id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
768ir8 | if 1 and 0 (data) are voltage values, how is voltage stored in a flash drive after you plug it out of the computer and stop the electricity flow? | [
{
"answer": "Think of it as balls and buckets. It takes energy to kick a ball into a bucket, and it takes energy to remove a ball from a bucket, but unless someone does something a ball outside a bucket will stay out, and if the ball is in it will stay in. Each bucket is a bit, and it's state (0 or 1) will be... | null |
2ewy12 | why can't i (besides being a dick to the postal service) drop off a letter in a mailbox, with the return address being my actual intended address, to avoid using a stamp? | [
{
"answer": "You might be able to.\n\nWouldn't recommend it.\n\nScrewing around with the mail service in pretty much any way is a federal offense. I'm wondering if it might be worth a charge of mail fraud; IANAL so it's not easy to be sure.\n\nMail fraud is *big* prison time, though, if that's what they'd charg... | null |
38a7lk | why people prefer mega or the pirate bay than mediafire? | [
{
"answer": "Mega is encrypted, so if I put a movie file up there that is illegal there is no way for someone to know other than to actually download the file and check. And of course if you lock the file so only you or a select few can access it there is no way to know what it is. On Mega’s end they can't actu... | null |
3weljk | What is the oldest, civilized and still existing nation? | [
{
"answer": "Depends on how you define \"civilized\" and \"nation\".\n6th edition of *Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English* defines \"civilized\" as: \"1. a civilized society is well organized and developed, and has fair laws and customs\". In historical use, from what I remember, a civilized state has th... | null |
3du0ix | What is the history of course and grounds upkeep at St. Andrews? | [
{
"answer": "St Andrews was unusual in that between 1552 and 1805 they used rabbits. There was a financial incentive for this, because rabbiting was a huge industry when every part of a rabbit had a use and there was always an increasing supply. This benefitted both the landlords who sold on the rabbits and the... | null |
44pfyq | Could Russia ever have won the Cold War? | [
{
"answer": "Hi, quick moderator request for you: could you remove the following section?\n\n > In an alternate world where the USA went communist and Russia went free-market capitalist, would history have leaned more in Russia's favor or not? Would Russian culture ever have striven for free-market capitalism... | null |
8uns2h | why are there fourteen mountains over 8,000m, but none over 9,000m? | [
{
"answer": "Why would you expect otherwise? The curve has to peter out somewhere.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's likely Mt. Everest is near to the largest size mountain earth will support. A larger mountain is more massive, which puts a strain on the material at its base. They deform the... | null |
5dt9wt | why is "the big crunch" an unpopular theory? | [
{
"answer": "So you have this balloon hooked up to an air compressor. Youre watching this and you see its slowly getting bigger. We know its getting bigger because if we draw a bunch of dots on the balloon with sharpie, you notice all the dots are getting farther from eachother.\n\nThe big crunch says that this... | null |
7pf10c | Why did Japan have oil problems dispite owning oil-rich provinces during WW2? | [
{
"answer": "There are basically three elements to this. \n\nFirst. While the the Southern Resource Area was oil rich by Japanese standards it was significantly less productive than other areas of the world at the time. In 1940 while the US produced 183 million tons of crude, the Dutch East Indies produced 8 mi... | null |
4b34qg | if millipedes have around 200 legs and are that little then why are they so slow? | [
{
"answer": "If you had to organise 200 legs you'd be slow, too.[1]\n\nActually - some centipedes are very speedy, because that's the niche they've evolved to fit, but millipedes aren't predators (that I know of) and have no need for speed.\n\n[1] Actually, they're self-organising - each segment responds in a s... | null |
23lqyo | how is it humanly possible to survive a flight in an airplane wheel well given the lack of heating, pressure ond oxygen, which are vital for survival at a high altitude? | [
{
"answer": "Luck.\n\nThe young man in question was unconscious for most of the trip, luckily for him, but he was certainly dicing with death. Stowing away in a wheel well isn't a surefire way to kill yourself, but this risk is certainly unacceptably high. There's just enough oxygen and heat -- and plenty of pr... | null |
4p0hg4 | when did the united states do away with voting as a "legal" holiday? | [
{
"answer": "It's a holiday under state law in a handful of states, but it has never been a national holiday. The problem with making it a holiday or having voting on the weekend is that there will still always be people who have to work. If the law mandated that everybody had the day off, then emergency servic... | null |
1ebih1 | Is blood pressure related to blood viscosity | [
{
