've basically asked the equivalent of asking an American why the US has so many different n... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Political Science:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Political Science:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Geography:"
} |
When I was a kid, why was channel 3 the chosen AUX/input for most game systems or VHS players? | [
"Most devices that used RF adapters (what you used to plug your NES into your TV's antenna/cable jack) actually had switches on them to select between channel 3 or 4. See: _URL_0_ Most media markets did not have something broadcasting on *both* channel 3 and channel 4 because the frequencies that carried those part... | [
"Back in the 80s, people would use TVs as monitors. You needed an RF modulator to hook it up. Source: had a computer in the 80s"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why are chairs slightly incurved instead of the other way around ? | [
"Some busses and trains in sweden actually have chairs that make you sit with a straight back, but i think It's cause people find those types of chairs more comfortable"
] | [
"It could be because the human body is (reasonably) symmetrical left and right, but not up and down."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Who become in charge if something happens to PM? | [
"The party in charge would meet as a party outside of its official capacity in the parliament. They would choose a new leader by voting among themselves. The result would then be brought forward in the full parliament, where if the ruling party has a majority, it's a pro forma vote. Since all of the ruling party vo... | [
"But how would they know which one is Will?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is that when someone spots me benching even if they just touch the bar with their finger tips, it all of a sudden feels like they are helping me lift a bunch of the weight even though in reality they are maybe supporting a pound? | [
"If you are able to hold the bar stationary, that means at that moment you're using exactly enough force to hold (but not lift) that amount of weight. Any more upward force on the bar at all and it will go up. It seems like a big difference because it's going from \"not moving\" to \"moving\"."
] | [
"They do. An example being in a P.E class I took over the summer. Had a 200 - 230 pounds guy in there, who could bench/lift/squat what have you about three times as much as me, and him never having lifted a weight in his life. (Not saying I lift weights, just an example, I weigh a fraction of his weight)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What is the connection between birds, reptiles, and dinosaurs? | [
"Dinosaurs are a diverse clade of reptiles. Birds are descendants of dinosaurs, and technically by the phylogenetic system (which classifies an organism based upon its ancestry) thus are dinosaurs and also reptiles. However, by that measure, humans are also reptiles (but not dinosaurs). As such, there are limits to... | [
"We don't know what they looked like or acted like. All of our supposed knowledge of dinosaurs come from their fossils and assumed parallels to extant species."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
why people while hugging in non-romantic situation are "tapping" each others backs with a palm? | [
"It's just a friendly thing to do that stems from mothers burping their babies and then later on patting their kids on the back as a friendly good job or hello. Later on it just continues and people continue to do it. It's an old habit of society. Edit: had a typo and fixed it"
] | [
"Animals don't have the same movement in their legs/paws/etc, and most probably their brains aren't wired up to think of them in the same way we do our hands. To them, petting with their forelegs would probably feel like us petting someone with our feet. They pet/show affection for each other using other techniques... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why do states like alabama not have a lottery | [
"I don't know this to be true, but it's probably BECAUSE of the casinos."
] | [
"In california the supreme court ruled it unconstitutional so it isn't legal there. In other states the courts have not found it unconstitutional, because (according to the courts) it wasn't a means to discourage men, but a means to increase the number of women attending, like seniors discounts, or student discount... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why are chips and salsa generally given for free at most Mexican restaurants? | [
"It's like bread and butter at an Italian restaurant. Something to snack on before your meal gets out, cheap and generally likable."
] | [
"They're easy to make and transport. The prominence of Chinese food and pizza in our cultures also contributes to the demand for deliverable food."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How Virtualization works? | [
"Ahoy, matey! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Server Virtualization. ](_URL_5_) ^(_25 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Virtual Machines And Virtualization ](_URL_1_) ^(_7 comments_) 1. [ELI5: what exactly are virtualization technologies like Hyper-V, App-V, MED-V? What is a \"hypervisor\"?... | [
"Initiation - Let's build a truck (or whatever thing) Discovery - What should it do, what's needed or wanted Design - Here's how we should make it Build - Make it Test - Does it work as intended? Sign Off - Customer agrees it works and it's done Warranty - Fix anything that doesn't work later"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why has pizza delivery in "30 minutes or less" become uncommon? | [
"About 20 years ago, there was a multi-million dollar judgement against Domino's (who was most famous for the 30 minutes or less thing) when a woman was hit by a pizza delivery driver who was not operating the vehicle safely. This caused a lot of bad publicity for the \"fast pizza delivery\" deal, and as a result D... | [
"It can't and it doesn't Amazon prime provides free *two day* delivery for *many* items in *many* locations. There are a fair number of locations where Amazon Prime gets you free *three to five day* shipping rather than two day Amazon does not proclaim that you can get any item anywhere in the world within 24 hours... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why are Mountains triangular in shape (or at least similar to a triangle | [
"It's the result of gravity and erosion. Mountains are shaped over millenia, and in that much time the force of wind and rain wears down and breaks apart the rock that makes up the mountain. As the mountain crumbles, gravity shapes it into a rough cone: the mountain falls away radially around the peak. The \"triang... | [
"They are actually a circle. They only appear to be an arc because you only see the top over the horizon"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why detox water if I am already having fruits, veggie and drinking water everyday? | [
"Detox is a scam. Your body does not accumulate \"toxins\" and there is no amount of drinking/fasting/pooping you can do to \"detoxify\" anything."
