id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
25963o | types of government and their pros/cons | [
{
"answer": "This is a rough overview of different systems, it's kinda caricatural, to help get a glimpse of what a government is about. Of course it has to be developed afterwards.\n\nCommunism : In the essence, everyone is equal and gets an equal fraction of what is produced by the workforce.\n\nSocialism : C... | null |
yv5ec | Is ADD a real thing? Is that disorder questionable? Why do so many laymen roll their eyes about ADD? | [
{
"answer": "Yes. It's probably overdiagnosed due to the difficulty of differentiating child behavioral problems (often related to family problems), childhood onset bipolar disorder, and ADHD, as well as a whole slew of other learning disorders like auditory processing problems. Exacerbated by the fact that it ... | null |
8w51o4 | how can someone physically consume 74 hot dogs and what is the "aftermath" like? | [
{
"answer": "For the consumption, practice. They need to eat progressively larger amounts of food or liquids per a period of time so their stomach can (somewhat) comfortably stretch to hold it all and they can get used to eating/drinking way past their body’s ‘I feel full’ point. I don’t know about the rest, it... | null |
399fc7 | why does ac´s have hot and cold mode, if it lets you select the temperature? | [
{
"answer": "When you select a temperature, you're not setting what temperature the air coming out of the AC is. The AC can only produce two temperatures of air: warm and cold.\n\nThe temperature setting is called a \"setpoint\". It's the temperature than the thermostat needs to move past before the AC turns... | null |
244kzj | Are there any documented battles between Greek style Hoplite Armies (or something resembling them) and Roman javelin and sword type armies? | [
{
"answer": "It depends how close to hoplite army you want to be \n\nThe [Hoplite period](_URL_3_) of Greece ended shortly after the end of the Peloponnesian War, between 400 and 350, when there was an increased reliance on mercenaries, a less hierarchical formation, and less formality in conflict (i.e., more s... | null |
70lz4y | why do manufacturers have english and metric nuts and bolts in the same system? isn't is cheaper to be consistent? | [
{
"answer": "This happens when an American company uses European suppliers or even is jointly owned along with a European sister company and they share parts.\n\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The US is still on its own measurements system despite (almost) every other country on Earth switchi... | null |
5oz66q | why do presidents wait until the very last week of their presidency to pardon convicted inmates, rather than doing it earlier on? | [
{
"answer": "Pardons are the most politically controversial thing a president can do. He's probably doing them for the right reason, but it would've made his re-election/presidency far more complicated if he'd done the pardons earlier.\n\nAlso, tradition.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "There ... | null |
1mz4gd | Is there any documentation of the death of Jesus in Rome at the time of his crucifixion? Or was he considered a petty criminal? | [
{
"answer": "Supporters of the [mythical Jesus theory](_URL_0_) point out that we don't know of any non-biblical corroboration of his existence. We have a mention in currently known transcriptions of Flavius Josephus' history book, but there are very good reasons to think that those were added much later by a c... | null |
8138rh | why do blood drives collect all types of blood, instead of prioritizing o- and o+ donors? | [
{
"answer": "If there were an unlimited supply, it would make sense to prioritize the donors whose blood is the most compatible. But that's not the case; donations generally keep pace with the demand for blood but in the United States, there's not a large surplus. So it's more practical to collect and use blood... | null |
1gikro | What was Hamiltonianism and what did it become between 1790-1850? | [
{
"answer": "Hamiltonanism was a political/economic belief in a Strong central government, encouragment of national industries and commercial economy and a distrust of the common man. The ideas of it still have no left us according to Michael Lind. It has been a persistent battle between Jeffersonian agricultur... | null |
3wr9pe | I've heard Islam and the Arab Caliphates were heavily influenced by Persian culture and traditions. Why is that and what are some examples? | [
{
"answer": "An interesting read on this issue, mainly is about women's position in Islamic societies but gives quite a good idea about Persian (actually, Mesopotamian) influence over Islam and Islamic states: _URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Persians dramatically outnumbered Arabs. They... | null |
145dsi | How did Japan end up calling itself by China's name for the country: "Land of the Rising Sun"? | [
{
"answer": "Interesting question, and I don't know the answer, but I'd guess during the 700s-800s. That was when Japan imported Chinese culture wholesale, from the writing system to the architecture to Buddhism to entire sections of the language. (even today, Japanese use Chinese prononciation in some cases; f... | null |