"answer": "The formula for blood pressure is:\n\n Heart rate • Stroke volume • Systemic vascular resistance\n\n* Heart rate = how many times the heart beats in 1 minute.\n\n* Stroke volume = how much blood is ejected from the heart each time it beats.\n\n* Systemic vascular resistance = the resistance to b... | null |
4sfe6p | what thoughts go on in the mind of a typical mentally handicapped person? | [
{
"answer": "There is no such thing as a \"typical mentally handicapped person\". Every individual is different and the brain is an extremely complex organ and development or injury affects every individual in different ways. A \"mental handicap\" may manifest completely different in two people depending on nat... | null |
ac0vlb | during the cold war, what's the point of splitting berlin? like, it seemed like a bad idea from the start? | [
{
"answer": "It wasn't split during the cold war. It was split 4 ways after the Germans surrendered in WWII, into the Russian, American, English, and French zones. The idea behind splitting Berlin was that the allied powers defeated Germany, and thus each should be responsible for a section of the German capita... | null |
ryaps | What location does fat get used to create energy? | [
{
"answer": "Ok so fat is called a Triglyceride or TAG and it is called that because it is made of three fatty acid chains. This structure is very stable and is unsoluable and is stored in docks called adipose tissue. When the body runs out of glucose and glycogen as fuel it starts burning fatty acids. A number... | null |
95rwvb | How can scientists measure the mass of an atom, and other subatomic particles to such extreme precision? | [
{
"answer": "Particle masses can be measured in a few ways. Typically, subatomic particle masses are determined by the relationship between their energy and their momentum. If a particle is not moving, its total energy is E=mc\\^2. If it is moving, then E\\^2=(mc\\^2)\\^2+(pc)\\^2, where p is the momentum and c... | null |
202d9z | why dont people have a problem with cuba being a problem? | [
{
"answer": "There isn't a sort of flicked switch between free and oppressive. As countries go, Cuba isn't *that bad.* \n\nIt's also poor, yes, but arguably because of US-imposed trade embargoes.\n\nAll the money it spends on medical aid is also a very good PR move - it sends hundreds of doctors to developing... | null |
5wy3zi | What would be the implications if the existence of a magnetic monopole was found? | [
{
"answer": "First, the existence of a magnetic monopole would imply the necessity of electric charge quantization -- the phenomenon that all electric charges are integer multiples of some fundamental charge, a property which is observed but for which we do not have a confirmed explanation.\n\nSecondly, many un... | null |
7l354j | To what extent were the Romans successful against Persian horsemen? | [
{
"answer": "So I wrote a post on why horse archers were so effective a couple of days ago:\n\n_URL_0_\n\nAs for Roman tactics against them, let's first look at Crassus' campaign. He was a rich man but a horrible commander, and actually was given a good route for his campaign. The King of Armenia offered him sa... | null |
4nsj55 | How accurate is Battlefield 1? | [
{
"answer": "There's always room for discussion, but perhaps this previous topic found through the search function will answer your inquiry.\n\n* [Battlefield 1 Trailer Accuracy](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "30864551",
... | null |
4z35f9 | why did we shoot people that contracted rabies? (context within) | [
{
"answer": "I'm assuming that there was no known cure at the time and it was a humane way to prevent a horrible death.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "1. you're gonna die, and pretty soon, and it's incredibly painful.\n2. you are likely to go nutso as the disease progresses and then bite someo... | null |
4nfvwq | Were the Vandals any more destructive than other invading tribes during the fall of the Roman Empire, or was there another reason their name became connected with vandalism? | [
{
"answer": "I'll only speak for one aspect of the Vandals in that, while certainly proving to be just as if not more destructive than the Huns and Alaric's visigoths--in terms of the sack of Rome they actually proved to be far less Vandal-like. \n\nLike when Attilla and the Huns were at Rome's doorstep, Pope L... | null |
4co2vh | The negative side of the square root does not matter? | [
{
"answer": "The square root symbol is just an object that we made up to keep track of certain quantities. The equation x^(2)-A=0 has two solutions in the real numbers for A > 0. Luckily we know that if x=b is a solution (so b is a number so that b^2=A), then x=-b is *also* a solution. This says two things: 1) ... | null |
3p3zc9 | why are people scared of guns? | [
{
"answer": "I get hunting, and have fired weapons myself (including a 20-gauge when I was a teenager, as well as a South African \"R5\" 5.56mm assault rifle on a range). So I don't \"hate\" guns, nor am I \"scared\" of them, but I still have major issues with the whole concept, philosophically.\n\nStep back a ... | null |
1cuhdj | How many photons from a distant star hit the Earth at any given moment or per second, and does a unique photon strike every (very small) unit area of the side of the planet that faces the source? | [
{
