q_id
stringlengths 6
6
⌀ | title
stringlengths 3
546
| selftext
stringlengths 0
4.44k
⌀ | category
stringclasses 12
values | subreddit
stringclasses 1
value | answers.a_id
listlengths 1
489
⌀ | answers.text
listlengths 1
4
| answers.score
listlengths 1
4
| answers.text_urls
listlengths 1
489
⌀ | title_urls
listlengths 1
1
⌀ | selftext_urls
listlengths 1
1
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
682ajp
|
What is a memory leak in the context of poorly optimized games?
|
I have been noticing that the new games being released on pc have mostly lack lustre graphics but boy the requirements to run em are just disproportionate. People in comments have said its because the said game has a memory leak and hence the absurd graphics requirements. So can anyone ELI5?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dgv3lk4",
"dgv2yyn"
] |
[
"ELI5: Memory Leak: \"You go to a bar and ask for a glass of water, you drink the water but you never give up the glass, then you ask for another glass of water and so on until the bar runs out of glasses.\" Glasses = Block of memory Water = Whatever is in it. Accepted Behaviour: \"You go to a bar and ask for a glass of water, barman go gets you a glass fills you with water and gives it to you. After that you don't ask the barman for another glass, you just fill the one you have unless you need a new one for w/e reasons.\". Bad Behaviour but not a memory leak but a garbage collector problem: \"You go to a bar and ask for a glass of water, you drink the water and give the glass back asking for another glass of water. At the end of the day if there are 1000 of customers and all customers drank 2 glasses of water, barman needed to wash 2000 glasses instead of 1000\". This is very very crude and very very simple."
] |
[
10
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
9lravi
|
why do industrial engines (e.g. buses, semi, tractors, generators) use diesel instead of gasoline?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e78txfn",
"e78ts62",
"e78vwd4",
"e7903br",
"e78y9cj",
"e78wd0u",
"e79b09q",
"e79a7v4"
] |
[
"Diesels generate more torque per unit of displacement than gasoline engines, and when you're moving something big torque is what you want. Diesels are also simpler, more robust, and general less maintenance intensive. All of which makes them less expensive to operate."
] |
[
253
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
hg0jca
|
If our stomachs are kind of in the middle-left of our torsos, why do many of us experience hunger pangs in our bellies around where the intestines are below the rib cage?
|
I even regularly feel the hunger pain all around my gut on the opposite side from my stomach. Why would this be?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fw11jj1"
] |
[
"A lot of your internal organs aren't super great at localizing pain, so even though they're caused by stomach contractions your nervous system may not be able to tell exactly where it's coming from (this is also why you feel heartburn in your chest even though it's your lower esophagus being irritated)"
] |
[
12
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
kkxh5g
|
What are Spaghetti Westerns? How does the spaghetti factor in?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gh52yxz",
"gh5474c",
"gh537bx",
"gh53f5t"
] |
[
"Westerns written or directed by italians during a certain time, sometimes an American writer/director going over to italy to produce them It got the name because italians like spaghetti (in Americans eyes, back then)"
] |
[
12
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
nkbess
|
why the earth's magnetic fields reverses?
|
The earth's magnetic field is known to shift occasionally. North and south reverse. But why does that happen? The earth's magnetic field is due to the direction of the rotation of the molten core. So does this core randomly start moving in the other direction? What causes that? And if it's reversing directions, shouldn't it stop at any point ? If so, why does it start moving in the other direction?
|
Earth Science
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gzc0tx7"
] |
[
"URL_0 They're not sure yet. But models of the movement of Earth's liquid iron core have also resulted in seemingly random reverses, so it's something inherent to how the liquid iron is behaving."
] |
[
7
] |
[
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal#Causes"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
m0ga11
|
Why in many molluscs/gastropods, the shell always forms in a clockwise spiral as opposed to a counter-clockwise spiral.
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gq7lrei"
] |
[
"Apparently [there's a gene responsible for that]( URL_0 ). Don't know why clockwise is the default, though."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[
"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01515-w"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
ej6qv1
|
How do Cheetos get their shape?
