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bpkz60
Why does rape historically accompany war and pillaging?
Lots of young alpha males who've been seperated from their society for a long period in a mostly lawless environment in a position of control over lots of women from a different culture who they have no respect for.
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bpl5dc
how does a dosimeter work?
There's many different types, but the simplest is a film dosimeter. The radiation will hit the film and cause a reaction to it. Then someone can look at the film, see how often it was hit and give an amount of dose that was received. Electronic ones are similar, but instead of a film, it's some silicon, like a transistor. The radiation will change the behavior of it and that can be measured as a certain dose.
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bpl5iw
how come animals can walk relatively quick after being born, but it takes a human baby around a year?
because when human babies are born they aren't as developed as other animals, due to the fact that if we kept them in utero any longer it would be fatal to the mother
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bpl693
What makes us attracted to certain genres of music? How can a group of people all have different taste in music?
There's been a fair amount of research into trying to link personality traits with music preference. Apparently people with certain personality traits do tend to listen to certain types of music. While a persons mood also has a significant affect as to what they prefer to listen to. For instance Energetic Extroverts tend to listen to popular music, rap, electronic, and dance. While people who are intense and rebellious prefer genres like rock, alternative, and heavy metal music. What was most fascinating was that the personality traits associated with Classic Music and Heavy Metal were almost identical. To the point where if you looked at the research in a vacuum you might conclude that they were the same genre.
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bplr6r
how does money laundering work?
Watch Breaking Bad or Ozark. Basically, if you make money selling drugs for cash, you can't just go spend it and live the gangsta life. Eventually the government will see all your bling and wonder why you list your job as a fry cook at IHOP but drive a BMW and have a 25' boat and show only 25K per year income. So you have to explain and report all the cash somehow. You say you got a partnership with a buddy in a shitty cash based business like a bar where tips and cash are common. You use some cash to make some improvements to the business to justify better income than the prior owner. You record large profits from nonexistent customers, buy food and booze and sell them on the side but pretend to be consuming them in the bar. Every night you take a big wad of drug cash, make some fake entries in your records and deposit the profits. As you do better, you improve or legitimately grow your business to justify bigger numbers.
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bplyii
What differentiates brands of the same alcohol, like vodka or rum, that make it taste smoother than others? Is it a process or perhaps ingredient driven?
Comes down to number of times distilled (removes impurities) and what it is made out of mainly. This doesn't always apply though as I've had multiple distilled varieties that don't taste much better than some mid-grade.
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bpm36y
How is it that when our body is turned upside down our stomach acid doesn't flood into our esophagus?
Your esophagus has a sphincter at the end right before the stomach. It will open when something is pushed close to it. But it's made to be closed otherwise so nothing gets back up.
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bpm47p
why are fans wired to go from off to high, then medium, then low, and not the other way around?
It has to do with the amount of power being supplied to the fan. From the "Off" position, a fan's going to need a certain amount of power in order to overcome inertia and get its bearings spinning. By switching from Off to High, you give it a lot of juice so that it can get going. If you tried to go from Off to Low, it might not get enough power to spin.
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bpm5fs
How do we suck? Like, how does the physical action of creating suction in you mouth work?
When you suck in, you are actually extending your chest cavity. This creates a change in pressure, essentially creating a void that needs to be filled. As atmospheric pressure is higher outside of your body, air flows in to fill the cavity. Edit: slight sentence restructuring
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bpm77q
how do car horns project so well?
So usually cars have two horns in the front of the car, a high pitch and a low pitch. So a standard electric car horn does have a diaphragm just like a speaker. Inside there’s basically a plunger connected to the center of the diaphragm and on the other side of the plunger is an electromagnet. When you hit the horn button. The electromagnet forces the plunger to bounce off of it so fast the diaphragm produces a frequency, a loud one. The combination of the high and low frequency together makes the sound travel farther and through more surfaces.
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bpmc50
the birthday paradox. With a group of 23 people why are 2 of them likely to share a birthday?
In a group of 23 people, you can pick a pair of people in 253 different ways. So, even though the number of people seems small at first glance, there are actually a lot of chances for a shared birthday.
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bpmcx1
Why do TV remote batteries last a lot longer than wireless video game controller batteries?
You’re not constantly pushing all of the buttons on a tv remote for hours on end. Simply moving left on a joystick would constitute as always sending a signal. ...and that’s not even getting into controllers that vibrate.
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bpmgh5
If my grand parents, my parents, and my brother have had or have a straight nose septum, why is mines deviated?
Have you had any sort of trauma happen around your nasal area? Ever broken your nose or had facial injuries?
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bpmhm3
How do muscles work? How can you lift a weight greater than your own bodyweight?
Muscle physiology is difficult to describe in ELI5 but I'll try. Imagine your muscle is like a bunch of horses. When you need to move something, you pick the least amount of horses you can to move it, that way you won't tire them all out. If you do the same movement again, you pick a different set of horses to move it so the first ones can rest. As you get stronger, your horses get bigger so they can move more weight. As they practice, your horses work better together - instead of 5 moving forward and 2 backwards, all 7 move forwards together. When you've done a lot of moving, eventually the horses get tired and can't move as much. Less-ELI5: muscles work by shortening. The fibers have cross bridges that essentially latch onto each other and pull each other together, which generates force as they pull two things closer together (two of your bones). Strength depends on the size of the muscle (ie larger fibers can generate more force) and how well different muscles, as well as muscle fibers in the same muscle can work together to generate more force (intra and inter muscular coordination).
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bpmvbp
Are electric eels actually electric? How can an eel generate electricity and why isn't it a hazard to itself?
Yes they produce electricity. They have several specialized organs that make up most of its body allowing it to generate both low and high voltages. It produces it the same way every other living thing produces electricity, the difference is size. Your cells are powered by tiny little AAA batteries, an electric eel has them all hooked up to be like a transformer. It's not a hazard to itself because it is generating the electricity and it is dispersing through the water. Electricity is going out, not in.
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bpn90e
Why are bad words referred to as swearing and cursing?
***TL;DR:*** *Both words can be associated with negative actions or judgements of something when used in certain of their original meanings, so that was easily adapted to mean the negative words we use when we hit our thumb with a hammer or when we forgot to charge our cell phone and discover we have a dead car battery.* \-- The word "curse" original meaning was of a "hex" or a "spell" which was the opposite of a blessing, and where a person wished a negative result on someone else through some magical power such as "that witch has cursed me!". (It's used in that form in the Harry Potter books, where the wizards fling "curses" at their foes using wands.) This was adapted to cover a negative wish against an object or an act that you didn't like, such as "Curse it, I hate doing taxes!", and from there to "Those cursed taxes that I have to do!" as an adjective. Comparing this to "Those \[expletive\] taxes that I have to do!", and you have the word curse becoming a socially acceptable label for many other forms of swearing. With respect to "swear", the original form here was of an oath, where you were making a strong declarative statement that you committed to do something. You'd often do it in older times using an oath in God's name, as in "I swear to God", with your hand on a bible, as a profound commitment. This is easily adapted to taking the name of the Lord God in vain, which is a sin according to the Bible, if you tack on strong and negative emotional targets or apply that strong promise to something that's not really a promise you're actually making to God. An example is "Junior if you don't turn that music down, I swear to God I'm going to brain you!", In that case, it's clearly no longer a strong commitment and becomes a form of 'blasphemy' (where you're trivializing your commitment to God). Well that was a pretty huge bad thing in the Middle Ages when the Church had a lot of power, and so the alternate meaning of "swearing" as "using blasphemous (bad) words" came to be, and it has since extended to cover sexual expletives too.