1ptv1j | why am i only bald on the top of my head and not the sides? | [
{
"answer": "There's a lot of great articles online that go into the exact science behind it if you'd like to read up on it, but the basic version goes like this:\n\n\n1) The hair on the top of your head is genetically slightly different to the hair on the sides of your head. The hair on the sides of your head ... | null |
sjmkx | What would happen if someone were to take a glass container out into space, close it, seal it, then take it back onto earth? | [
{
"answer": "If the container was strong enough, you'd have a glass container with a vacuum inside. If not, the container would implode when it returned to normal atmospheric pressure. The pressure of the atmosphere outside would push the walls of the container in, and there'd be nothing inside to push back.",
... | null |
24fqge | What were relations between Pinochet's Chile and the military regime of Argentina like? | [
{
"answer": "I don't know the specifics of this question and it was one that I would like to explore myself when I have a bit more free time. Both were brutal regimes and cooperated with each other (along with other nations of the Southern Cone) in Operation Condor, which was essentially a transnational repress... | null |
doatrm | Communications (post, radio, red cross etc) between allies and axis during WW2? | [
{
"answer": "For the general situation of post and parcels, from a [previous answer of mine](_URL_4_):\n\nFor signatories of the 1929 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, [Article 77](_URL_6_) stated: \n\n\"At the commencement of hostilities, each of the belligerent Powers and the ne... | null |
1cwxbb | Why haven't we discovered prehistoric art as well rendered as some of today's modern art? | [
{
"answer": "It might be to do with awareness, education, intellectual development, available time/labour, but that is all speculative. There are of course some famous Modern (20th century) art that looked to reclaim some of the value of cave art, not only that the history of art was not a linear progression of... | null |
tnj49 | What is the "ceiling" for perceivable video resolution? | [
{
"answer": "In part, wouldn't this depend on the size of the screen we're talking about? Conventional wisdom claims that most people can't discern the difference between 720p and 1080p on a screen smaller than 40\", for example.\n\nI know YouTube has a few 4k videos now. How big does the screen need to be to b... | null |
2127vq | what is the tl;dr of terms and conditions that i always i agree to? | [
{
"answer": "This is our stuff. You have to use our stuff the way we say. If our stuff breaks your stuff, it's not our fault. You can't give other people this stuff unless we say you can. That's the basics. There are some other nuances, but not many. I would highly recommend reading through one T & C all the w... | null |
100bwe | Does Splenda have an effect on the teeth similar to other forms of dietary sugar? | [
{
"answer": "Simply, no. \n\nDietary sugars are very dangerous simply because of their very high energy density, and persistence in the mouth (stickiness).\n\nBacteria metabolise these sugars into instant energy for themselves, but also secrete oligosaccharide chains (sugar molecules around 10 units long called... | null |
dq7itx | Can you harvest the spin energy of an object? Can objects be spun up in 0 gravity to serve as batteries? | [
{
"answer": "What you're proposing is called a [flywheel](_URL_0_) and currently exists.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "1027654",
"title": "Levitron",
"section": "Section::::The device.\n",
"start_paragraph_id": ... | null |
bt03lt | why do stop lights make you press the walk sign button? | [
{
"answer": "The only stop lights I've seen with that button, are stop lights in places like highways or with high speed traffic that don't need a stop light due to a low amount of people needing to cross.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Think of it like the turn arrow. If there’s no car in the... | null |
tbu8w | If evolution has emotionally rewarded beneficial actions, such as sex feeling good, why do I hate exercising? | [
{
"answer": "You should keep in mind that our modern society is not at all a reflection of how humans have lived for the majority of our history. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "336",
"title": "Altruism",
"section": "Sec... | null |
1s49c1 | How did early humans deal with Neanderthals? | [
{
"answer": "This question is better asked of /r/askanthropology since it is clearly pre-history. Emerging genetic [data](_URL_0_) indicates that there was some contact that involved the exchange of genetic information, but the nature (and relative enthusiasm) of that exchange is lost to a time before records. ... | null |
56kb7i | what credit rating actually is | [
{
"answer": "The most important thing to remember about your credit rating is that it is **not** for your benefit. It is for the benefit of those you want to borrow money from.\n\nYour credit rating is a conventient way for money lenders to know what kind of risk is associated with lending you money. Basicall... | null |
19fghf | Are measurements of an object's radioactivity affected by background levels in the environment? | [