] | [
"Vitamins, minerals, protein and carbs in the correct proportions. These are the materials that our body is made of. You literally are what you eat. So, less junk food and more vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Also drink more water."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In uncertain times, is it better to have your savings in the form of money? Or precious metals? | [
"during recession - currency during extreme meltdown of society - precious metals"
] | [
"Cash is a bad way to store money, because its value fluctuates due to inflation. They mostly have it as shares in their own company or some other asset."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What getting a "tune-up" on your car consists of. | [
"The basics of a tune up are fluid changes of a majority of components such as oil, trans fluid, brake fluids, power steering, coolants, and window wash fluids. The filters for the components should also be replaced at the same time. Spark plugs should be checked and depending on the carbon buildup they may be chan... | [
"Because 90% of the time, the adage \"you get what you pay for\" holds true."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why when I'm tired do I turn the TV down really low, but I'm still able to hear it? | [
"It's a combination of factors. When you're tired, you're not up and about causing noise in your immediate vicinity or distorting the sounds of the TV by moving around. You also lose your capacity to focus on several things at once when tired; you're focusing on the sounds coming from the TV and not simultaneously ... | [
"It's difficult for me to sleep without a fan or another type of constant, white noise. When it's \"completely silent\", it's really not because any sudden, quiet sound becomes audible when you normally might not notice it. So unless you're just about to fall asleep you're forced to focus on it and your brain stays... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why we are told to consume some medicines before food and some after food | [
"As well as the gastrointestinal pH affecting drug absorption some drugs are purposely given with or immediately after a meal to slow down absorption or to provide short term protection against the acidic nature of the stomach contents (the presence of food raises the stomach pH towards neutral). Drugs mixed with f... | [
"They consider the caffeine to be a harmful substance that God would not want you to put in your body, like alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do soap operas look the way they do? What is the camera/production technique that makes them look different? | [
"nice video of a side-by-side comparison of it on and off. _URL_0_"
] | [
"It was around this time we started getting into digital film making, and the price of the digital process had come down dramatically. As a result, playing with colours, or more dramatic changes, became possible very easily. The prime example from the era which took full advantage of the colour control was Pleasant... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do companies determine the cost of acquiring a customer? | [
"1) Time and material spent on sales & advertising. If you spend $1 million on an advertising campaign and it averages 10 new customers, then that's at least $100K to acquire the customer. 2) Time & Material getting the new customer set up. This covers any kind of material that you have to give the customer (such a... | [
"A company wants to earn as much money as possible, so they change their website, selection etc. to earn as much money as possible."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do businesses with double doors usually only unlock one? | [
"For the same reason a lot of convenience stores and gas stations modify their doors to be harder to push open (they seem heavier). It makes it harder for people to run out and take off in a snatch-and-grab or other criminal situation. You'll especially notice this in pawn shops that have two sets of doors and a li... | [
"Its far easier and more efficient to break a window or kick in a door."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How can a hash, resulting from a fixed-length algorithm, always generate unique results if there are a limited number of possible results, but much more inputs? | [
"No, you're definitely correct. Because you can hash a message of any length down to a hash of a finite number of bits (e.g. 512), there are an infinite number of hash collisions. Part of the \"security\" of the hash is how difficult it is to go find a collision. A huge focus of modern cryptographical research is t... | [
"They start off with a seed value. Something like the current system time down to the millisecond is common. Starting with that value, an algorithm does a number of binary operations on it, creating a sequence of 1's and 0's that are then interpreted as a number to be returned by the generator. The process can be r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
The whole Charlie Manson/Manson family thing | [
"Charles Manson was a serial killer. But instead of killing people himself, he had his \"family\" do it for him. He brainwashed/manipulated/indoctrinated a bunch of women (18 of them iirc). They loved him and would do anything for him. Well, \"anything\" meant killing people, so they did. He's currently serving lif... | [
"So they? All I ever see is RICOH"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why do our bodies rock back and forth when we sit? | [
"Redistributing load on muscles and joints prevents harm and aches that would occur more frequently in a prolonged loading scenario. tl;dr feels good man"
] | [
"The pumping motion counterbalances the swinging of our legs, making it far easier to keep our balance. Try running with your arms flat at your side sometime and you will find it is really hard to do without falling over."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why spicy foods don't lose their heat when they're deep fried if capsaicin is fat soluble? | [
"Two reasons. First, the oil is never in contact with all that much capsaicin. Most of it is in the food, behind batter, or behind other capsaicin particles. So even if the oil does dissolve some of it, there is still a lot of capsaicin that is inaccessible to the oil. Second is kinetics. Soluble molecules can take... | [
"The active chemical in hot peppers is capsaicin. Wasabi has allyl isothiocyanate, which, unlike capsaicin, is able to vaporize and get up your nose. Allyl isothiocyanate is also not oil based like capsaicin, so it doesn't linger as long in your body."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why aren't rich nations closer to Syria, like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates being pressured into taking in any refugees? | [
"It's hard to pressure a country that beheads people for sorcery in 2015. They aren't exactly rational actors."