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bpnqhr
Why are we on the brink of war with Iran?
There's some serious "wag the dog" going on here. Trumpy is on the ropes with Mueller, Congress, and the IRS so what does any self-respecting President do when cornered by Justice? They start a war.
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bpo4nq
Why are plastics on one hand durable but on the other super easy to tear apart when a tiny incision is made?
This is a very complex question without you even realizing it. It depends on what plastic it is too. But assuming you're saying durable I think you're talking about hard plastics. These have very strong bonds on a molecular level. But once the bond is broken it can tear way easier through the rest of the material basically.
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bpo6ie
The EU ETS
Imagine you have a stack of playing cards. Each card allows you to pollute 1 tonne of CO2. You can either pollute and for each 1 tonne of CO2 you give a card back to the government, or you can sell it to someone else. You get new cards at the start of each year or if you do something nice like plant trees. Planting trees captures CO2 and so adds more capacity for later generations. Also the number of cards given to each player reduces each year.
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bpo6m0
How did the Christian faith gain so much popularity so quickly and spread so fast? Why was it such a success over other religions?
State sponsorship from Roman Empire and then other countries. Isn't it lovely when your subjects believe monarchs rule by divine right and the regular people should just endure hardships and oppression to get rewarded in the afterlife?
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bpojxt
How far down your finger does the nail actually go, like underneath the bed, how much is nail then when does it transfer to other material?
Having lost a toenail once, I can tell you it’s actually not very far. As the person above says, 2-4mm. However what’s most fascinating is that rather than regrowing out from the cuticle, the existing nail bed of skin under the nail, BECOMES the new nail. It’s kind of amazing
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bpom66
What causes you to stop being tired after not getting any sleep for ages?
Your body has a natural sleep cycle (your circadian rhythm). If you stay up long enough you'll hit a time when your body thinks it should be awake even if you haven't slept. Sun light, your food intake, and activity level can play a role as well. None of these will replace sleep, but you might catch a temporary second wind from one or several of these factors.
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bpomjh
Why/How do cameras see Infrared?
Infrared is a light frequency just like visible light. Camera sensors can gather and detect pretty much any kind of light, it's just that we usually set them up to pick up the colors we can see. You are kind of right in that when it displays infrared to us, the camera assigns a visible color to represent the infrared data it has picked up. This is also the concept behind the images we get from radio telescopes... we can't see radio waves but they can assign a visible light to represent the intensity of radio waves it receives. You can also put a filter on the camera to let only the infrared light in the lens. Security cameras often use this too. They have bright lights shining on the subject, but the light only emits infrared so we don't see it (though you may see a faint red glow) but the camera can pick it up and translate into a visible color on the monitor. That is how they can see in the dark.
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bpp34u
Why did Japan allied with Nazi Germany during WWII?
They both hated the Communists. Hitler and many Germans absolutely feared and loathed the Soviets, and considered them to be mortal enemies. The Japanese were at war with the Chinese (who had a significant number of communists in their ranks) and also considered themselves enemies of the Soviets. The German-Japanese alliance was originally intended as an anti-Communist alliance. Additionally, Hitler was personally fascinated by the samurai ideal of service unto death. Some authors have referred to the SS as being 'Hitler's samurai' because he tried to duplicate that same sense of fanatical devotion in his own people. The Germans and the Japanese were highly compatible because they were both fascists and they both embodied a dogma of racial dominance and superiority. The Japanese considered themselves the natural 'master race' of the Southeast Asian region, although they did not express it in precisely the same way as Germany did. In practice, the German-Japanese alliance accomplished very little. They were, for all intents and purposes, two separate wars. Germany and Japan were just too far apart, geographically speaking, to meaningfully share resources. The arrangement was more of an ideological agreement rather than an actual partnership.
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bpp79c
How did we come to the point where we have chocolate eggs for Easter?
Because Easter is a fertility celebration -hence the eggs and bunnies (known for rampant shagging) - that was sabotaged by Christianity along with so many other 'pagan' religious events.
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bppccp
Someone please explain the Platypus to me.
Small semi-aquatic mammal. It lives in fresh water rivers and streams. It digs a burrow in the bank as a home. It has a massive bill kinda like (but not exactly) a duck. The bill has sensitive receptors in it that it uses to hunt as it hunts mainly with it's eyes closed. It is one of five species of mammals that lays eggs rather than live birth of it's young (four are Echidna). The males have a venomous spur on it's hind legs for defense (females have the spur but no venom). The first examples that were sent back to England were thought to be a joke (dead obviously), simply because they are nothing like anything that had ever been seen before in Europe. They are cute little buggers.
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bppdam
Can small non repettitive electrical shocks cause damage to my body?
If you get a brief zap when touching the button, it is static which is harmless. Static electricity can be made by walking to the elevator. If you continue to feel a shock if you keep your finger on the metal, then it is AC leakage which is likely excessive and may not be harmless. It could be a sign of a very dangerous situation. I would not stop complaining until they fixed it. There is always a local government office which issues permits for elevators and is responsible for investigating unsafe elevators. Call them if you do not get a satisfactory answer.
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bppjlx
how can lightbulbs change color?
The light source consists different color "channels". A controller can make combinations of these channels, leading to different colors. Similar to mixing paint to create more colors!
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bppk46
how does melanin protect against uv
Most skin cells are "clear" as far as light is concerned. It can't penetrate forever, but it can definately get deep enough to reach living cells. Melanin is a pigmet that absorbs light. By absorbing ultraviolet light in melanin pigmet granules, a lot less ultraviolet light can reach living cells, protecting them from DNA damage.
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bppofc
why does lemon juice turn brown when heated?
Heat causes the sugars in the dried juice to caramelize. The brown color is due to the production of compounds called *melanoidins* which are a reaction with sugar breakdown products and traces of proteins in the juice. This is the same process as heating sugar over the stove to caramelize it or indeed, browning bread in toast. These also produce the amber brown color in beers that use toasted barley malts for example.
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bppypf
Why our palms have brighter color compared to our skin color ?