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fcvz9f2"
] |
[
"They are extruded (hot Cheetos batter/dough is forced through a hole) and then cut. Took a field trip to a Frito-Lay factory as a kid. Edit: URL_0"
] |
[
13
] |
[
[
"https://www.wired.com/2010/05/process-cheetos/"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9115bq
|
When shooting a full blow sniper rifle, how does the scope not hurt the eye/head?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e2ungbj",
"e2une28",
"e2unvhj"
] |
[
"A rifle scope isn't put up to the eye like a telescope. You will keep a gap between the eye and the scope lens, this is called correct eye relief. That said, you can see loads of videos on YouTube of people using scopes wrong who do get themselves hit in the eye, this is called being a knob."
] |
[
29
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
j10jd3
|
How do Billionaires with billions of dollars in assets pay almost no federal income taxes?
|
Economics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"g6wbtwl",
"g6wgbsa",
"g6wf64h",
"g6wdfzr"
] |
[
"First off, selling asset results in capital gains taxes, not income tax. Secondly, they only pay taxes when they sell those assets. If somebody founds a company and hold shares since the start that are now worth $1B then there is nothing taxable. If they liquidated all the shares, then they’d pay capital gains taxes on those shares sold which would be at a 23% rate — far less than comparable rate were it income."
] |
[
9
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
cckmi1
|
Is there a reason the color blue doesn’t appear very often in nature?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"etnnt0p",
"eto35z7",
"etnkssy",
"etnk86w",
"eto17oh",
"eto2rmd"
] |
[
"Edited, because hoo boy did I get this wrong/backwards and wow I am so sorry folks. Don't answer science posts drunk, my friends! For people who want the answer quick: *Red* was a later color to evolve in eyesight for a lot of animals, because most plants are green and brown, and dirt/dead stuff is also often brown. Because of that, when animals were camoflaging themselves, especially on land, they evolved to be brown, yellow, or red. Because the animals couldn't see red, that red looked brown. However, they could tell the difference between blue and green because it helped them pick apart their surroundings (ex. A tasty plant is a lot easier to find when it's not the same color as the rest of the ocean). So, an animal that looked too blue in green or brown surroundings would stick out and be eaten. The late appearance of seeing red is likely because colors other than green aren't super common in plants. This is thanks to the most efficient kind of chlorophyll, green chlorophyll. Even though our sun makes more green light than other colors, the light that chlorophyll gets energy from are red and blue wavelengths! That's why plants are usually green, is because it's the wavelength they reflect. Lots of animals *can* see blue, like dogs and cats (and us!). Even cooler, lots of animals can see light that *we can't* and have colors on their bodies for that. For instance, butterflies can have UV markings on their wings! Of course, there are some animals that are still blue. Usually this is because it was helpful for them to find mates. For reasons still puzzling, blue pigments didn't generally arise in animals, and possibly because of this, *green* pigments are also very rare. Many of the green animals you see are actually yellow pigmented, with special blue structures built in! This is because (for some reason) it was easier to make blue by making the light shining on them reflect blue with these special structures on feathers, scales, or even in skin like with the poison dart frog, instead of with a pigment. Any time a new trait arises, evolution can find some really cool ways to build those DNA blueprints that you wouldn't expect. This is a very good example."
] |
[
1002
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://bestlifeonline.com/blue-in-nature/"
],
[
"https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/211119-colors"
],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
5liuga
|
Why do elderly people have 'that smell'?
|
Culture
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dbw365c"
] |
[
"There's [a chemical change in human body odor during old age]( URL_1 ), which increases the production of a chemical called [2-Nonenal]( URL_0 ). Humans actually smell different at all ages, though especially when they're very old, and [people are fairly good at determining the age of somebody just by how they smell]( URL_2 )."
] |
[
22
] |
[
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Nonenal",
"http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.0022-202x.2001.01287.x",
"http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0038110"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
m8myrj
|
If getting pregnant can happen accidentally so easy, why is it difficult for people to get pregnant?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gri71k5",
"gri8kuc",
"gri9kro",
"gri7kog"
] |
[
"It's easy when both the male and the female are fertile. But that's not always the case. Sometimes the male has low sperm count, poor sperm mobility or other factors that prevent the sperm from even reaching the egg. Other times the female can have issues with the zygote implanting into the uterus, or simply non-viable eggs. There are a ton of different causes. But when two people have fully-functioning reproductive systems, it's very easy to become pregnant."