] | [
"This question is going to have to be put in the same status as Israel/Palestine questions. President Assad is the legitimate leader of Syria. He also used chemical weapons on his on people. President Obama said that crossed the line in the sand. President Assad should not be the leader of Syria. But president Oba... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How is it people find out which towns are doing events on certain nights (trick-or-treating/fireworks a day early/late) | [
"Once upon a time, in an age before computers, people had to figure out a way to share information and let the town know about events. These were dark times and information was hard to come by, but every morning a boy on a bike would drop you off a bundle of information that would tell you about what had happened a... | [
"In Denmark, we barely celebrate it at all, some stores will do like halloween area and have some halloween stuff like pumpkins and a few people will make pumpkin heads (whatever they're called), but that's about it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why do some planes leave a trail of condensation/mist behind? What causes these trails? | [
"It is water vapor. When the engines burn fuel, they put out exhaust gases, and part of these gases is steam (hot water vapor)."
] | [
"It's not smoke, it's particles of water vapour that are condensing and sublimating into minuscule droplets and ice crystals. The most plentiful product of combustion is water. It looks like smoke for the same reason you can see your breath when you exhale in the cold. When the car moves the water disperses in the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why is Slovakia's capital at Bratislava at the outskirts of the country? | [
"Slovakia wasn't always Slovakia. It used to belong to the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy, later Czechoslovakia. Bratislava has always been an important centre for education, religion, bureaucracy, trade etc. so when we became independent, it was chosen to be our capital. Also, it's not like we're the only ones... Ott... | [
"Paris - Capital City of a First World Country, also known as the City of Lights, a premier tourist destination. Brussels - Capital City of a First World Country, also HQ of the EU Compare those places to... Syria. A god forsaken hell hole in a god forsaken region that most people probably can't pinpoint on a map."... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What were the Yugoslav wars about and why was America involved in them? | [
"If you want answers to questions like this that are \"unbiased\" and without conspiracy theories, one of your absolute best bets is to submit your question to /r/AskHistorians. They have very strict journalistic integrity and the moderators take it very seriously. Jokes and quack stuff gets deleted almost immediat... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do scrapes and other injuries feel more painful when its cold outside? | [
"When it's cold, your body draws blood in from the limbs to conserve its warmth by constricting the veins in those limbs. This causes the skin and flesh to press on the nerves, increasing their sensitivity."