Multiple reasons First, darker skin is result of protection from UV rays. If you are out in the sun, you need a way to prevent harmful UV radiation, which is why people in more UV-afflicted areas (near equator, for example) are more dark skinned than those where UV is less prevalent (Read: northern countries, for example). However your palms are very rarely "palm up" so to speak, so there is little need to give them as much protection as the rest of your body, which will be in the open all the time. Second, palms are our "grabby" tools, meaning they need to be more sensitive to things. If you hold something in your hand, you need to be able to tell small details about it, so there's a lot more nerve endings etc, and skin is more sensitive. Meanwhile skin on, say, your shoulder doesnt need to be as sensitive, and can instead be more "protective". Last but not least, as mentioned above our palms are our grabby tools, so there needs to be more flexibility in them as well. When swinging from branch to branch or holding a spear, the grip needs to be strong. Hence softer/lighter but more elastic/flexible skin.
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bpq6sj
Why does it look like the sun moves faster (towards and away from the horizon) during dusk and dawn than it does during any other time of the day?
Because the orizon provides you with a frame of reference. The speed is always the same, but you don't usually have a stationary line to compare it to
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bpq72f
If tonal languages use different pitches of the same phoneme to mean different words, how does that affect emotion or other forms of context in speech?
The term ‘tone’ is a little misleading- there’s still very much a different tone of voice no matter what you’re saying- watch a movie in Chinese and you’ll be able to tell their emotions based on the tone of their voice.
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bpqgli
Why can't people create algorithms to allow bots to bypass the "Click here to confirm you're not a robot" reCaptchas?
Basically there are better and better algorithms to handle such a problem. What face/object recognition is similar. But, Recaptcha is doing it's most to make it more complex for bots using different parameters to determine whether it's bot. For example, mouse speech, response and so on.... Funny story is the collision between them, Google has audio recognition as you might know but also Recaptcha. There was a case study that demonstrated cracking the accessibility feature with one of Google's captcha that allowed user to get a call instead of image. Some guy hooked the call to Google speech recognition in order to crack the audio-captcha. Eventually, Google added noise to the audio to prevent audio recognition from working. Same for images. Today, the new captchas are object recognition, generally the idea of finding objects today relying on something called "machine learning". Recaptcha as always using crowd sourcing to keep improving their engine and protecting from bots at the same time.
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bpqlif
How do Dimensions work?
Mathematically, you can have as many dimensions as you want - you just add a new variable for each dimension. Physically, it's very difficult to "visualize" a higher dimension - which doesn't mean they don't exist, just that we can't see them. If you're REALLY interested, there is a book called Flatland which describes a 3D sphere visiting a 2D world. If you imagine a sphere traveling through a plane - he appears first as a point, then becomes a circle which grows until it becomes the "equator" of the sphere, and then shrinks until it becomes a point and pops out of existence. We could imagine a 4D sphere passing through our world - it would appear as a point, then grow into a sphere which would grow until it reaches its maximum size, then shrinks until it becomes a point and then disappears. But we can't really imagine how it would actually look in full 4D.
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bpqu7x
How do cameras at golfing events keep track of a golf ball after it's been hit when its moving so fast and so small?
Typically they change the contrast in their viewfinder so the sky is white and the ball is black. That, and years of practice.
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bpqzo1
If abortions are now banned in Alabama, could the person theoretically go to the nearest state over to get one?
As long as it isn't Georgia, which also has effectively outlawed all abortions starting next January. Although the loss of the fetus could be suspicious enough if discovered to warrant an investigation.
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bpr36n
What would happen if you’re driving say 50mph and you hit the brake and switch your car into park? Would it act like an emergency brake and lock up your tires? Or would it just destroy your vehicle?
Usually the parking pawl, the piece that stops everything from moving is just a small piece that fits into a gear inside the transmission. When you try to put it in park, if it will even try, that little pawl can’t fit into the gear, because the gear is turning too fast. If by chance it does fit, there’s a pretty good chance it will just snap it off, and then you will have no park gear.
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bpr60b
How exactly has the US been able to amass so much substantial debt?
Because it - like most other rich countries - has a good credit rating. Just like when a person has the income to pay a mortgage, even though they don’t have the money to buy a house, banks will be happy to lend that money to them. Essentially the US can afford the repayments and that it has a good credit rating means it’s actually really cheap as well.
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bprnqi
how does all the world debt work?
Money isn’t owed country to country in general — it’s owed to investors. Countries issue bonds that individual investors, retirement funds/pension funds, insurance companies, university endowments, etc. purchase. Yes, sometimes foreign countries do buy bonds of other countries, but they are just one of many debt holders.
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bprqk1
why do old scars hurt when the weather changes?
I would venture to guess that it’s because scar tissue is much different than regular skin tissue in that it is essentially just connective tissue and does not have various layers. That area no longer has the insulation that normal skin layers would provide so the nerves there are slightly more exposed to the elements, especially if you say they’re deep scars
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bpruyf
How exactly do scientific names for animals work?
The system you are likely referring to is called *binomial nomenclature* and was invented by Carl Lienneaeus. It gives every species two name. One for the genus and one for the species. The genus is the large *gen*eral group and the species is the *spec*ific member of that group. The system itself actually extends a bit more in both directions, you have Larger groups like kingdom, phylum, class, order and family above the genus and stuff like subspecies to further differentiate within the species. Usually when talking about an animal (or plant or whatever) the two name system is enough to identify them. The names were originally all Latin because (Latin and Greek) were the language of science when we first started cataloging life around us. Nowadays new species don't necessarily get real Latin names, but the words still get latinized and Latin word endings even if their names are derived from languages that have nothing to do with Latin. So when you discover a new species, you first check out how closely it is related to know species. If it look like it belongs in an existing genus you use the name of the genus and add one of your own for the species. If it doesn't fir in any known genus you make up a genus of your own too. Usually the first one to 'describe' the species gets the naming rights and everyone else has to live with that.
dbd0b0f7-bd2f-44ea-a4ee-f2b36f7236b0
bpsaic
Why don’t we feel the Earth rotate if it’s spinning so fast?
Frame of reference: we’re moving with it, and it isn’t accelerating or decelerating. Humans can’t sense relative motion.
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bpsb2l
How do countries go into debt? Can’t they make their own money
There are two main problems with this. The first is inflation. If you make more money, without also making more *stuff*, the amount you can buy for a pound, a dollar, a yen, etc. tends to go down. That's basic supply and demand: if there's more of something, its value compared to something else goes down. So you *can* print money to pay off debts, because that £15bn debt stays at £15bn, but doing so can come with side-effects. In fact, most countries kind of do this a bit, as inflation is a normal feature of the economy. The second is that sometimes debts are in foreign currencies. That's particularly true for less wealth countries, who might owe money in US dollars, euros, Russian rubles, etc.. You can print more of your own money, but then you have to change it into another currency. This is actually a lot like the first problem, eg. you're basically trying to get rid of a load of your currency in exchange for another. Supply goes up, value goes down. Except it's worse in this case, because it's not just the knock-on effects that are a problem, the cost of paying the debt goes up. A third issue that's worth highlighting is that not all countries are able to print their own money - most notably countries in the eurozone, like Greece.