] |
[
26
] |
[
[],
[
"https://www.self.com/story/your-chances-of-getting-pregnant-from-having-unprotected-sex-one-time/amp"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
6s2qzu
|
How did Salt and Pepper become the chosen ones of food spices?
|
Repost
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dl9ofbp",
"dl9z1cy",
"dl9va7x",
"dl9xzoa",
"dl9xk7f",
"dl9vf3r",
"dla50lx",
"dl9s3bj",
"dl9m3bi",
"dlacvlb",
"dla9zsk",
"dl9w35y",
"dl9wc0h",
"dlawldc",
"dl9zrgw",
"dl9uk3s",
"dl9uokt",
"dla41o5",
"dla1dpd",
"dl9tcet",
"dl9xwmw"
] |
[
"No it's way more interesting. Salt preserves food (by drying it) and is readily attainable (from the sea). Pepper preserves meat (piperine kills bacteria and repels maggots but is harmless to humans). Over time, cultures that embraced preservatives like this prospered and their cuisine spread. In India, they use a whole different set of spices. In China, there are even two different words for spices called La and Ma (edit see below). One is fiery like capsaicin and the other, referring to Szechuan pepper corn, is electric like a battery on your tongue. It's amazing. **Edit:** side note: people seem really curious about Szechuan peppercorn. It actually used to be illegal in the US but [as of 2005 you can now buy it]( URL_0 ) The reason salt and pepper came to grace restaurant tables with all those other spices out there is **French cooking and Louis XIV. ** At the time that formal dining came into fashion, French culture was influential throughout the western world. Louis XIV was an influential man as the king of France. He didn't like as much salt or pepper in his food but others did so he created the custom of having his chefs put it on the table rather than cooked in. The custom spread and western culture helped spread it all over the world. Edit: black pepper contains piperine not capsaicin. Edit 2: Chinese is hard. La (not Lada) and Ma are more nuanced and appear to refer to different things. La is the word spicy generically. And by region (Hunan vs Szechuan) Ma la refers to the numbing spice (that I described as electric feeling) see the comments below for detail."
] |
[
14426
] |
[
[
"https://www.google.com/amp/www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/food/amp/The-Szechuan-peppercorn-is-back-after-a-long-term-1265515.php"
],
[
"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK50958/"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_salt#Cities_and_wars",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Kali_(Heringen)"
],
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/19mpok/i_understand_the_hostorical_importance_of_salt/"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9e57v4
|
Is witness protection still possible with technology today, facial recognition, reverse image searching, social media and such, or does it make it easier?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e5m6sml",
"e5mlljx"
] |
[
"Witness protection is still possible but I could see it that the witness would get limited online interaction. Of which it would likely be supervised. Witnesses would not be on social media with new profiles as that would pretty much break any form of secrecy. And honestly, I could see it making it way more difficult."
] |
[
9
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
jdgbho
|
how and why does liver regrow after donating part of it?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"g97zz2x"
] |
[
"The liver is the filter for our bodies - because toxins and medications and all sorts of things run through it - it naturally gets damaged while cleaning your blood and breaking down (metabolizing) things. Because of this it’s really good at repairing itself to the point where if you removed a lobe for donation - it will fix itself."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
5no7gv
|
Why are rings easier to get on than they are to get off a finger?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dcd5c5q",
"dcd8sv6"
] |
[
"2 reasons for this: 1. The fingers are generally wider near the knuckles than at the fingertips. 2. If you stroke one of your fingers with another from nail to knuckles, you will find that skin has more resistance when you're moving knuckle to fingertips than vice versa, mainly because there's more skin near the knuckles than the fingertips so it kind of bunches up and resists more than going the opposite direction. Credit to /u/super_ag for the more accurate reason."