"answer": " > I was wondering if two people standing next to one another see distinct photons\n\nAny time you and another person see the same thing, you are actually seeing distinct photons. When you see something, it means photons from that object have been absorbed by your retina; the same photon can't be ... | null |
bw651h | how come women begin being biologically capable of having babies at an age (periods can start as early as 9) in which they are not developmentally/emotionally/physically capable to? | [
{
"answer": "It used to be common for women to have babies at 13 or so. We have since gained a better understanding of the emotional development of children and realize they are nowhere near fully developed at 12 or 13.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I’d say that modern medicine and how we hav... | null |
6arzly | Why did the roles of Barrister and Solicitor develop separately in Britain? | [
{
"answer": "Oo! A question that I can help answer in part!\n\nFor what it’s worth, I’m not a historian, but I do have a degree in history. I’m currently a law student in Australia, which has a similar Solicitor/Barrister split profession. I can’t speak to how the American profession developed, but I can talk a... | null |
1ah3pl | How prevalent was Latin in Britain under the Romans and if it was when did it die out as a common language? | [
{
"answer": "If this is a question you're interested in, you should read up on [Brithenig](_URL_0_), a constructed language based on the idea that a latin romance language eventually displaced the local languages of Britain. Some of the various discussion boards related to the language have debated your questi... | null |
unb42 | I'm looking for books focused on political history (preferably books focused on the 20th century, but I'm open to anything). Any suggestions? | [
{
"answer": "David McCullough's *Truman* is very good.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann may be right up you alley.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I can only give limited advice about *The Rise and Fall of Communism* as I just skimmed through a ... | null |
bb6r7c | Why do people with chromosome abnormality/ disorder have shorter life expectancies than people without? | [
{
"answer": "I think you’re looking at it the wrong way. The caveat of chromosomal abnormalities or disorders is that more often then not they affect more than just intellectual ability or mental states, they often affect the CNS and CV system and issues with those bodily functions causes the shorter life expec... | null |
mj763 | You're in a stopped car with the windows closed, a horsefly is 'hovering'; Upon accelerating the car, does the fly remain in the same position in space, or does it hit the rear window? | [
{
"answer": "Both, depending on your reference frame and the magnitude of the acceleration.\n\nHowever, if the car is travelling at a constant velocity, the fly remains in the same place with respect to the car.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "A fly's motion is based on the objects it is in con... | null |
8aw34o | Does heat energy have "momentum"? | [
{
"answer": "No. Heat may continue to diffuse through the object, which may cause it to appear to be increasing in heat for a short while (e.g. if you're measuring temperature at a different spot from where it's being heated) but the max temperature wouldn't rise without a heat source.",
"provenance": null
... | null |
64hzb7 | why does curiosity often outweigh common sense? | [
{
"answer": "I think it might have to do with our hunter gatherer ancestors. We have a need for knowledge of everything near us, so we can be aware of predators, food, and other things either beneficial or detrimental to our survival. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "1. I think the proper answe... | null |
4j7wo6 | how do the machines work that the tsa use to put swabs in after they swipe your clothing? | [
{
"answer": "They use a technique called \"ion-mobility spectrometry\". What happens is they ionize the specimen swabs and then travel through a tube with an electric field and a buffer gas that opposes the motion. The speed at which it will pass through the tube indicates what the material is made of, and it i... | null |
qz44a | Why don't we have infinite entropy in the universe? | [
{
"answer": "Entropy increases over time. It's a fundamental law of thermodynamics.\n\nHowever, the universe in it's current state isn't infinite, it had a start at the Big Bang. At the Big Bang, the universe had an incredibly low entropy. Why this is isn't entirely known, and there's a lot of speculation on th... | null |
8usp2w | why it’s so uncomfortable to stare into someone else’s eyes for too long? | [
{
"answer": "It depends who it's for. Alot of the time it's a show of dominant behavior or even submissive depending on the person. This can lead to people being uncomfortable. \n\n\nOther times for fewer people it's the start of a soul gaze, which is something most tend to avoid.",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
9nn32l | why is it acceptable for politicians to litter signs and pamphlets everywhere? | [
{
"answer": "I can’t explain, but I fully agree, about the yard signs especially. \nThe ones they put along roads and such (not the ones that ppl put on their own private property). \nPost election, if the signs are still up. For say > 30 days, they should get a fine per sign. ",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