{
"answer": " > Are measurements of an object's radioactivity affected by background levels in the environment?\n\nSure, but this is the first thing you correct for. At work I measure the output of a radiation treatment device for cancer. The first thing I do is just take a measurement with the treatment dev... | null |
353y11 | A Song of Ice and Fire depicts medieval warfare as devastating the countryside, crop harvests, and peasant population with widespread abuses of non-combatants. Is this accurate of what warfare was really like during the War of Roses time period? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, and for a much longer period than just the Wars of the Roses (ie. mid-to-late fifteenth-century). The encastellation of Europe in the eleventh- and twelfth-centuries made violent marches through enemy territory, known as [the chevauchée](_URL_3_), a highly popular and essential military tactic... | null |
4wivpn | Were cannonballs considered "reusable" after being fired? or would they be deformed/ damaged after impacting a target. | [
{
"answer": "**Occasionally, but typically under only specific circumstances.**\n\nIn the first centuries after the development of the cannon, stone shot was used in most cases. Stone is frangible; it tends to shatter upon impact, and even if a stone cannonball did not shatter, it was easily converted to peacef... | null |
2avk6y | What effect does the arctic summer sun have on plant life? | [
{
"answer": "In theory, it would certainly help plants grow. In reality, though, it has very little effect, because the limiting factor of plants in the arctic is nutrient availability. The soil there has a layer of permafrost that prevents anything big and vascular from growing. It's why most plants in the ... | null |
33xt8p | How accurate are the common pronunciations of Biblical names (i.e. Daniel)? Are they dead on, or have the pronunciations evolved? Are the names even original? | [
{
"answer": "hi.. you might get something out of these related posts\n\n* [Luke is short for Lucas. Why does the bible Luke only have the short form?](_URL_3_) - /u/vhcngh traces John, Jonathan, Luke, Mark and Matthew from English to Latin to Greek\n\n* [Which came first, the name 'John' or 'Johnathan' (or simi... | null |
2g2lrc | how do tv shows with multiple writers avoid the "too many cooks spoil the broth" syndrome? | [
{
"answer": "A head writer makes final decisions ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's important to understand that for any team to function well they HAVE to get over their individual egos to at least a certain level, or they will not be able to get along and the team approach doesn't actually... | null |
34kunh | What did escapees from East Germany have to go through upon arrival in West Germany? | [
{
"answer": "I can answer the follow-up question: They were imprisoned according to paragraph 213 of the GDR criminal code.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "First of all, I'm sorry if significant portions of this answer lack good, reliable English cites. I'll at least give English wikipedia link... | null |
5b0uag | if life were such a probable event, we don’t have evidence of multiple origins? | [
{
"answer": "There could have originally been many potential self-replicating molecules or molecular systems, but likely one type was better at replication than others and there was a molecular form of natural selection. It is thought that RNA preceded DNA, and that the first life was RNA-based. RNA is simpler... | null |
dy67z6 | why are you required to wear specialized eyewear when welding, and in what way the light emitted differs from another light source? | [
{
"answer": "The quality and color of the light varies depending on the materials being welded and type of welding. However, almost all forms are so bright that they'd damage the eye and more practically so bright that they you can't actually see the weld area because all you see is a glowing orb around the wo... | null |
aa5kzx | how will the upcoming hospital pricing requirements help consumers? | [
{
"answer": "Who knows, people may start bringing their own medications and nursing staff, many are already opting for an Uber over an ambulance.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It'll be helpful for a few different reasons.\n\nFirst, it brings transparency to the process. You'll know *before* y... | null |
96hsq1 | What is Einstein Tensor, and how it is implemented in Physics? | [
{
"answer": "The Einstein tensor **G** is a tensor that quantifies the curvature of spacetime. It is a function of the metric tensor **g** and partial derivatives of the metric tensor and in fact the only tensor-function of **g** to be divergenceless. It appears on the left-hand side of the Einstein field equat... | null |
314i9e | why does everybody know the phrase "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell?" | [
{
"answer": "It's simply a statement to remember what it does and people find it to be effective in teaching. Kinda like how Roy G Biv and Please excuse my dear aunt sally.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "60283999",
"title": "Mit... | null |
dw7y2k | Is the sea level "flat" across the oceans? Or are there water "mountains"? | [