] | [
"Rain usually happens when air pressure drops. Damaged bones (whether from arthritis or injury) are more sensitive to changes in air pressure. I broke my leg many years ago and it still aches when the air pressure changes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Health and Weather:"
} |
How was it possible that OJ Simpson was not charged with either murder when the prosecutors had such compelling evidence against him? | [
"Charged with means the prosecutors formally begin a trial. OJ Simpson was charged with the murder of Nichole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He was not convicted, meaning the jury voted unanimously that the prosecution could not prove its case (or charges) beyond a reasonable doubt. Some of jurors have provided de... | [
"There was evidence, it just wasn't very good or valid. There were a few witness statements suggesting that they had been present at crime scenes, and then witnesses began to come forward claiming they had overheard admissions of guilt. Some of these witnesses have since recanted. One of the accused confessed, thou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
So humans regenerate skin cells and all, and that's cool, but if we constantly make new skin cells, why do I still have freckles, when birthmarks might fade over time? | [
"Because freckles are constantly being created as the melanin(sp?) in your skin reacts to the sunlight Whereas a birthmark is more of a 1 time event and can be \"overwritten\" with fresh new cells. Much like a scar"
] | [
"It all depends on how deep the wound cut you. You see, your body can heal almost any wound, given enough time, but it can't remake certain things. With scars, your body is perfectly able to remake the skin that was lost, but it can't make new pores, sweat glands, hair follicles, etc. Even the exact color of your o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What is a web scraper and what can they be used for? | [
"A web scraper is a piece of software that goes to a website, grabs pages & then parses out the interesting/useful data. Let's say you want to follow the price of items at Amazon - your web scraper would request the page, find the item name & price and return that to you in a clean, easy to work with format. Some o... | [
"A Reddit bot is a program that runs on someone's computer. This program can access Reddit through a computer-friendly interface. They typically work by periodically requesting a list of posts or comments, then searching through the text of those posts or comments looking for a certain string of letters, then they ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
When they say that we move at a finite speed through space-time, what are the denominator and numerator of the rate? | [
"I think what you're asking for is what units we use, as in \"kilometers per hour\". If that's correct, you could separate the space and times components and say \"meters per second\" for space and \"seconds per second\" for time, although this is simplistic. This may not be the best ELI5, but I'm not sure how else... | [
"I don't think there is any logical, proper answer. The speed of light is an universal constant. If other universes exist, there might be one where the speed of light is 2000 meters per second only. Of course, some other parameters have to change to make a \"valid\" universe. The speed of light is, after all, the r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
Why do Homeowner Associations hold such tremendous power? | [
"HOAs are entirely voluntary. If you don't want to join one, you simply don't purchase property governed by an association. That'll be pretty hard to do if you want to live in a place with shared property (like a condo building), but it's quite easy if you want to live in a house. There are plenty of horror stories... | [
"The President can Veto Legislation Passed by Congress. Congress can Impeach the President. The President Appoints Judges to the Supreme Court who must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court can Overturn Legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President. No one Branch has all the Power. There is a Bal... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Keep Calm and Carry On | [
"I don't think those particular posters were publicy used, but they were certainly prepared and would have been used, I think, in the event of an invasion. They've got popular because they're pretty indicative of the British attitude towards any crisis - not to fuss or panic, just tut and go about our business. The... | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was WW2 propaganda (posters, movies, etc.) blatantly and widely referred to as "propaganda" at the time or is that just the description we give it in retrospect? | [
"The enemy's propaganda is always called propaganda. Although, its interesting that the word didn't always have such negative connotations. The root of the word is the same as 'propagation', and it began in a religious context. Even as recently as WW1 the British would charmingly refer to their own propaganda comi... | [
"It's propaganda basically if it is promoting a particular ideology, rather than simply reporting. The world also tends to be used especially in cases where that promoting is misleading. However, *calling* something propaganda *can also be* propaganda. So, probably unsurprisingly, the less warm your relationship wi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What is the unit of viscosity and how is it measured? | [
"The SI unit is the Poise, and it's measured by applying shear stress to the liquid. A typical viscometer has the liquid sandwiched between two concentric plates that the fluid sticks to, and measures the torque needed to turn one of them, then you calculate the viscosity from that. The plates can't be smooth, of c... | [
"Volume is calculated by the container. If you have a container of known volume and put gas in there you know the volume of gas as well. Pressure can be measured by gauges that measure the force exerted on them. Add a known temperature and you can calculate your moles of gas as well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How fast will transactions be once all the bitcoins have been mined? Also, will miners have any purpose after that? | [
"The last bitcoin is scheduled to be mined in the year 2140, I don't think you need to think about it too much."
] | [
"We know what the final count of bitcoins will be - 21 million. There are 12 million now, but we know the rate at which they're being uncovered and how many can exist. Because of that, there's no real inflation to it - the market is adjusted to 21 million total bitcoins, even though only 12 million are in circulati... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What is the purpose of the spirals painted on airplane engines? | [
"So that people (ground crew) will know if the engines are turning."