344bs5 | An object in orbit around a massive body is in a constant state of free fall, so why isn't it accelerating towards an infinite velocity? | [
{
"answer": "For objects in a circular orbit, the force of gravity is always perpendicular to the direction of motion. That means that gravity does not pull the object to go faster in its current direction, but instead only changes the direction without affecting the speed of the object.",
"provenance": nul... | null |
5tnrju | How does the electric field behave as a charged particle falls into a black hole? | [
{
"answer": " > It seems to imply that to a distant observer, the field due to a charge at the event horizon of a black hole would have to be spherically symmetric around the center of the black hole (at least, assuming a spherical black hole). \n\nOk, when people say a black hole is only described by its mass... | null |
18jhgq | Is it colder just before dawn or somewhere in the middle between dawn and dusk? | [
{
"answer": "Assuming no strong cold or warm air advection is taking place, it's normally the coldest just before sunrise. You can clearly see the diurnal temperature trends in [this hourly weather graph for Phoenix, Arizona](_URL_0_).\n\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": ... | null |
111cgu | what is java? | [
{
"answer": "I suppose you're here talking about computers and not the dance.\n\n**ELI5 answer :** Java is a programming language which allows to create programs.\n\n\n**Long answer :** Unlike other programming languages like C++, the code is interpreted by another program (called the JVM, Java Virtual Machine)... | null |
2cu5yz | Why are so many followers of Islam/people in Islamic nations named after the prophet Muhammad? | [
{
"answer": "Interesting, I always thought about it from the other point of view. If you consider a man to be the best human and a role model to pattern your life on, wouldn't it follow that it should be a very common name? Muslims are supposed to love the prophet Muhammad more than their parents and we know th... | null |
1u4d9j | How accurate are orbital calculations? | [
{
"answer": "Here's a taste of how accurate orbital calculations are: in 1676 Romer proposed that there was a finite speed of light when he noticed that Io, a moon of Jupiter, was some times 8 minutes ahead of \"schedule\" (predicted location) and sometimes 8 minutes behind. 8 minutes. 350 years ago. ",
"p... | null |
7wavoa | Do ALL plants release pollen into the air? | [
{
"answer": "Plants only produce pollen from their flowers (or cones, etc.). So if your friend would like some plants inside her house she just needs to make sure they don't flower (i.e. cut the flower buds off). Some plants flower more often or easily than others. Cacti rarely flower, in my experience.\n\nFern... | null |
fts5ry | how are well known illegal tv streaming sites able to stay up? | [
{
"answer": "These sites do one of two things.\n\nThey operate in a jurisdiction where it would be difficult to shut them down.\n\nIf they are ever actually shut down, they simply create a new site and port everything over.\n\nIt's usually a game of whack-a-mole. With law enforcement trying to shut them down bu... | null |
8ti4po | To what extent was Cannabis consumed for pleasure in the ancient world? | [
{
"answer": "Not quite your question, but [this older link](_URL_0_) might nevertheless be of interest for you.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "22713",
"title": "Opium",
"section": "Section::::History.\n",
"start_... | null |
bi188w | What would happen, if you create a perfect vacuum inside a stable container? | [
{
"answer": " > Would the vacuum be strong enough to tear single molecules out of the container walls, or wouldn't it even be possible to create a container strong enough, or wouldn't anything cool happen at all?\n\nThis prevents you from ever actually reaching perfect vacuum. Not from \"tearing apart\" the wal... | null |
1587uw | A clarification on the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Long Count | [
{
"answer": "My understanding of how this thing got started (I'm trying to find a citation) is that the number 13 comes up repeatedly in Maya numerology because it's considered a lucky number. The ritual calendar, as you pointed out, uses 13 cycles of 20 days. Using this, the novelist Gary Jennings wrote [a fic... | null |
25itcj | today i read the ocean will rise 4ft due to ever faster melting antarctic glaciers, if this is true how will it affect coastal cities? | [
{
"answer": "The authorities who should be planning for this are fixed in \"LaLaLa-can't-hear-you\" mode at present, and will probably remain so until their cities are flooded monthly.\n\nKnowing how engineers work, it will probably be large pumps and high sea walls, which are then largely ignored and eventuall... | null |
2nt6c2 | when i accellerate my car, why do i hear high-pitched noise through the aux input when nothing is plugged in? | [
{
"answer": "Its noise off the generator or alternator.\n\nCords like that aren't shielded like other people have said. Its basically RF interference coming from that because its often not shielded.\n\nIts usually not something noticed, and the stereo itself has filtering to block it. But when you plug someth... | null |