{
"answer": "your assumption is correct, the water level varies around the globe.\n\nthere are some fun stories about bridge projects that almost failed because the engineers didn't think about that and as a result built from both sides with different heights",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Sea... | null |
bgmdrj | When pollen reaches the stigma, how does it get to the ovules? | [
{
"answer": "One of the most interesting details of plant biology is the fact that they have life cycles which involve [alternation of generations](_URL_4_). Unlike humans and most other animals, which are multicellular diploids for our entire lives (with the exception of an extremely brief unicellular bottlen... | null |
18x622 | How does ice actually form from liquid water? Need a physics explanation! | [
{
"answer": "Its not magic, its thermodynamics! Any system that is not in equilibrium will tend to minimize its total energy. Specifically, for crystallization, there are two steps. \n\nStep 1: Density fluctuations in an unstable system lead to a nucleus. If these fluctuations result in a cluster of a criti... | null |
8emqi0 | Everything in space spins it seems, so how could an enormous cloud of spinning dust and gas ever condense to form a star? | [
{
"answer": "You're right, some gas clouds don't collapse! But others clearly do, and *exactly* how that happens and why is a topic of much research. First off, though, the main thing preventing collapse is the cloud's *temperature*, not its spin, though that also is very important to the process. Whereas **vis... | null |
e8m7xu | I recently read in my anatomy textbook that recent studies have found that there is no correlation between cholesterol in the diet and serum cholesterol levels. How did we get this wrong for so many years and what causes high serum cholesterol then? | [
{
"answer": "Very much an over simplified answer from a person unqualified to give much more: the liver (which produces cholesterol within your body) & genetics. \n\nAs for how we got this wrong for so long:\n*Snarky answer:* as humans we've been getting things wrong for thousands of years. \n*Serious answer:... | null |
kn3qn | This was posted in R/Conspiracy earlier. My BS meter went through the roof. Can AskScience provide some arguments for/against this please? | [
{
"answer": "I don't think something like this warrants a serious response (hair emitting \"electromagnetic energy\"?) So, I'll just correct the fact that, in the Biblical account, Delilah never cut Samson's hair - she called for a servant to do it for her.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": " > Ha... | null |
1vhihj | why am i able to listen to any song i want on spotify for free as many times as i want but can only skip 5 songs on pandora | [
{
"answer": "Because they're different companies that operate under different business models.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "22266111",
"title": "Blinkbox Music",
"section": "Section::::Features.\n",
"start_para... | null |
crue9h | how can nuclear launches be detected and identified? | [
{
"answer": "Between satellites and radar, it is pretty easy to track anything that flies like a rocket. Rocket exhaust is really hot, and infrared cameras in space can spot them launching. Once it is airborne, an ICBM flies up to the edge of space and then flies unpowered over to its target. During this phase,... | null |
2ap1c1 | why do my pubes itch after i shave them? | [
{
"answer": "Because the ends of the hairs are sharper than they were before you shaved, the hair curls around and irritates your skin.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "412822",
"title": "Folliculitis",
"section": "Section... | null |
aw120r | What did East Germany do well and West Germany do poorly? | [
{
"answer": "Well, between 1968 and 1988, East German athletes won a total of 409 Olympic medals at the Summer Games and 110 at the Winter Games. West Germany won 204 Summer Games medals and 39 Winter Games medals. Twice the medal count, when West Germany had four times the population. \n\nThe answer that sprin... | null |
1jy3wk | Are swimming pools breeding chlorine-resistant organisms? | [
{
"answer": "If you think of microbial resistance in human terms, it makes more sense. If you send out a plague that kills a lot of people, some will survive and will likely be more resistant. The plague is a very specific, complicated way of killing an individual. Now if instead, you threw every human in la... | null |
2cvmsx | morals and values | [
{
"answer": " > Why do people feel the need to push their own values and morals onto other people?\n\nWhy do you?\n\nIf you see someone murdering someone else in front of you, surely you are going to stop him and tell him this is *wrong*. So, why are you trying to push your morals onto other people?\n\nYes, mo... | null |
2hvzk6 | During the American War of Independence, what were the main religious differences between the Americans and the British? | [
{
"answer": "This is a big question, I won't be able to do it justice, but here's a start. In short, yes, there are significant differences in religious life between England and the N. American colonies and these differences come into play during the Revolutionary War. To this day Queen Elizabeth II is Suprem... | null |