] | [
"1: where is the visual representation? 2: Are you talking about when the water pours backwards out of the glass and dribbles down it?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are chip-readers more secure than magnetic strips? | [
"It's not necessarily the reader, but the card itself. In an eli5 sense, a magnetic stripe says \"I am X\" when swiped. It is extremely easy to create a copy of the card that also says \"I am X\". A chip card, when read, initiates a conversation like \"If you say you are card X, please complete this math proble... | [
"Unlike a mag stripe, wireless phone payment methods do not send your actual card number to the payment system, they send a one-time, cryptographically generated token instead. This means, even if the vendor stores the transaction in their computers, the information is useless after the transaction is complete. Sim... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about technology:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about technology:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why Can't We Tell Our Bodies to Ignore Pain During Torture? | [
"Pain is your bodies way of telling you something is wrong. When you're being tortured your body is being damaged, so your body is letting you know. If people were able to turn off pain then the body could be seriously damaged and can cause death"
] | [
"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 Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
why can't we bundle our health insurance with our other mandatory insurances like car, home and renters? Or even combine it with life insurance and other insurances? | [
"There would be no real benefit. The money you pay for your car and home insurance premiums doesn't go in some account with your name on it. \"This is Yolo20152016's unused insurance money\" It goes towards the profit and operating costs of the insurance company. Most importantly It pays the claims of other people... | [
"Unemployment is more like an insurance. Everybody pays in for the few (relatively) that get it paid out to them. Just like your car insurance, health insurance, etc"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why don't horsepower and torque correlate? ELI5 | [
"Horsepower and torque do correlate. The formula for horsepower is: HP = (Torque * RPM) / 5252 (This assumes torque is measured in ft-lbs.) \"Horsepower is torque corrected for RPM.\""
] | [
"Yes there are gears meshing and unmeshing. The problem is explaining torque converters, planetary gearsets, and hydraulically locking clutches are nowhere in the realm of ELI5. Check wikipedia for explanation. P.S. - cars rarely use continuously variable transmissions - completely different transmission concept - ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What happens to all the extra food in shows like "MasterChef"? | [
"It depends on the show. Usually, the crews get first pick of the food. MasterChef specifically donates leftovers to OzHarvest, and many other shows have similar arrangements with charities. Iron Chef (the original one) would let the chefs take home food, so occasionally competitors would \"accidentally\" open pack... | [
"I actually found ketchup tastes very different in different parts of the world at McDonald's."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
high-end celebrity endorsements | [
"Scale it down - would you help a friend move for a case of beer? What about helping a stranger move for $100? What about gardening? Or driving a friend around a city for the day? If you'd do that, why not become an Uber driver? We're all different. Some need the money, or at least think they do. Others see an oppo... | [
"This is an old wives tale. There is no evidence of cravings supplementing nutritional deficiencies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why there are really absurd laws in different countries? | [
"There are really absurd laws here too. Most of them come from silly things, like a court case that boiled down to \"I'm innocent because it's not illegal to walk your pet alligator on the sidewalk\" so the guy gets off free, and they pass a law making that illegal so that defense won't work again. Usually started ... | [
"It's illegal in a huge number of jurisdictions already. Where do you live?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What is a joke, how do you classify a “joke”? | [
"It sounds like she's doing fine figuring out jokes on her own, I think what's most important is your response. If she says something that you don't think counts as a joke just say something along the lines of \"interesting but I don't quite think it's for me\" Try explaining it as \"a joke is something that catch... | [
"It sounds like an anti-joke. The standard setup is inverted and that is the cause of the humor. The bartender sees the joke coming and want's nooo trouble in his place. I don't think it's funny, but we've all got different tastes in that regard."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is a Flexible Spending Account, and how can I take advantage of it? | [
"I'm going to assume you're talking about a medical flex spending account (though they often offer childcare ones too) offered to you by the company you're working at. If that's not the case, feel free to ignore me. These are accounts that you can send a certain portion of your money each paycheck into tax free. Th... | [
"HSA is a bank account. You put your own money in it pre-tax and it can be used for medical expenses. Your employer can also put money in it. It's not insurance by itself, but usually a part of a coverage plan."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
My Almost 5 year old brother wants to know what the internet and a website IS | [
"The internet is a bunch of computers, wires and software all working together. Some computers do different kind of things. A website is a page that is written in a special language so people can show videos music write things and show cool applications. To get to a website we use a web browser that talks to comput... | [
"my 5 year old doesnt need to know what sex feels like"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do different operating systems require different versions of the same software? | [
"Software developer here, There is a thing called a system call, and this is basically the program asking the operating system to perform some work, for example, reading data from a file. A program doesn't know how to do this, it's not part of its program to know what a hard drive is, or how different manufacturer ... | [
"You may need to change the display settings on your console."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about technology:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about technology:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Do air marshals really spend most of their time flying around in random planes? How are they assigned? Or is that just something for the movies? | [
"There are also other federal LEOs that have air marshal qualification/certification/status (e.g. FBI agents or DoD employees) who are used as kind of air marshal militia. Say a major holiday is coming up, they get a call/email and are told they can leave for X holiday early, go see some family, but they have to ta... | [
"They typically don't do \"cool movie things\" because real life isn't a cool action movie. About the most they've done recently (at least, publicly) is get in trouble with prostitutes, get drunk, and sneak into the white house when they shouldn't. Behind the scenes, they're responsible for keeping the President sa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What does our body use trace metals (eg: iron) for? | [
"Iron is used in haemoglobin, for binding oxygen in our erythrocytes (red blood cells). Magnesium is used as a regulator in hundreds of biological reactions in the body. They are mainly used to help other reactions either happen at all, or progress faster."