2lwyij | can someone tell exactly what it is that obama is doing for net neutrality? | [
{
"answer": "It means that Obama put his hat in the ring and took a stance. That being said he cannot compel the FCC to follow what he wants. Basically after using Net Neutrality as part of his platform in 2008, and then staying on the fence about it for a while, he's finally given an opinion. This *could* sway... | null |
24pfso | What factors led to (why did the emperor order) the destruction of Zheng He's fleet, end of Chinese exploration, and continuation of Ming isolation in the 1400s? | [
{
"answer": "There were several reasons regarding the fleets themselves: Zheng He's fleets were expensive, the Ming were involved in wars against the Mongols and Vietnamese, the government bureaucracy was quite suspicious of how eunuchs dominated the venture, and the emperors were no longer as interested in the... | null |
zxo0j | Looking for advice on a good optical microscope to purchase and it looks like this subject hasn't been covered here yet. What microscope do you use at home? | [
{
"answer": "I don't know of too many scientists that have personal microscopes at home. That being said, the ones that my students used when I was TA'ing were $3000 each and I consider those pretty basic. My lab's microscope was in the $40,000 range, and the confocal I used cost $325,000. For under $200 it wil... | null |
7egmqe | In the "wild west" time era, when a bank robber robbed the stagecoach or a bank, who lost that money? Was it the bank or the individual who banked it? | [
{
"answer": "I can reply to the bank question, but not the stagecoach one.\n\nTL:DR: The bank, unless the robbery caused the bank to fail, in which case both.\n\nHere's how banking works: banks take deposits from people and lend out the cash to other people. The deposits are liabilities of the bank - that is, t... | null |
eu25mk | How well trained were war and hunting dogs in the Roman Empire and/or medieval Europe compared to today & how did they train them assuming their knowledge & tools for dog training was much less than we have today? | [
{
"answer": "I can't answer with specific reference to the Roman Empire although I suspect that much of my answer is transferrable from Medieval skills to Roman skills.\n\nFirstly I'd like to challenge the assumption that \"*knowledge and tools for dog training were much less than we have today*\". A good dog t... | null |
422sbi | why are most/all sniper rifles bolt action? why can't they use a semi-automatic mechanism like most other weapons? | [
{
"answer": "Bolt action rifles are lighter and simpler than semi-automatic rifles in the same caliber, and bolt action is an inherently more precise action type than semi-automatic.\n\nSnipers don't need to put out a high rate of fire, so semi-auto has no benefit to them.",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
3igg42 | In the early 1500s pre reformation Europe what was the difference between an indulgence and a confession? | [
{
"answer": "Well, Confession is having your sins absolved, that is, return to a state of grace and avoid a path leading to damnation. A reconciliation, if you will. But there is still a need to make up for the consequences of sin, most notably the offense the penitent has caused to God. Now ordinarily this is ... | null |
32je34 | what, biologically, causes lethargy and feelings of being "in a fog"? why do we sometimes feel this way, even with no apparent health issues? | [
{
"answer": "We actually are not quite sure what fully causes the feeling of being tired or lethargic. One simple explanation that has the most proof appears to be that a chemical called adenosine builds up in our brain throughout many of our daily activities. Adenosine is the byproduct of many metabolic functi... | null |
6f345b | how do people remove vocals from a song for adverts for example? | [
{
"answer": "Most songs nowadays are composed using layers on a track. So all it really takes is removing the layer. It's trickier with older songs that didn't use this production method.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "One of my best friends runs a company that sells music to adverts and TV sh... | null |
6f4dft | The Arab world around the 10th century is known by many as the(/an) Intellectual Golden Age. What made this area so fertile in scientific advancements, and what happened at the end of the period that may have led the area away from such a reputation? | [
{
"answer": "There are a couple of narratives that attempt to explain this. The traditional narrative proposed by later Muslim scholars is that when the Abbasid dynasty usurped power from the Umayyads in 750 CE, this represented a shift in power from Arabs to the numerically and culturally much stronger Persian... | null |
13swoz | Who were the first prominent Southerners in government [Congress/White House/SCOTUS/Armed Forces/etc...] after the Civil War and did they face extra issues getting in? | [
{
"answer": "Andrew Johnson (president after Lincoln) was born in N. Carolina and grew up in Tennessee. \n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "John Hennington, the Postmaster General of the CSA was able to make it back as a Congressman and eventually Senator from Texas, but a quick wiki se... | null |