2gzobb | what are the main differences between machines and robots? | [
{
"answer": "Robots are a kind of machine.\n\nGenerally when people speak of robots in a layman's colloquial sense, they mean the popular culture sort of humanoid, advanced AI machine.\n\nThere are lots of industries, though, that use machines that they call robots. It's usually because they have some sort of ... | null |
24v1x2 | What happens to electricity in space? | [
{
"answer": "Without a gas to super heat it will not look like a lightning bolt. \n\nlightning is the result of a discharge of electrons from a high potential source, like a storm cloud, and a source of electrical ground (like the ground) when that voltage potential exceeds the beakdown voltage of the insulatin... | null |
8udtc5 | Would an object falling from infinity to the surface of the earth reach escape velocity before it makes impact? | [
{
"answer": "Under standard assumptions (falling radially, no atmosphere, etc.), an object that falls from infinity reaches *exactly* escape velocity at the surface of Earth just before impact. Indeed, this is an equivalent definition of escape velocity.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
... | null |
n9lgt | How are city tram power-lines powered? | [
{
"answer": "\"Keep the lines hot\" is a misunderstanding\n\nPower, in the electrical sense, is when current flows from a high voltage conductor to a low voltage conductor. Keeping them separated does not require any power. Air is a pretty good electrical insulator, so very little current flows from the power l... | null |
6phz7m | solid state batteries, why are they the future? | [
{
"answer": "The main reason is li-ion is unstable and highly flammable, there have been numerous cases of laptops and phones suffering near explosive combustion due to the li-ion battery.\nThere was even a cargo plan that was brought down by a fire in the hold due to li-ion batteries",
"provenance": null
... | null |
f23eeg | why can heavy menstrual bleeding sometimes contribute to anemia? | [
{
"answer": "Anemia caused my menstruation is more likely as lack of iron than a lack of blood. Women need roughly twice as much iron as men because of this.\n\nFoods high in iron include legumes, red meat, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Also vitamin C can help up iron intake.",
"provenance": null
},
{
... | null |
3sr36h | how does the paint that changes color by temperature work? | [
{
"answer": "Omg. I was at the science festival in sf last week and they were passing out rulers that did this... The kids passing them out had no idea how they work other than to say there are two layers of paint and the top layer becomes transparent with heat. \n\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answe... | null |
11wmqt | If the universe is expanding, are we able to see stars going backwards in time? | [
{
"answer": "No. That would require light from later in the star's life to catch up to and pass the earlier light, which isn't possible.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Any object which, due to the expansion of the universe, is moving away from us faster than the speed of light is essentially f... | null |
39s8vr | why are cows so sacred in india that they cannot be slaughtered and beef cannot be eaten there | [
{
"answer": "Cows aren't harmed in India as a sign of respect. Cow's milk is an important part of every Indian household and several dishes are based on it. They are considered to be gifts from God and people are thankful for them.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's part of Hindu culture, not... | null |
3pqcj0 | What happens to blood cells if you invest them? | [
{
"answer": "Saliva or stomach acid would likely kill them. If blood cells aren't in a liquid with the same concentration as blood they will basically pop due to water entering the cell or shrivel up due to water leaving the cell. Absorbing whole cells would risk having bacteria enter the bloodstream too easily... | null |
1t353r | why does the uk still have a -house of lords? | [
{
"answer": "Because it works fine and most people are happy with it? \n\n\nHow can you have a check system if the way you appoint members in the upper house is the exact same way you appoint members of the lower house? You will just end up with the same result.\n\n\nLords can also be nominated by the public. T... | null |
29cna7 | What leads to different colors of marble? | [
{
"answer": "from the wiki\n\nPure white marble is the result of metamorphism of a very pure (silicate-poor) limestone or dolomite protolith. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which w... | null |
2xojup | why is it illegal to share movies, music, etc; but completely legal to borrow books, movies, music, etc from the library? | [
{
"answer": "Because at a library there is one physical copy being shared, it can only be with any one user at a time. With computer files you are creating copies so each user can access the file at the same time. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's illegal to *copy* and *distribute* properti... | null |
1dueb1 | How was Art Deco architecture viewed and judged when it was built? | [
{