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bpsbxo
why is it so hard to swallow when you don't have anything in your mouth?
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think swallowing is an involuntary reflex. When you “voluntarily” swallow you are basically just pushing food or saliva back into position to trigger the reflex. Edit: not a very good ELI5 I guess. Swallowing is automatic. It’s like your body has a sensor and swallows when the sensor detects something. If there is nothing tripping the sensor, your body doesn’t swallow. When you swallow on purpose, you are really just consciously tripping the sensor with food or saliva.
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bpsfew
Why are humans biologically wired to wake long past sunrise and go to sleep long past sunset, rather than waking and going to sleep around sunrise and sunset?
They are not. Modern electrical lighting and society has shifted it. Try going camping for a week or so with only one flash light. You will wake and sleep more or less with the sun very quickly.
f3fb3c99-c2b5-496f-98a0-2f2d32f9586c
bpsxeo
Why do some sharks give live birth, while others lay eggs?
It is believed that viviparity (live birth) is the ancestral condition for modern day sharks. In other words, sharks evolved the ability to lay eggs outside their body (also known as oviparity) as they evolved and differentiated into the species we know today. Essentially what this means is that some species, based on their habitat, found an evolutionary advantage in laying eggs, while others in different habitats found an evolutionary advantage in retaining their offspring until live birth, It’s hard to say as to the exact “why” this happened other than in the very broad sense. Personally, I believe that more open ocean sharks found it better to be viviparous because they were able to ensure the birth of young in an area with little natural protection. Whereas sharks that live on the coast might have found an advantage in oviparity, where there are a number of hiding places to lay eggs out of sight of predators. That is my opinion however, and I have not seen concrete evidence to support it. Fun fact about shark eggs: Sharks are known to release eggs surrounded in what is known as an egg case. Which is a hard, sometimes leathery, shell that around sand protects the zygote as it develops. They are sometimes colloquially called “Mermaid’s purses” due to some having similar shape to that of a coin purse. Sharks can also be identified by their egg case, with each species producing its own unique egg case with different adaptations.
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bpt80e
What makes copper kill germs on contact that other metals can't?
It's not just copper, silver has a similar effect. These are heavy metals, and when their ions get into a cell, the mechanisms that operate the cell are disrupted.
996c26f4-795b-4e0b-a72c-43e606eb94fc
bpt8ke
Exercise is supposed to be good for the heart - how does forcing a finite organ to work harder not just wear it out faster?
It's a muscle, working it out in a controlled fashion makes it stronger and more efficient for all the time you aren't intentionally working it harder. You are effectively making it's work 90% of the time easier by working it harder 10% of the time, instead of making it harder 100% of the time. Take professional athletes for example, they often have a resting heart rate anywhere from 40-60 beats per minute at rest. The average resting heart rate for a moderately or less-active person is usually around 60-100 depending on multiple factors. Take sleep for example, assuming 8 hours that means a normal persons heart will beat maybe 28,800 times during sleep (assuming 60bpm though it's probably lower because you're sleeping), an athlete's heart will beat only about 19,200 times during sleep (assuming 40bmp, though again probably less during sleep). Factor that in to the amount of time you are at rest vs exercise over your lifetime, even with hours of exercise regularly the athletes heart is going to come out with fewer beats over time.
e017c9f6-24ac-40ee-a7a5-def612b5daf0
bptb8i
Why/How do women sometimes synchonize their period with women around them?
They/we don’t. It’s a common myth and simply doesn’t happen. As a 40 year old woman who has had many female roommates over the years, I can tell you from personal experience.
92ec3ed9-9b28-4940-9b94-b7147d9cdc68
bptgki
How was ice produced in the days before freezers in warmer climates? Was there any way to conserve foods/meats?
Ice was "harvested" from cold lakes, wrapped in insulated crates, and shipped to distant locations to keep food fresh in an "icebox".
09124788-64b0-4038-9bec-667b01c3c04e
bptkj9
How is it socially acceptable for men to show nipples on TV and in public, whereas it's socially unacceptable for women to show their nipples on TV and in public?
No reason, it's just a cultural norm. In other words, it is that way because that's the way it is. Breasts are not sex organs, female breasts are not more sensitive than male breasts. It's the same as some cultures requiring women to cover their hair or even their faces.
772897e2-9014-4a25-a1e4-edd2b122f95e
bptn3y
How is it possible that heat exists both as infrared radiation and as kinetic energy of particles?
Heat does not exist as infrared radiation. Infrared radiation can transfer energy from a heat source to a material, but ultimately the 'heat' will exist in the material absorbing the incoming radiation in the form of kinetic energy of particles.
714a6d46-cbe2-4974-b534-f34910dd0c92
bptrgl
How Does A Free Market Work?
A market is a very simple idea. Simple enough that they will tend to arise spontaneously even if no government is trying to organize one. To keep things simple, we'll consider the market for just one thing, let's say apples. I'll also assume that there's some medium of exchange like money, though this isn't strictly necessary. A market is just a place where people meet to trade. In this simple example, people who produce apples meet with people who want apples. So the apple producers show up with big sacks of apples, and the apple wanters show up with empty sacks. But how do we decide exactly how many apples each person walks away with? What do the apple producers get in return for their apples? These questions are answered by a market price. People who want apples give producers a certain amount of money per apple. Those producers can then spend that money on other stuff they like (without money, you can still have a market, but instead of paying money for apples, people barter other goods for them). In the simplest economic models, prices are set such that the apple producers will show up to the market with exactly the number of apples that people will want to buy. If prices are too low, apple producers don't want to work hard to make apples, but at the same time, lots of people show up looking for apples. If prices are too high, the opposite happens. Apple producers are excited to sell at a high price and make a lot of apples, but not many people show up to buy them. The "market clearing" price is the happy medium between these. It might take some trial and error to find this price. For a very extreme definition of "free market", that's it. People show up and voluntarily trade, no regulation necessary. Most economists would probably say that such a market will have problems. What happens if someone shows up with wax apples or counterfeit money? What if someone just steals apples? For a market to work well, you generally need a government or some other entity that is willing to set and enforce rules of fair trade. Basically, people can't lie or steal and have to honor their promises. Governments can (and typically do) interact more with a market than just providing a referee. Common ways this happens: taxing transactions, setting prices, redistributing goods, breaking up large producers. Whether these things are good or efficient depends both on your political inclinations (is it better to feed the poor or have maximum efficiency?) and the exact setting. Many free markets fail in one way or another, and these failures can potentially be fixed with government intervention. Economics often starts with the assumption that a free market is the best (or at least most efficient) approach, but this is in service of figuring out where market failures exist and how to fix them.