nhs81 | Pauli's Exclusion Principle - Does It State All Electrons Everywhere Must Occupy Different Energies? | [
{
"answer": "No. It says that two identical fermions (like electrons) can't occupy the same energy state. For example, two spin-up electrons can't both be in the 1s orbital (the closest to the nucleus). However, in two adjacent atoms, the electrons in the 1s orbital will both have the same energy, but still not... | null |
l085z | the mafia and all its groups (camorra, la cosa nostra, sicilian, etc.) | [
{
"answer": "I can't give you a run down of all the groups but I can give a general description of the Mafia.\n\nPicture Sicily as a schoolyard playground. Everyone's playing and having a good time, but some kids start bulling other kids. When the teacher is told, they don't do anything and mostly just look the... | null |
noi0s | Is it really safer to let the tap run for 30 seconds before drinking the water? | [
{
"answer": "Generally, modern homes have pipes that are small and water is often in demand.\n\nThis leads to water that is moved often and never really gets a chance to sit still in one place for too long. The pipes which are made of usually copper of plastic are in themselves terrible environments for many pa... | null |
k9ocg | How the hell does press & seal wrap work? | [
{
"answer": "*“Glass, as well as some plastics, has a net negative charge on its surface, so a wrap that has an opposite charge is going to cling quite well to these surfaces,”* [SOURCE](_URL_0_)\n\nAnother site has a more chemical approach:\n\n*\"I found that most kitchen plastic wrap is made of low density po... | null |
6p7i3u | In what direction do our eyes look when in complete rest? | [
{
"answer": "I'm a med student.\n\nActually There isn't any specific direction. If i assume complete rest is a \"deep sleep\" . It's gonna be a REM or Non-REM sleep stages which could be any random direction and our eyes are continously moving fast (In REM) and slow (non-REM)",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
4bg0jx | Was Albrecht von Wallenstein really a traitor or were the charges against him trumped up? | [
{
"answer": "A reply to /u/ManicMarine \n\nUgggggghhhhh ... this is such a good question and such a complex topic at the same time ...... ! :D\n\nFirst we must set the scene properly in terms of how the \"military fiscal state\" was [evolving in that era](_URL_0_). He had set up a \"state within state\" system ... | null |
109i6a | how do i shop for and buy my first car? | [
{
"answer": "Look at a bunch of adverts for cars that are the price you can afford. Keep the price on the cheap side. You are only learning about cars at this stage. Pick out a few that you like. It doesn't matter why you like them for now. Make a note of the milage and age of the cars and what condition they a... | null |
239pt2 | After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, how did Europe manage to continue business as usual so shortly after? | [
{
"answer": "Business as usual in what way? Because Europe really didn't just keep trucking along. The 30 Years War more or less reworked the political landscape of Europe and the way diplomacy was run. You mention the Swedes invading Poland and I think that's a great example of how things changed. At the o... | null |
6tjkst | why do so many large and small companies prey on the poor and less fortunate by gouging them on everyday items and needs? | [
{
"answer": "People with low incomes also have the fewest options in what products they can buy. That makes them a captive consumer base and means that companies can charge them more than more affluent people with more choice in products and services.\n\nPoor people are also much less likely to have received a ... | null |
3fxv7r | why are yellow teeth considered unattractive? | [
{
"answer": "They didn't used to be. Toothpaste and dental care took off though and eventually white teeth became preferable - it equals health and indicates that you take good care of your body and self.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Because teeth yellow with age, and so yellow teeth suggest... | null |
c32j0l | If water can only boil (212 degrees) why do simmering liquids boil around the edges? | [
{
"answer": "every molecule is not at that temperature at the same time. It is a gradient from the energy source to the furthest point. \n\nWhen you put a simmering pot on the stove. The heat is transferred from the fire to the pot body which conducts heat really well.the water immediately touching the walls of... | null |
6duqtt | what happens in our brains when we hold in emotions and then snap? | [
{
"answer": "\nYour front brain simulates consequences and chooses the best action to take. When you're emotional, this usually means stopping you from doing something like punting your co workers. Sometimes one or multiple emotions become really strong and it takes lots of effort to stop you from acting on the... | null |
65wrf1 | How did people in formerly-French regions of Canada react to the news that France was backing the independence rebellion of their neighbors to the south? | [
{