"answer": "Art Deco was very popular at the time, and influenced buildings around the world. It was associated with luxury and progress, and was widely embraced by all levels of society, while [contemporary modernist and expressionist architecture were more intellectual/elitist.](_URL_0_)\n\nRebuilding a town... | null |
1a1cbg | why any person in front of a judge must take an oath regarding god ( "so help me god" ) irrelevant of religion | [
{
"answer": "Many venues give an option to make an [*affirmation*](_URL_0_) instead (that you will affirm that all of the statements you're making are the truth).\n\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I like what Duke_Newcombe said. But other than that, I think in this context \"God\" is being us... | null |
dnyhda | so veritasium explains in his video that trees gain their mass mainly from the air, better said from carbon dioxide. how exactly does it work? | [
{
"answer": "photosynthesis is extracts CO2 from the atmosphere along with water from the tree's roots. It uses energy from sunlight to split the molecules and recombine them to make sugar; the bulk of most plant's mass is cellulose which is a type of sugar.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "By ... | null |
1wearr | if singapore encourages learning standard mandarin and english over dialects, and taiwan encourages standard mandarin, why don't hong kong and macau continue to promote only cantonese? | [
{
"answer": "It's partly an issue of identity, nobody likes to feel like they're becoming obsolete.\nAlso re-education is very expensive and time consuming and would require infrastructure changes on many levels. think about it, it's not just teaching kids, it's teaching adults who could be spending their time ... | null |
ka711 | Is there any truth to the idea that inter racial breeding among humans decreases mutations? For example, is the offspring of a white and asian person more likely to be healthy than two whites or two asians? | [
{
"answer": "There is a concept called[ heterosis, or hybrid vigor](_URL_1_), which states that **on average** the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents would be \"superior\" to the offspring of genetically similar parents.\n\nHowever, this effect is extremely small when considering the mixing of human ra... | null |
gj5i0 | How much air speed does a modern fighter jet lose by firing a salvo of bullets at an enemy plane? | [
{
"answer": "You need to conserve momentum. Assuming an M61 Vulcan cannon firing 100g rounds at 1000 m/s and a burst of 1 second (~100 rounds), a half loaded F-22 Raptor (~25000kg) would lose 0.4 m/s. Even with some fudge factors for the accelerated air, you wouldn't lose more than 1 m/s.",
"provenance": nu... | null |
3dvhh7 | is a mobius strip actually a 2-dimensional object, or is it a representation? | [
{
"answer": "The confusion here comes from the confusion of \"infinite length\" with \"no end\". The Mobius strip does not have infinite length, any more than does a circle.\n\nMathematically speaking, the Mobius strip is a 2D manifold, which basically means if you zoom in enough it looks like a plane.",
"p... | null |
1z2c58 | why hasn't the us signed the geneva convention? | [
{
"answer": "It doesn't want to be held to international law.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They don't want to have to follow other people's rules.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "But the US have signed, and ratified, the four Geneva Conventions, and the last of three amendme... | null |
111rpj | How accurate is the show How Booze Built America? | [
{
"answer": "People certainly drank a lot, about three times as much as we do today and they tended to drink hard stuff while we mostly drink beer and wine( mid 19th century United States). I haven't seen the show, but it certainly sounds like an exaggeration. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": nu... | null |
dgz5w6 | why is there a delay with connecting a bluetooth device to a different device? | [
{
"answer": "When a device changes Bluetooth association like you describe, two things are happening. It's terminating the connection to the first device, and performing the handshaking protocols to connect to the new one. If it isn't actively connected to a different device, there's nothing to disconnect from.... | null |
8ksjff | How deep can insects live in the ground? | [
{
"answer": "Not quite insects but nematodes have been found 3.6km underground. \n\n[Nematoda from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa](_URL_0_)\n",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "32625124",
"title": "Organisms at high... | null |
417zdc | why are some colds way worse than others? if i have a bad cold and transfer it to someone else, is it guaranteed to be bad for him/her? | [
{
"answer": "It depends on your immune response.\n\nInflammation, fever, coughing and runny nose are mostly caused by your immune system fighting the virus.\n\nDepending on the effectiveness of the immune system it might be a single day of hell or a week of minor problems.\n\nNot to mention that a \"bad cold\" ... | null |
dtj9d4 | After The Civil War, Did Some Ex-Confederates Just Leave the United States Entirely? | [
{