] | [
"Vitamins don't have calories, which humans use for energy. They also lack many of the micronutrients we need to survive (sodium, potassium, magnesium which we need a good amount of)."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do video game companies make games that you can't pause offline? Mainly zombies in black ops 3 | [
"To make the game more tense. They could easily add pause, but but bring able to gets some people more immersed. Dark Souls did that to me."
] | [
"3 Main reasons: 1. It takes a lot of extra processing power to generate the split screen aspect. 2. Its development work they would rather put towards their more lucrative multiplayer (usually with microtransactions) 3. they sell more copies of the games to groups of friends who want to play it. Now all of those a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How is it that the distance between Earth and the moon can supposedly fit all of the planets, but pictures show the moon relatively close to Earth? | [
"[Well here's a picture of the Moon and Earth drawn to scale.](_URL_0_) Most of the picture is just black space, which is useful in situations like this where you want to gauge the distance between them, but for most illustrating purposes you usually just want to show the two bodies together with the moon slightly ... | [
"Either they're crazy or trying to argue with you. You can stand at some places on Earth and actually see the curvature of the planet. Not to mention, you know... the fact that we've been to (and still are in) outer space and are constantly videoing the earth from outer space. Also, the physics in our solar system ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
tea bags in the US politics | [
"There is a party in American politics called the [Tea Party](_URL_0_). Making fun of them by calling them tea bags tea baggers. I can elaborate on tea bagging if you want."
] | [
"They are to mark what type of soda is in the cup."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
how long does person have to be dead before it’s considered archaeology instead of grave robbing? | [
"It is not a matter of time, it is a matter of intent and legality. A graverobber illegal takes objects from graves to sell them. An archaeologist legally (usually) takes objects from graves to study them."
] | [
"This is caused by the increased amount of hormones and adrenaline that are pumped through our body during stressful times. Fun fact: Normal sweat and Stress sweat are produced by different glands, the apocrine glands and the eccrine glands. Im by no means an expert this is just something i had learned in highscho... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Health and Wellness:"
} |
What makes the Millennium problems so difficult? | [
"There are several different types of problem there. Like any problem the solution seems hard until someone figures it out the first time. Unless many people try and nobody comes upon the key. Then they get noticed, and in the case of the millennium prizes, they get collected together and publicized by people willi... | [
"Making a great search engine is very hard."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What do Ant & Roach killers that kill on contact such as Ultra-Kill or Raid actually do to the ants? | [
"It is a matter of debate whether insects like ants feel 'pain' in the sense that we do. Their nervous systems are much simpler and, in a lot of cases, much more autonomic than ours. Cockroaches have [hairlike appendages on their bodies which act as sensors](_URL_0_) and detect air flow changes, alerting them to im... | [
"They behave differently, so different poisons are made to adapt to their behavior. Ants bring food back to their colony. Spiders only eat things that are alive. Wasps nest near certain areas. Ant poison will kill spiders if the spiders *ingest* it. Spider poison will kill the few ants that happen to become expose... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Whats the point of circumcision? | [
"This is an episode of Penn & Teller - Bullshit - Circumcision. _URL_0_"
] | [
"You can't flat out lie in commercials either. Its called false advertising."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why do men get morning wood (even if they didn't have erotic dreams)? | [
"Morning wood (aka [nocturnal penile tumescence](_URL_0_)) occurs in healthy men 3-5 times a night regardless of what kind of dream they have. NPT is theorized to help prevent bed-wetting and stretch out the cavernosum muscles (what fills with blood to cause erection) to prevent erectile dysfunction."
] | [
"The idea that masturbation can damage your eyesight is a lie made up by people who think masturbation is wrong. Stop if your dick is sore and don't do it inappropriate places and you'll be fine. Masturbation is normal and healthy as long as you're not doing it constantly. Don't know what's up with your eyes, but i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Biology/Physiology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology/Physiology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do movie/music/book critics revise their original rating of a particular film/album/book and give it a better score than they originally did? | [
"Sometimes it's hard to realise the true worth of a work after a single viewing, which is what the majority of journalists will see of a film before having to do a write up. They're working to a tight schedule, so often they'll watch it once and do a write-up on their initial response. Some films/albums/books need ... | [
"Media needs content, and have people who do book reviews, movie reviews, etc. So they are going to cover some book/movie/etc. PR agencies get their particular book or movie in front of that person for consideration, by providing a copy of the book, or access to a screening, etc. as well as access to interview the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does audio rapidly repeat itself when a computer crashes? | [
"At a high level, sound cards playback sound by reading digital data from a buffer and converting it into an analog signal to transmit to the speaker. When a normal stream of audio is being played back, its data is written into the buffer as a stream so there's no hops or skips - as the digital audio converter scan... | [
"When you transmit audio via bluetooth, there's a small time lag that your bluetooth device buffers. So whatever you're hearing at the moment is being pulled from local memory on your headphones - and that local memory is being filled at the other end from the received wireless transmissions. When you start a new s... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is a magic eraser and why does it work? | [
"It's melamine foam, which is a really hard material made into a sponge. It's basically really fine sandpaper, so be careful what you clean with it (shiny things like mirrors or chrome will dull after a few uses)."