"answer": "In essence, indifference.\n\nThe general sentiment was that France had abandoned New-France in favor of the French West Indies, that were much more profitable than the rather onerous North American colony. This is also a sentiment that can be found in the lesser rates of volunteerism in WWI, althou... | null |
7zfrov | Are the any sources where I can find events that happend during the last years of Nebuchadnazzer II of Babylon ? | [
{
"answer": "The primary book for the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II is in French (Arnaud's *Nabuchodonosor II, roi de Babylone*). DJ Wiseman's *Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon* is useful, as is Ronald Sack's *Images of Nebuchadnezzar: The Emergence of a Legend*. \n\nVanderhooft's *The Neo-Babylonian Empire and Babylon ... | null |
1p2tdj | how did specific geographic locations become good/high end parts of town and others become bad/dangerous parts of town? | [
{
"answer": "I'm sure you know the three most important words in real estate: Location, location, and location. Nice areas have proximity to some desireable feature--be it parks, the waterfront, downtown, public transit, nice views, historical areas, nice looking bridges, any or all of these things. These des... | null |
sfvag | If the earth was to stop rotating around its axes; how cold would the dark side get ? | [
{
"answer": "Keep in mind that unless the earth also stop revolving around the sun (not possible), or the earth keeps rotating at a very slight rate similar to the moon (to have the same side facing the sun everytime) , the dark and bright side would change every six months. Basically a day would last for the e... | null |
asdop8 | Did ancient or medieval armies conscript soldiers regardless of their physical capability? | [
{
"answer": "I have insufficient knowledge of Chinese history and the armies of Antiquity to answer the question from those specific angles, but where it concerns the recruitment and mobilization of the common man in Europe in the Middle Ages, the physical condition was definitely of little concern.\n\nI've wri... | null |
2xuk3x | why is snowden in trouble for whistleblowing? shouldn't whistle blowing be a good thing? | [
{
"answer": "It's a great thing until someone whistle blows you. Then they're a snitch. \n\nThe government is equating it with giving classified data to the enemy like treason, espionage and the like. Really it's bullshit but that's their reason. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "it *is* a goo... | null |
lzwq1 | How is uranium made into a gas for Gaseous Diffusion/Electromagnetic separation etc... | [
{
"answer": "It is usually worked on as \"hex,\" or [uranium hexafluoride](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It is usually worked on as \"hex,\" or [uranium hexafluoride](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "1... | null |
3qebyl | How fast are we travelling? | [
{
"answer": "There is no absolute reference frame, but the closest there is is the [cosmic microwave background](_URL_0_) reference frame. That is, roughly speaking, how fast we would be moving if we never accelerated since the Big Bang. The sun is currently moving 370 km/s from that reference frame. Earth is m... | null |
13w5jq | Who was the first comedian? | [
{
"answer": "In terms of early examples of written humour (as it's very difficult to find stand-up comedians without written record), one of the earliest examples is the satirical script of the [Instruction of Dua-Khety](_URL_0_), an Ancient Egyptian work written in the 2nd millenium BCE (Between 2000 and 1700 ... | null |
l5u2n | What would happen to a person if they slept ~24 hours each day? | [
{
"answer": "I think they already invented it: [coma](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I think they already invented it: [coma](_URL_0_)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "18597893",
"title": "Sleep deprivat... | null |
3e98nw | Has an American ever been arrested/tried for War Crimes or Crimes Against Humanity? | [
{
"answer": "Apologies to the moderators, as I'm reasonably certain that I am breaking the 20 year rule here. Depends on how you count it. The *acts* described took place in the mid-90's up until 2003. The trial was in 2006-08, with the appeal continuing to 2010 and post-conviction proceedings well into 2012.\n... | null |
1xyzsg | what would happen if a country launched a nuclear missile on the us? | [
{
"answer": "The other country would be turned into a glass parking lot. That's the US's official stance on having WMDs used against them. \n\nNo doubt all channels would have a breaking message to seek shelter but it could possibly be too late. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The Emergency A... | null |
5sm1az | the system for numbering interstate highways. | [
{
"answer": "Even numbers (I-10, I-90, etc.) run east-west, with the number increasing from South to North. Odd numbers (I-5, I-95, etc.) run north-south, with the number increasing from West to East. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Primary routes have two digits. Odd numbered highways run nor... | null |
4wekcd | if jehovah's witnesses believe there are such a limited amount of seats reserved in heaven, why do they push so hard to get more converts? | [
{