0f7f129f-ebc2-4dce-9305-11d0c12a1ea6
bpu0mb
If Christian churches are non-profit / not-for-profit, how do full-time pastors/reverends earn a salary?
Paying your employees isn't profit. The pastor/reverend is an employee of the church. I can answer the question in one sentence so technically it doesn't belong here. Also, all churches/temples/mosques/synagogues are like this. Christian churches arent getting special treatment. Loaded question much?
6bbc987c-ae06-4f7b-b9d2-ea9028840ded
bpubxp
What makes a vowel a vowel?
Vowels are letters that make a noise for which you don't need have any contact in your mouth. Essentially noises that you make with only your throat. In all other letters, you move your lips or tongue or anything else.
ed9dc6ec-c4c9-4755-97dc-3ef2cf4c8c17
bpum5a
Why do island nations typically drive on the left (UK, Japan, Australia, etc) while mainland nations typically drive on the right (US, Canada, Mainland Europe, etc)?
In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him. Moreover, it reduced the chance of the scabbard (worn on the left) hitting other people. Furthermore, a right-handed person finds it easier to mount a horse from the left side of the horse, and it would be very difficult to do otherwise if wearing a sword (which would be worn on the left). It is safer to mount and dismount towards the side of the road, rather than in the middle of traffic, so if one mounts on the left, then the horse should be ridden on the left side of the road. In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver’s seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road. In Russia, in 1709, the Danish envoy under Tsar Peter the Great noted the widespread custom for traffic in Russia to pass on the right, but it was only in 1752 that Empress Elizabeth (Elizaveta Petrovna) officially issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right. In addition, the French Revolution of 1789 gave a huge impetus to right-hand travel in Europe. The fact is, before the Revolution, the aristocracy travelled on the left of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right, but after the storming of the Bastille and the subsequent events, aristocrats preferred to keep a low profile and joined the peasants on the right. An official keep-right rule was introduced in Paris in 1794, more or less parallel to Denmark, where driving on the right had been made compulsory in 1793.
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bpuvub
How do computer programmers take the computer (read: mouse) courser into account for the programs? Do they have to write the code that mirrors the mouse movement or do they just create the interactive background?
For most programs, the operating system/window manager draws the cursor and a program doesn't have to worry about that. A program will get notifications like "the mouse has moved to (x, y)" and can use that to know where the mouse currently is to do things like highlighting. For games with custom cursors, they might take it onto themselves to use the (x, y) coordinates given to draw it ontop of the interface at the end of each frame, and tell the window manager not to. Ultimately, the mouse position is told to any focused program whenever it moves and the program does what it needs from there.
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bpv7er
What are the purpose of 4WD and 2WD in vehicles? As well as each having their own Hi and Low buttons?
2WD stands for Two-Wheel Drive, either Front or Rear, depending on your car. Most likely, FWD. In Two-Wheel Drive mode, the power of your engine will be sent to a single axle, and split among both wheels on that axle. This is the most common way you'll use your car. The unpowered wheels will roll passively, like the front wheel on a bicycle. In 4WD (Four-Wheel Drive) mode, the engine can deliver power to all four wheels simultaneously, if it detects a loss of traction. Hi and Lo modes refer to the gear ratio being used: Lo provides much more torque at low speeds, which is useful for navigating hazardous situations, such as snow and terrain.
be163b2b-af8b-4402-9850-de1690476b29
bpvhcv
Why can't we capture slow motion audio like we can with video?
So sound is made of waves right? When we have slow motion video it means we took more single pictures of a moment than normal and then play them back slower so that our eyes can process the frames. To do the same with sound you take a sound wave but in order to slow it down you must take out energy by decreasing its frequency, high frequencies are higher pitched and lower are lower pitched. Think of a sped up video or song, remember how it gets higher pitched? You are pushing more sound waves together in a shorter amount of time than normal The same applies with less sound waves and slowing a recording. I am not a scientist just my understanding of all this.
2016e3b3-effc-46cf-bb9e-4a260d5b854e
bpvnel
That disgusting morning breath. How does it form? Why does it stink so bad? How do we counter it?
Generally it's bacteria in your mouth. If you happen to breath with your mouth while you sleep, you produce less saliva and bacteria can flourish and cause brefstank. General good dental hygiene and plenty of mouthwash should help along with keeping your nose unclogged so theres less mouth breathing.
c70f544e-6eca-45b2-bb95-b677eb076b59
bpw2m7
why does the airport security make us take our electronic devices out of our bag during security scan?
Large screen devices like laptops or tablets will just look like blank squares on the x-ray scanner. So they won't be able to see if you're hiding something underneath it or not in your bag. Same reason why they make you take out *everything* from your pockets, even cigarette packs, when you do the Back Scatter machine.
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bpw41v
How do scientists obtain a single neutron that they can shoot at the nucleus of an atom in fission?
Fission is a naturally occurring process. U-235 is found in nature and we concentrate it for use in reactors. The radioactive decay of U-235 releases neutrons. Reactors use control rods to absorb the neutrons to control how many fissions occur and this the amount of neutrons produced and therefore controlling the number of neutrons available to cause more fissions. Control rods are made of materials that are more likely to absorb neutrons than the U-235. These materials don't result in more neutrons being produced. So to answer your question, for reactors we don't obtain a neutron, we just allow more of the neutrons already being produced to be available to interact with the U-235 instead of the control rods.
60dd0734-19d6-4ed0-9647-89e95ec89297
bpwmdb
How does bail work? Do you get it back if you’re found innocent? Convicted?
If you paid bail yourself, you get it back when trial finishes, regardless if you're found guilty or not. Bail money guarantees you show up for trial. If you don't have money to pay bail, you can pay a bail bondsman 10% of the bail, who will pay the bail for you. But you won't get anything back. Because if you don't show up, the bail bondsman sets out to find your ass and take you to court. Or you could not pay anything and sit in jail until the trial date, weeks or months after your arraignment
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bpwnfe
how RMS (Root Mean Square) works in audio production.
RMS is a way of measuring AC level. The alternates are numerical average level of the absolute value (not often used) or peak level (peak=1.414 x RMS). RMS is useful in power electronics because 1 V RMS gives the same power in a resistor as 1 V DC. A 120 V incandescent can be run on 120V DC or AC RMS and have the same wattage. Most AC meters are calibrated to be RMS reading for a sine wave. The requirement of -23dB and -18dB RMS probably refers to the "average" loudness in decibels below full scale (0 dbFS). The noise floor is the level during silent periods.
1a779a26-bff4-4500-b1df-db4f4427de11
bpwsk2
What is Superflat? What does it mean both as an art style and as an idea?