] | [
"Do you know how a fan works? If so just turn it around"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How is it that we are the most advanced species on the planet, yet our young take so long (much longer than most species) to be self-sufficient? | [
"That's just it. It takes a while to amass information and use it. An animal just does whatever comes natural, aka 'instinct'. But humans are taught and trained and learn and practice and... and... Layers and layers of information and training to get us to the point where we can actually achieve more than the previ... | [
"Not every animal can walk the day they are born. The reason why human babies are so vulnerable after birth is because we are born at a very immature stage. If pregnancies would last longer, we would not be able to give birth to our babies. We are already pushing it in terms of getting their big heads through our n... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about biology:",
"pos": "Represent the post about biology:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Biology:"
} |
wtf is a 'noun clause'' and why would I use it? | [
"It's a dependent clause that acts as a noun. For example: \"Whoever thought of that idea is a genius\" The noun clause in that is \"whoever thought of that idea\" this entire phrase is subject of that sentence."
] | [
"When you can remove the word and the sentence still make sense, right? It's a free modifier and placed elsewhere in the sentence should still make sense without messing up the grammar and alerting the grammar nazis. \"Dude, great post!\" or \"I, too, agree with that.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
When looking into a mirror the reflection is effected by my glasses. glasses on = far away objects are clear, glasses off = far away objects blurry. The image in the mirror is close to me so why does distance in the reflection matter? | [
"It's the difference between looking at a mirror, and looking at a TV. With a mirror, you are looking at the actual light waves coming from the distant object, so your eyes must focus distantly."
] | [
"So basically the peephole is fitted with a special type of convex lens, some call it a fish hook lens that takes a wide view on one side and condenses it. By nature a lens takes light rays and creates a fake image or real image depending on distance and other factors. The reason you are able to see clearly is beca... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are earthquakes with a high magnitude appearing frequently? | [
"They're not? Earthquake frequency has not noticeably increased. Here's [all 7.0+ earthquakes in the last 5 years](_URL_0_). They're pretty evenly spread over that time. Yeah, there were several big ones today, but random events clump up... it's the nature of randomness."
] | [
"Yep, location and time. Similar epicenters and times mean that it's probably an aftershock. Radically different epicenters and times mean that it's probably an entirely separate event. Don't think aftershocks *have* to be smaller than the original, but they usually are."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What does one have to do to be able to make a subreddit | [
"You have to have a 30-day-old account and an (unknown) amount of positive karma. You basically have no karma at the moment, so I would say that you should comment on some threads to build it up."
] | [
"Your question can't be answered unless you tell us what you consider to be an airplane."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can someone explain to me Quantum Mechanics/The string theory | [
"This question is better suited for /r/askscience (unless you're not at all interested in actually understanding QM at any level.) *\"I'm not going to simplify it, I'm not gonna fake it. I'm not gonna tell you it's something like a ball bearing on a spring.\"* This was said by Richard Feynman during one of this int... | [
"Can you better explain what you are asking about? My google searching doesn't exactly explain what \"The Three Liars Paradox\" is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How come this scan of the chromosomes are in multiple colors? | [
"False-color image. Its colored with the intent of making parts more easy to tell apart, to highlight certian features, etc. that would be unclear in just its normal color. Edit: here's a good example: _URL_0_ Normally it'd be very tricky to see which mountains were which sizes on a picture of Mars. but using false... | [
"It's manually coloured or a computer figures out the most likely colours. A lot of world war documentaries do this."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why are Gatling Guns called "Miniguns"? | [
"The \"Mini\" in the name is in comparison to designs that use a similar firing mechanism but larger shells, such as General Electric's earlier 20-millimeter M61 Vulcan, and \"gun\" for a caliber size smaller than that of a cannon, typically 20 mm and higher. \"Minigun\" refers to a specific model of weapon that Ge... | [
"This would be for a Type VII. > 3 x Machine Guns with 6000 rds each > 5 x Sub-Machine Guns with 384 rds each > 5 x Mauser Pistols with 56 rds each > 5 x Mauser Rifles + Bayonets with 90 rds each"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How The Geneva Convention relates to war crimes. | [
"The Geneva convention exists to stop war crimes. Lets say I was a nation, and I declared war on you. My troops massacre some civilians, or I use WMDs, The Geneva convention exists to stop that happening. Simply put, the Geneva convention exists to stop cruel or excessively damaging (on infrastructure and civilians... | [
"Monopoly or Oligopoly and Cartel behaviors along with a broken copyright system."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Military and International Law:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Military and International Law:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why is YouTube getting steadily worse? | [
"I'm sure there is someone who can explain it better but I'll try. Youtube uses DASH playback, it loads the video you watch in chunks. When you watch till a certain point, they will load the next chunk. What it does is save Youtube bandwidth so they won't waste it when you buffer the whole video but only watch part... | [
"Record the show, upload it to the website. Am I missing something here?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do balloons explode, there is a loud sound like gun shot? | [
"The air is under pressure in the balloon, because the skin of the balloon is tight. When it pops, the compressed air starts to expand. This generates a compression wave, what we call sound. Guns burn gunpowder in a confined space, and when the bullet leaves the barrel the pressure is released in a similar (though ... | [
"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 are they still making cars with manually rolled up windows? | [
"They: * break less often * Are cheaper to fix/replace when they do break * Are cheaper to produce * Are cheaper to fit into a car Inexpensive maintainability isn't always the selling point car manufacturers go for, but it's certainly a selling point...."