"answer": "Because they believe converting people will get them into heaven. Really, it is just a pyramid scheme.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "In JW's teaching, the heaven is only for the chosen 144.000. The rest of the follower still stays on the earth which is reformed to be like the gar... | null |
18ykrq | Is it possible that Hernán Cortés wrote The Conquest of New Spain? | [
{
"answer": "The authorship of the *La Historia Verdadera* is something that has been debated a bit more than the author of this article lets on, although I don't know of any other scholar off the top of my head that has made the assertion that Cortes himself wrote the piece. Historians have pointed to the fac... | null |
1zd419 | Why did no outside force intervene in the Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia in 1968 or Hungary in 1956? | [
{
"answer": "Same reason no one interfered with US invasion of Dominican Republic. It was our sphere of influence. Just like Eastern Europe was USSR's. No one was willing to risk global war. During the Cold War it was the countries more distant (Vietnam, Angola, etc) that were really up for grabs and fought ove... | null |
2mtcdv | how did diabetics check their blood sugars before personal glucometers? | [
{
"answer": "Glucose monitors have been around for over 35 years. They were just bigger and slower.\n\nBefore then it was controlled through highly restrictive diets and insulin and oral medicines and everyone kinda hoped for the best. Bloodwork was limited to labs and hospitals.",
"provenance": null
},... | null |
chevur | How does our skin know when it’s time to produce more melanin? | [
{
"answer": "I believe it does so in response to cellular damage caused by UV light—hence why tanning beds cause you to get darker. If the cell notices an increase in UV damage, it creates more melanin. \n\nNot a very scientific answer as I don’t know the exact mechanism, but I hope that helps a little!",
"... | null |
3qn5lu | Would people living in Europe during the Middle Ages have called their time period the Modern Age, or something else? | [
{
"answer": "Medieval authors tended to divide history into six ages, which were mapped to the first six days of Creation in Genesis (and sometimes to the different stages of human life). Although variants existed, the most common schema came out of Augustine who situated the first age as from Adam to the Floo... | null |
2dnc90 | Do objects get hotter as they move? | [
{
"answer": "You may be confusing external, bulk, translational motion with internal, microscopic, random motion. They are independent. In a vacuum, an object's temperature will remain the same no matter how fast it is moving linearly through space. It must according to Relativity. Depending on what reference f... | null |
21tq8f | is there a relative speed maximum, which is equal to 2*speed of light? | [
{
"answer": "you are missing the concepts of speed of light.\n\nNo matter on the point of view - you can run away from the speed of light of towards. The speed of light stays the same",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "No. Just like light is always measured as travelling at c in all rest frames, m... | null |
amzxa6 | at what point did the first cells decide that it was okay to eat each other? and why? couldn’t they have kept dividing just as the first living cell did? did they divide to survive or just to eat each other? or both? what mechanism even decided those? | [
{
"answer": "They didn't \"decide\". That's a conscious motive that you're applying to the simplest organisms. \n\nThe simple answer is that you need more stuff to make more cells. Just like building a house, you need to get more lumber, bricks, drywall...etc to build more houses. The easiest way to get the bio... | null |
366fai | how can people steer their bikes when they don't have their hands on the handles? | [
{
"answer": "They lean. \n\nWhen you lean on a bike your center of mass isn't over the wheels anymore. That puts a torque on you and the bike. If your bike weren't moving that would mean you would just fall over. Since the bike is moving and you have a lot of angular momentum, it turns the direction that you... | null |
dq01py | why do you cry when someone asks you “are you ok?” when you are trying not to cry | [
{
"answer": "because sometimes its the fact that someone is showing you that they care makes it easier for you to let it out",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I cry because it shows that someone actually cares. Most times I feel hopeless is because I feel I'm all alone.",
"provenance": null
... | null |
elepxy | what exactly constitutes the 'art-pop' genre in music? | [
{
"answer": "There was a time, like in the 70's, when the distinction actually meant something. The radio stations were mainly playing \"pop\" (am stations) and \"rock\" or \"disco\" and \"r & b\" (fm stations)\n\nThe stuff people were listening to that didn't get play on the radio (outside of college stations)... | null |
8u4usi | how are fruit juice concentrates made? if juice comes from the fruits themselves how is it put into concentrated form? | [
{
"answer": "Juice contains water so you just boil it until that water is gone to make a more concentrated juice",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "7984",
"title": "Drink",
"section": "Section::::Production.:Juicing.\n",
... | null |
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