It's basically a word Murakami uses to describe his own work, and people use to describe similar art. It's loosely defined but the general idea is he takes some japanese pop commercial art (anime/manga/toy figurines/model building) and mixes it with a shocking or out of place element (often something grotesquely sexual or violent) & #x200B; It's a little weird now, because so much time has passed and his most famous works are decades old. A lot of the grotesque imagery he was working with got absorbed over time into actual japanese mainstream so it's less obvious he was doing anything but drawing 4chan posts. Like in 1996 taking an manga drawing of a small hello kitty style child and making them into a grotesque monster made of breasts and vaginas was a more out there take on the sexualization of manga and of children in media and stuff because it was so over the top compared to other things. But like, now "X rated hyper violent cute animal manga" is it's own section in the book store so a lot of context is lost compared to when he started.
1c39b512-767f-4881-9236-f22ce38d0ee9
bpwss5
Why do children have nightmares more often than adults?
It is not clear if that is actually true. Children are more likely to be unable to deal with a nightmare, to request aid, to show an impact the next day, and to be afraid of things going forward because of a nightmare. When an adult has a nightmare, usually they are the only one who will even know about it, which gives the impression adults have fewer nightmares than they actually do.
0442bb3e-02a6-4e0d-8041-e6f064e59f99
bpx2df
Why are there not big patches of strawberries in wild areas of public lands?
(Posted 8 minutes ago according to me) Anyway. There *are* random fields of wild strawberries in places. My yard is full of them. You probably don't notice them because: 1. Wild strawberries are very tiny. 2. They get eaten by birds and other wildlife quite quickly. For what it is worth, while wild strawberries are edible, they are generally not worth the hassle because they are so small and they have much less sugar than the cultivated kind. So they taste like...nothing really.
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bpxcr1
How do companies like Visa or Mastercard work? and How do they make money?
They charge a swipe fee ( or Merchant fee) for each transaction using a Visa or Master card.
d27bf59c-2bb7-40c2-84d4-0a832fa03d6d
bpxhgm
Why don’t airlines have parachutes
Multiple reasons. Takes up too much space, the exit is too small, the height at which commercial airplanes fly as well as the speed would probably instantly kill people who would jump out.
8c7c6457-244c-44a3-a64d-24c5d423951e
bpxr5r
do different varieties of alcohol REALLY affect you differently?
They don't. The biggest reasons people believe this is that it takes different amounts of time to drink a shot versus a beer versus a mixed drink. If you drink the same amount of alcohol though, you will have the same amount of impairment no matter where it came from. The other thing is that being drunk is a subjective thing. You might act and feel differently based on where you are, who you're with, etc. But these differences are more due to what you're brain is doing than differences between the kinds of drink
dd3096fc-dec5-4a9f-ac81-fbd0dd101f31
bpxs2y
why when going to bed your leg or arm will suddenly jerk
It's not unusual, and it's related to how the body handles a chemical called dopamine (this is an important chemical in the brain). The process of getting tired and going to sleep causes changes in the level of this chemical, and the body is also preparing to paralyse itself later (if you've ever had the can't-run-away nightmare - this is it! Your body literally freezes itself, and its common to become aware of this during a dream). The process of relaxing the muscles can sometimes cause them to misfire, and randomly shoot out. Another popular theory is that this sudden relaxation of muscles causes the brain to initiate an ancient reflex. The brain accidentally recognises this as falling, and reflexively orders the limbs to panic-contract in order to stop this. Regardless of the reason, it's quite common, and caffeine can make it a lot more common (as can not exercising enough or similar things).
b51142db-91e5-41d2-a9b7-6a577a5ddac3
bpxsj0
What causes exercise, specifically intense cardio, to trigger asthma?
Asthmatics have what is called a hyper-responsive airway. So things like cold winter air, pollen, dust can trigger a response...it over responds by causing inflammation (gets angry)... Inflammation then narrows the airway(due to swelling)... Then mucous becomes stuck in the airway and that's why wheezing is heard (air squeezing through a tight passage, like whistling) Medications like Albuterol relaxes those muscles that are constricted and steroids help reduce inflammation.
b2d5229c-bcfb-4635-9fd2-66845cca7f9e
bpxz3x
If the US is a secular state why does the dollar bill say "in God we trust"
Most of the references to God on things like money, in the pledge of allegiance, etc. were added during the Cold War. The Communists in the USSR were very anti-religion, so if something was proposed such as adding 'In God we Trust' to coins then any politician against that would risk being vilified as a Communist.
29c25850-8687-482f-99f6-fcaa3c1cedae
bpyilc
what does alcohol do to your body to make you feel drunk?
Alcohol does a lot of things to the body. The thing that makes you "behave" drunk is when alcohol gets into the brain. The brain works by brain cells signalling to each other. Alcohol interferes with how they are able to talk to each other, making them slower or not signal at all. Understanding why this happens is more about appreciating how complex some of the things we do are. Something like talking might seem very simple, but actually takes a lot of brain "power" to do, between choosing words, assimilating language, moving all the muscles involved in the voice box and the mouth. If you slow down or weaken some of the control involved with the use of a drug such as alcohol, then suddenly speech becomes much less controlled. Alcohol is not the only drug that has effects like this on the brain, but it's the most common drug because its normal to consume alcohol. We would consider similar drugs to be really quite dangerous to take in large quantities because of the measurable effects on the brain, liver and digestive system. Alcohol gets a free pass because it's considered so normal due to its long history of being consumed.
8d126d04-5578-4f28-b616-2cb78740b393
bpyrpj
What is the best position to sleep in? I read so many articles and studies about sleeping on your side being bad for your heart. Also, I feel like sleeping on my back makes my ass smaller and I read sleeping on your stomach stops your boobs from growing.
Most sleep positions are about making your spine comfortable, and about finding a sleeping position that stops you unconsciously moving around (this interrupts rest). Not everyone is the exact same shape, so not every position will work for everyone. Sleeping on your stomach is not a good idea as this often puts strain on your neck and lower back. Sleeping on your back with your body completely straight is also not good. This disrupts blood circulation. Generally, I would advise (and this is what most professional health guides say) to sleep on your side. This avoids putting strain on your back muscles, bones or ligaments. It's probably best to avoid being completely straight, and to have a slight (or large) bend in your elbows and knees if possible. It's not unusual and can be helpful to use pillows in places other than just by your head (to support the neck). For example, people put pillows above their waist and between their knees to find a more relaxed and supporting position. It's generally advised to sleep on the left side, as this reduces the strain on your heart (your heart does less pumping against gravity). Again, all of the above is just guidelines. Find what works best for your body. Dont worry about myths like certain sleeping positions affecting how you grow. The most important thing to be healthy, happy and to grow properly is to get enough sleep!
4e2ba344-348f-43a5-9b1a-7cc834d4b734
bpyugu
Any Canadian you meet calls bacon "bacon", and ham "ham". Why do Americans think they call it "Canadian bacon"?
Minor correction: Why is there a misconception that Canadians call ham "bacon"?