"answer": "More can always be added, but /u/sowser wrote [this post](_URL_0_) in this sub about the Confederados who went to Brazil.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "13121768",
"title": "American immigration to Mexico",
... | null |
49znjz | If speed depends of the spacial reference system chosen, wouldn't kinetic energy depends too? If so kinetic energy is defined by the object chosen by the observer? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, kinetic energy depends on your reference frame.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Yes, kinetic energy depends on which reference frame. Additionally, this is where E=Mc^2 comes along. E in that equation is rest energy, which all matter has. The total energy takes into account th... | null |
4bf5o9 | Looking back at past early presidential elections, there were never any popular or county results for South Carolina, Why is this? How did they vote for president? | [
{
"answer": "That's a good catch. I don't know offhand when it changed, but during the antebellum period a lot of political power was routed through the SC General Assembly. Eligible white male voters could vote for their state representatives, but the legislature would then choose the governor and other promin... | null |
204wz3 | how are small cell services like boost so much cheaper than large ones like verizon? | [
{
"answer": "They dont maintain their own towers. If you live in a rural area, service will probably be good, however I believe their data works a little different. For example, first 2gb at 4g, then 3g after. I have been thinking about switching myself. I have had att since my first cell phone, but they ar... | null |
dxpr6d | How is the double slit experiment with single particle done practically ? | [
{
"answer": "You can make sensors sensitive to single electrons, shoot electrons with a low average rate and discard events where more than one electron came close together. In principle you could also make a source that can release individual electrons.\n\n[Single-photon sources](_URL_0_) are a standard resear... | null |
2mnhs3 | What practical purpose did the comfort women under Japanese occupation serve? Were there cases where the same purpose was fulfilled without resorting to comfort women in history? | [
{
"answer": "Serious question: Did Comfort women really exist?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "To put it in a bit of perspective:\n\nIn ancient times, when armies went to war and conquered a city, poor discipline could lead to the army going on rampage and burning, looting, and raping their way... | null |
2vgpsn | why are so many famous songs targeted at pre-teen girls? | [
{
"answer": "Because Preteen girls normally have a higher rate of buying things they don't need. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Preteen girls are a very important demographic. They are considered more responsible than boys the same age, and therefore generally have more spending money; but t... | null |
1z6psn | when a plane banks left or right, why doesn't everyone's drinks fall off the trays. surely gravity is still in effect? | [
{
"answer": "Consider water in a bucket on a string. No matter what you do with the bucket, as long as the string is at strain, the water will stay parallel to bottom of the bucket, not the ground. Why? Water is affected by gravity, \"G.\" The bucket is affected by gravity \"G\" AND the strain of the string \"S... | null |
bwc9i7 | how does a massive government like china just deny that an event like the tiananmen square massacre didn't happen? | [
{
"answer": "China has a massive power called, “controlling education.” they disposed of all evidence that it happened and not put it in the education. just like what happened to the Tank Man incident. they also did it through propaganda.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "If the media is not allo... | null |
22kvab | What is the oldest event, figure, law, etc. that you can think of that still has some influence on society today? | [
{
"answer": "Law- the Code of Hammurabi (1772 BCE) is the earliest I can think of that has had consistent sway on law ever since. Essentially the notion of reciprocal (if in this case draconian) justice. If not that, Lycurgus' (Aprox. 780 BCE) mixed constitution of Sparta is essentially the system of American p... | null |
22bii4 | when movies make horses fall, is it real, and if not, then how do they do it? | [
{
"answer": "In the past, a device known as the \"running W\" was used to trip horses at a specific point, but it is now illegal. It is possible to train a horse to fall over on command in such a way that neither it not the rider are in much danger, and this method is used currently. As with any trick, teaching... | null |
s08rs | In an atom, can an electron ever collide/w or touch the nucleus of the atom it is apart of? | [
{
"answer": "Yeah, sometimes a proton captures on electron and causes a nuclear decay. It's called [electron capture](_URL_0_).",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": " > I think it this would only happen at absolute zero where all energy is gone,\n\nNot that this is a bad \"guess\", but no. In the co... | null |
wxua9 | direct x | [
{