] | [
"Cause cars have this thing called doors and windows. Throw up outside."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why do some job applications require a questionnaire with the same "strongly agree/disagree" questions that make me feel like they're all trick questions? | [
"They ask you the same questions in different ways to see if, after scoring, they were all answered the same way. \"I don't lie\" \"It's always important to tell the truth\" \"If little Timmy asks if Santa is real, I tell him No\" If you're not consistent, they score you lower."
] | [
"One way they detect lying is by asking the same question in different words several times and seeing if you give the same answer. For example \"Do you usually find yourself the life of the party?\" \"Are you extroverted?\" \"Do you prefer the company of others to being alone?\" Depending on the test, the recruiter... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why/how does covering a bomb with one's own body 'muffle' the explosion? | [
"The most deadly aspect of a grenade is the shrapnel, the metal case of the grenade that is sent flying away at high speed, essentially thousands of little sharp metallic bullets. Jumping on the grenade is going to cause most if not all of that shrapnel to get sent into you, if any does manage to make it through yo... | [
"I always wondered why they don't just remove the detonator from the explosives. All that complicated wiring, but the explosive is the obvious bit. Remove the explosive and throw it down the hall-- you might still get something between a loud pop and a profound but harmless bang, but hey, the building's still stand... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
is there a scientific explanation for homosexuality? | [
"Not really. There have been various hypothesis but none of them has stood the test of time. At this point in time (Western) society has accepted homosexuality as a \"you are what you are\", just like your skin colour and the colour of your hair. According to _URL_0_, searching for the cause of it is not a path we ... | [
"Natural aversion to sexual contact with our family for genetic reasons, taken one step further. Post audio or it didn't happen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What causes that feeling in joints that makes you want to crack your neck? Why is cracking your neck so satisfying and addicting? | [
"Yo ho ho! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [Why does cracking / popping your back feel so good? ](_URL_4_) ^(_47 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Why does cracking your knuckles/back/neck feel good? ](_URL_7_) ^(_29 comments_) 1. [ELI5: why does cracking your neck and fingers feel so good? ](_URL... | [
"Those are knuckles and joints, not bones. Cracking a bone hurts just slightly more. Semantics aside, the general consensus is that its ok to crack them as long as your not extending or moving them past where you naturally would just doing everyday tasks. Hard to explain, hope that makes sense..."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did eunuchs urinate? | [
"Castration generally only removes the testicles, not the penis. So they would urinate the same way as any other man. In the odd case that the penis was removed, there would still be urethral opening that they'd pee out of sort of like a woman pees."
] | [
"Are you asking why Christians don't hate Hindus?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do we get bored? | [
"I know you didn't ask for this, but [here](_URL_1_) is an emotion chart. I thought it was peculiar that boredom was described as a very mild form of disgust. At first I thought it was untrue, but the more i think about it, this chart is very accurate. I had never thought of boredom as a negative emotion, just kind... | [
"Why do you have so many lips and chins?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Sleep and boredom:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Sleep and boredom:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Biology:"
} |
Why doesn't reddit utilize 'search internet for this image' functionality to prevent numerous reposts of the same image? | [
"A) A lot of people like or don't mind reposts, as is evidenced by the shitload of upvotes they get. B) The people posting them often know that they're reposts. C) If you really think this needs to be done, you should be posting in /r/ideasfortheadmins/"
] | [
"I assume they don't have any help from reddit, and are just third party bots. If so, there will be a program written that will search all the new posts for certain parameters, such as a wiki link or a misspelled ghandi. Then they will process it, in the case of wiki bot, it will scrape the first paragraph from wik... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Technology:"
} |
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