0981ab77-2897-4f3c-9342-f73c1fe3cec5
bpyvkm
Why do you have to put your seat at the full upright position when taking off and landing in airplanes?
So if you need to evacuate the aircraft the person behind you can stand up without having to bend over your seat. Upright seats and raised tray-tables clear as much space as possible to allow a quicker evacuation.
e69a5b79-6d51-41f7-9e85-8ad61edf4282
bpz4ft
Why is it possible for a contact lenses prescription to be the same power in both eyes but an eyeglasses prescription to be different powers in each eye?
Because of how optics work. Contact lenses sit directly on the eye, changing how much power is needed. Glasses sit farther away from the eye, so more power is needed to correct for the same vision. To better answer your question, glasses can be more precise in their correction, so -0.25 cylinder in glasses may be too much power in contacts for the above reason. In this instance, that cylinder is corrected by changing the sphere power instead for the contact lens. This can lead to the contacts both having the same power where the glasses need slightly different powers for the same correction.
39340b65-b1e6-4fe2-a062-ecfe773fa6f1
bpz9d8
why do mobile devices perform better when wifi takes over cellular but not the other way around?
The trigger when you go from wifi to cell is because the wifi signal is so bad. The trigger from going cell to WiFi is because wifi exists, assuming it's always better. One is intentional. The other is a failure to connect. So of course it's bad when you have to fail over.
84dee835-8fc0-4925-b97d-e6cccf4fa93d
bpza61
How are they filming violent movie scenes casting children without traumatizing the young actors?
The process of filmmaking is nothing like the finished , edited work. Scenes are shot out of order, you probably just had lunch with the monster who’s going to kill you in the next scene, and nothing kills the mood like seeing the bored PAs standing around craft services. Most sets will also take special care to make filming as enjoyable of a process for child actors as possible, by making sure that everything is thoroughly explained and they aren’t forced to do anything they aren’t comfortable with. Edit: the films I’ve worked on have had child actors, and it’s really hard to phase them.
74eef017-5284-4232-b666-553ad9bef091
bpzbcc
What are the different "numbered" circuit courts, or circuit courts-of-appeal in the American judicial system?
They are the appellate courts of the US federal court system. There are 11 "numbered" circuits and the District of Columbia Circuit that each have a defined geographical region under their authority. For example, the Seventh Circuit based in Chicago has authority over the US District Courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. There is also the US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals which has authority over the various extra-territorial federal courts and tribunals like the Court of International Trade and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
37dd5698-68ac-4c5e-bb09-5a20db61d2df
bpzlwt
Why does NASA have to wait until 2024 to land on the moon?
We don't have any sort of rocket that can travel to the moon and back. We don't have a vehicle that can detach from that rocket and land on the moon. Takes a LOT of time and money to design and build those. Even 2024 seems way too soon. That's only five years. Plus, all the guys who worked on the Moon missions are long since retired or dead. We need to train all the current guys so they don't screw this up and get someone killed. The technology we used to go to the moon and back in the 1960's is all completely outdated and would be of no use. It's like someone saying they want to build a modern racecar by studying a Model T. Plus we have no astronauts who have trained for anything like that. It's not something you can learn as you go. Takes years of training because if something goes wrong, you don't have anyone but yourself to fix it. Plus even a delay of a few seconds in failing to react could spell your doom. Space is very unforgiving.
ea961182-b8d5-47fd-a05b-86c3ee9166f9
bpznw0
Why do some devices and programs need to be rebooted/restarted when a new setting or update is applied to them?
If your operating system is like a running car, it would be dangerous to replace parts while the car is running. So you shut the car off. Replace the parts, then start it up again. Basically when your computer starts, it has a chance to replace files and do other things before anything else is started and needs those parts in the system.
cca9c43d-bb04-4f1d-82b4-bd4731ea03bc
bpzz7d
Why can't we artificially make plastic decompose faster?
Decomposition happens when something eats the thing that is decomposing. Ie. wood decomposes because fungi and bacteria are literally eating and digesting the wood. You can accelerate decomposition by improving conditions for the microbial life that processes whatever it is you're trying to decompose. Heat and humidity greatly accelerate organic decomposition because it helps microbes digest and reproduce faster. The trouble with plastic is that virtually nothing eats plastic so you can't speed it up. When a plastic bag has that little logo that says 'biodegradable' it doesn't mean something will eat and decompose that plastic bag. It just means the structural integrity of the plastic bag will cause it to fall apart into ever smaller pieces of plastic over the course of years. Unfortunately, since it just falls apart rather than actually decompose, those biodegradable plastic bags still end up polluting.
30a59c6c-b16d-4126-b795-1ea1c9b64fd8
bpzzub
Why is it so crucial that a public company continue to grow at all costs?
It's about increasing profits above and beyond that which you could invest for the same return elsewhere. If you can't make more money than that, the business shouldn't exist. This is the concept of opportunity cost... Beyond that, inflation renders yesterday's dollar worth less. You can't simply maintain profits. But it's not at "all costs". There are different types of cost: variable, fixed... It's simply about making more money than last year because the money you make is worth less with each passing moment. Applies to public or not companies.
75722c84-3941-49a0-8515-4b435b69faed
bq0syv
passive aggressiveness
No, no it’s fine. I’ll just stop cooking my breakfast to answer this post. It’s fine. I’ll just drop everything right now. No problem.
e44cd9da-01ca-4290-8d39-7ef17b20904f
bq0vml
Why do the buttons on a calculator only go up to the number 9?
Every other number can be expressed using the digits 0 through 9. So to save space for other numbers, only those 10 digits are given. And anyway the number of numbers are infinite.
7892692d-0de7-4bf0-b013-69a302b79913
bq1gg5
Why do dogs like to be stroked?
Are you kidding? Who shouldn't want their back an head scratched all the time.
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bq2glc
How does looking at a bright light help with sneezing?
It can trigger what's called the photic sneeze reflex. This reflex makes some people sneeze when they look at bright lights. The exact mechanism by which it works isn't fully understood. It's also genetic, so only people with the gene for it will have that reflex.
6615b9a7-e2a6-4b14-9950-c7a9433c477b
bq2hp1
How did old hand-drawn animation achieve such consistent color?
Speed and skill. Each pencil drawing by an animator was traced in ink on to a transparent sheet. Once the ink dried it was sent to painting where the paint was applied to the BACK of the transparent film. Each section of color had to be completed quickly while the paint was still very wet so it would show no brushstrokes or the cel was ruined, but going outside the lines would also ruin a cel, as even though it would not obscure the line, it would still show the color in the next section over. In the golden age of Disney the ink and paint department was a fleet women who's only job was to trace or paint. The inking girls were considered to be a higher caliber than the painting girls, as their work required a more steady hand, but the painting girls were amazing in their own right. One of the greatest accomplishments of that department was maintaining consistency in color and positioning on Snow White's blushed cheeks, which were done with *actual blush.* The effect was so time consuming it was never used again. They stuck to solid colors from then on out. Edit: I have been corrected below. The use of actual blush is an urban legend. The effect was achieved no less amazingly with a dye applied to each cel by a very talented woman from inking named Helen Ogger. See the post correcting me below for more detail.