"answer": "DirectX is the way that your game communicates with your graphics card. Microsoft takes requests from game developers and makes a list of features that game developers want, but can't do right now.\n\nMicrosoft then goes to AMD and NVIDIA, and says, \"Hey, these are some things that game developers... | null |
357dpn | Would we be able to notice a difference in the earth's speed if we were part of a different galaxy that rotated faster/slower? | [
{
"answer": "Not through any physical sensation that we would notice with our bodies, but we'd certainly be able to measure the solar system's orbital velocity around the galaxy in the same ways that we do now: high-resolution measurements of the proper motion of the center of the galaxy, and measurements of th... | null |
8dfw96 | Do passing asteroids have an effect on for example the tides? | [
{
"answer": "What's interesting about gravity is that it has an infinite range, which is not true for the other 3 forces (strong, weak nuclear and magnetism). Because of this, you could say that every atom of matter in the universe has an effect on the tides of our oceans, this includes you! You walking around ... | null |
3oppk4 | How do spider populations survive the winter? | [
{
"answer": "Many spiders go into diapause (similar to hibernation) over the winter ([Source]( _URL_1_)). They decrease their oxygen consumption and activity level. They will bury themselves in leaf litter (or similar) for warmth. The life cycle stage (egg, juvenile, or adult) that diapause occurs during is spe... | null |
32o86s | why don't states ever try to secede from the us, opting to keep their tax money and run things exactly as they would like? | [
{
"answer": "A bunch of states tried that back in the 1800's. It didn't turn out so pretty good.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Because they can't. A state can't ever *legally* secede from the union of the United States.\n\nA state can *revolt* against the union, though - That's what a lot of... | null |
6c0x1u | why do we more commonly associate bad memories with songs? | [
{
"answer": "Any highly emotional state will induce powerful memories of associated sounds, smells and other senses. Evolution probably coded this into us in order to ensure we would remember both dangerous situations and opportunities to thrive. This would be especially important for mating rituals in young ad... | null |
1e97g5 | how do ad networks work? | [
{
"answer": "Ad networks generally have agreements with a lot of popular websites. The ad network pays the sites to place their ads, and vendors pay the ad networks to display their ads in those spots.\n\nWhen / if you click on one of those ads it brings you to the vendor's website. The ad network tracks wher... | null |
4hno7r | why is st. louis not as important in the united states as it once was? is it likely to continue shrinking? | [
{
"answer": "It was very important when the Mississippi was a big hub for transferring industrial products out of the Midwest. The small arms factory my grandmother worked at during WWII in Davenport, IA shipped through St. Louis, for example.\n\nAs Midwestern industry declined, so did the shipping of those pro... | null |
5vm9na | why do different countries have different electrical outlet layouts and voltages whereas (almost all) cars/trucks are standardized at 12v and the little round outlet (cigar lighter)? | [
{
"answer": "Cars wear out and get replaced, so over a period of two decades 99% of all cars on the road will be replaced with new ones. The last several decades in the auto industry have been ones of consolidation into a few enormous multinational companies that sell cars in dozens of countries around the wor... | null |
23shrw | How exactly does one ionize xenon, such as in ion propulsion? | [
{
"answer": "In Ion Propulsion drives, Xenon is ionized by shooting it with electrons. Xenon has a pretty low ionization energy, so it doesn't take much to steal an electron off of it! Once you have a nice Xe+ ion, you shoot it out the back by electrostatically accelerating it through a set of charged grids and... | null |
3xvm9q | whatever happened to piracy? | [
{
"answer": "It's still going on but isn't getting the same level of attention is was a few years back. According to the news, they've moved on to Iranian vessels. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "It's still very much a thing, although it has slacked off a bit. There was a huge surge in piracy ... | null |
df7rxj | Why did big game hunting become so popular during the Victorian era? | [
{
"answer": "Questions of popularity are not going to be easy to nail down (why did everyone suddenly get interested in zombies?) But it's not that actually doing big game hunting was popular ( it was, after all, rather hard for most Victorians to do it) as much as reading about it. That's rather obvious: rea... | null |
11yhfl | Did The Celts participate in Human / Animal Sacrifice? | [
{
"answer": "_URL_0_\n\nSame goal as most sacrifcing culture. Ensure that the next harvest or the next year will arrive, that there will be a good yield or protection against desaster and desease.\n\nNeedless to say the Celts didnt have a centralized church so everything varied locally.\n\nIs it Rome 2 by any c... | null |
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