3970b1af-6d99-4454-91f6-f358a41c60da
bq2xtz
If food and drink labels must list all ingredients, how can products have "secret recipes"? (e.g. Coca Cola)
You can know that your grandma's bread contains flour, salt, sugar, yeast and water. But without knowing how much of each ingredient to add, you can't replicate the bread she makes - yours might be saltier, wetter sweeter,... and then there's how you ckmbine and prepare those ingredients - do any of them need to bo added heated? Chilled?...
21dd9d9b-94d0-4456-b978-bfc704c3135d
bq2yzd
why do people come up with interesting ideas when they are in the shower?
Because it's one of the few moments where you don't have any distractions but don't really need them either. It's just you and your mind in your own relaxing environment.
25666f25-ad32-4b6f-84ad-6baa57e35ac7
bq31gc
Why are we groggy when we first wake up?
Takes a minute for your brain/body to ‘boot up’. Especially if you aren’t getting enough rest. If you fall asleep and wake up naturally-ie on your own rhythm- you will find that you’re much less groggy.
564675ef-37a7-49b9-869d-8c5142079570
bq31vm
How exactly does computer encryption actually work?
Really complicated math. It's hard to ELI5, but I'll try. You know that simple caesar cypher, that hides a message by shifting each letter one over in the alphabet? So HELLO becomes IFMMP? Computer encryption is really just that, except on a much higher and more complex mathematical level. It mainly relies on the principal that once you multiply two numbers together, there is no simple mathematical equation you can do to get those original two numbers back - you can say, multiply 5 x 20, and get 100, but since there are multiple ways two numbers could multiply up to 100, you can't verify that the answer you came up with is the correct one. Now, if the two numbers are prime numbers, it makes it even harder by an insane amount, which I'm not going to try and explain here because that gets into college-level mathematics and prime numbers are weird. Now, most encryption methods use some form of extremely large prime numbers to generate a pair of Encryption "Keys" - one encrypts the data by running it through the equation, turning it into a meaningless jumble of letters/numbers/symbols. The other key is the decryption key, that has the instructions for un-jumbling the data. Since it's created with the encryption key and is specifically designed only to decrypt that specific encryption, each pair of keys can only be used with each other. Since they are unique and the data is unrecoverable without the decryption key, it's important to never lose this. Now, some will claim you can "brute force" or "crack" the encryption... technically, *yes*, you can try every possible decryption key till you find the right one, *but* current high end encryption protocols are so complex that even with the current processing power of the world's computers, it would take hundreds of years to crack a single key. TL;DR, You put your data in a box, and lock it with an encryption key. That lock can only be opened by the encryption key's twin, the decryption key. (Not even the encryption key can open it, and the decryption key can't lock it again!) So even if your FedEx driver steals your box, he can't get to the data. TL;DR to the TL;DR- Magic
565218ee-76c0-4110-8d94-166bcb0c9265
bq3ft2
How do cuts become new skin?
Most of your skin is dead/dying cells. They are just there to act as a physical barrier. The living cells which divide and produce these dead cells are way below deep under the skin. So when you get a shallow cut, the layer of dead skin cells is destroyed but the living cells underneath survive and continue what they’re doing. Eventually the skin returns to normal. When you get a deep cut the living cells can be destroyed. Sometimes they can recover, but other times they can’t so a scar is formed.
59326591-e1e3-44fe-a8c9-8467a7c88b73
bq3lm2
why do diesel motors have a much more “heavy duty” sound than regular gas motors?
Diesel engines have no spark plug. Compression alone causes diesel fuel to ignite. As a result the compression needed in a diesel engine is much higher than a gasoline engine. To handle the nigh pressure inside the engine they must be made much heavier than a gasoline engine and the fuel explosion sound that is made is louder.
950173de-4a67-4124-ae17-680833cc3987
bq3ng4
What does an MEP do and why is it important that we vote?
An MEP is a person elected to the European Parliament. They have the power to vote on laws being passed in the EU, and European wide laws cannot pass without the consent of the majority. There is also a good chance the head of the EU commision will be appointed based off of the preference of the largest group in the parliament. Voting is important for two reasons: 1. Whilst the EU parliament does not have as much power as Westminster with regards to their repective organisations, it still has some power. So voting is important because you get to pick who represents you. Its fundamentally the same reason you should vote in general elections. Brexit makes it matter less, but there is still the possibility we remain, so voting still makes sense (and if that possibility upsets you, voting for the Brexit party is a more effective protest than not voting) 2. You mentioned you were from the UK. In our case, who wins is going to be looked at and analysed with regards to Brexit. So the EU elections are a good opurtunity to express your wishes, and support/opposition to the government. For voting for the right MP, I would reccomend looking for party manifestos to get an idea of what laws they would approve, looking at group memberships to get an idea of what kind of government they would appoint (Labour are the only major UK party in a group with any real shot at this, so its primarily vote Labour to back the S & D, or don't back Labour to ease the fight for the EPP), and looking at Brexit stances to see what kind of domestic message that would send.
62e48960-51d9-407f-8a30-05b09b66d008
bq3tmk
Why is working the graveyard shift damaging to our health?
For most people, it's because they're not wired to sleep well during daylight hours and be awake all night. Lack of good sleep will destroy you, either quickly and obviously or slowly and grindingly over time. Sleep is the "repair and clean up" phase for the brain. Remember what a wreck your dorm room was around exam time in college? You had so little spare time to maintain things that your laundry mound grew to gargantuan proportions. When you don't get enough sleep, or your sleep is poor quality, that happens to your brain. There are a few people who have conditions like delayed phase sleep disorder, or non-24 hour sleep-wake cycles who respond the same way to trying to keep a regular "business hours" schedule. I have DSPS. It's half past ten in the morning where I am as I'm posting this, and this is the earliest I can make my brain thinky-wordy-thing on a daily basis. I have tried keeping a "normal" schedule, and I kept ending up in a doctor's office (a couple of times, urgent care/ER) with the same complaints usually seen from third -shift workers. Lack of sleep is so detrimental that if it goes on too long, it can actually kill you. Look up "fatal familial insomnia" for a terrifying description of what happens when your brain forgets how to sleep.
967da588-b6b7-489c-ab4a-771698edfbe7
bq401s
Why do carbon dioxide-consuming bacteria populations in the oceans not increase to counter the increase of CO2 levels in the atmosphere?
The most photosynthesis is done by blue green algae by far, they are our largest source of oxygen and the foundation of the food chain. Unfortunately, our impact on the environment goes farther than CO2 emissions, and we’ve polluted the ocean so much that their [population has decreased by 50% since the middle of last century](_URL_0_).
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