] |
[
26
] |
[
[],
[
"http://m.123rf.com/photo-10044544_skeleton-hand-making-offensive-gesture-3d-illustration.html?term=skeleton%20hand"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
n67hf4
|
If mitochondria have their own DNA, how do they reproduce between human generations?
|
Is it somehow "included" within the larger set of chromosomes? If so, why is it still considered separate from the rest of our DNA?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gx5duv2",
"gx5zvsy"
] |
[
"Mitochondrial DNA has its own ribosomal genes and replication genes. Some genes necessary for their proliferation may come from the nuclear one but the way they are designed, their genome is kinda independent. Also the way they are passed from generations is through maternal line. It is because we inherit cytoplasmic contents when the sperm fertilizes the eggs hence mitochondria too."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
kok6s0
|
How and why does beer armour work?
|
We’ve all seen people either personally or in videos taking a pretty serious tumble while drunk. Why do they seem to be able to get back up seemingly unhurt? I mean from personal experience I know that falling while drunk may not hurt at the time but it should of. What makes us seemingly impervious to pain whilst drunk? Thanks!
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"ghrkcyh",
"ghrlec5",
"ghrkjpy"
] |
[
"1) Alcohol can make you tense up less when falling so can be more flexible during the fall. 2) Alcohol can keep you from realizing you’re hurt or from feeling the pain, so you may get back up and be ‘ok’ when actually you’ve been hurt."
] |
[
42
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
koa9sz
|
Why we can abbreviate things like "this day" and "this night" into "today" and "tonight" but can't abbreviate "this month" and "this year" into "tomonth" and "toyear"
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"ghpbyxz"
] |
[
"I mean there's no hard and fast **reason**, it's just that nobody did so nobody does. Language evolves organically, and words and phrases develop and change depending on how frequently and in what context they're used."
] |
[
14
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
7lnu5i
|
why do Falcon 9 Iridum 4 exhaust plumes look so weird?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"drnmg5n",
"drnme65"
] |
[
"The change occur when it changes from stage 1 to stage 2. The second stage engine is design for use in vacuum and have a different nozzle. It ignites at 80 km where the pressure is less the 0.02% of the pressure at se level. If your look at the [video from space X]( URL_0 ) of the launch the difference is obvious after the separation a few seconds into the video."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtdjCwo6d3Q&t=1035"
],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
68am5t
|
Why is there so much smoke produced after a fire goes out?
|
Even if the material seems to burn clean before it goes out.
|
Chemistry
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dgxa84c",
"dgwz5tp",
"dgx404s"
] |
[
"When something burns hotly, it burns cleanly. When you take away the flame, it has enough embers and residual heat to continue smoldering, but without the heat of the flame the result is incomplete combustion resulting in smoke and soot. Details: What is smoke? It's soot, and carbon compounds, tar, aerosols, un burned fuel, and other components of incomplete combustion. When a fire burns brightly and hotly, it efficiently combines oxygen with carbon to make carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and with hydrogen to make water vapor. If all of the hydrocarbons and organic material being burned are done so cleanly, then there is very little smoke and instead an almost pure reaction resulting in carbon dioxide and water which are odorless and transparent gases. IE not smoke. When a flame is extinguished but there is still a lot of latent heat, the process of burning is snuffed out resulting in incomplete transformation into the water and carbon dioxide, leading to incomplete compounds which create the soot."
] |
[
75
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
a3ujv0
|
How are sports statistics recorded during live sporting events? How many people does it take?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"eba8jge",
"ebaminl"
] |
[
"I’ve done this for baseball, it takes one person. There are scorebooks that have pages laid out specifically to make it easy to record the details of each at bat and then at the end of the game you can compile the stats for each player. Each team provides an official scorer for their home games. If you watch a MLB broadcast you can often see the play by play announcer and color commentator using a score book as well for their own personal notes to refer back to during the game. Keith Hernandez of the Mets broadcast is know for having an elaborate system which is talked about during some games. It’s easy enough plenty of fans bring a score book to games to keep score themselves. You can also find simplified scoring pages in the gameday books sold at professional games and a lot of people use them. I used to go so far as to track pitch counts on my own. I’m sure there’s something similar for other sports but, as you may have guessed by now, I’m a baseball fan through and through."
] |
[
4
] |
[
[],
[
"https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/04/how-nba-scorekeepers-track-player-stats"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
5w2din
|
What are Ponzi schemes and why do so many people fall for it even after being in the news so much?
|
Repost
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"de6s8rl"
] |
[
"A ponzi scheme is a kind of fraud where the scammer uses money they get from \"new\" clients to pay \"dividends\" to older clients. It's a *little* like a pyramid scheme. The idea is to get enough people buzzing about getting good dividends to capture a lot of people. The scammer then just takes the bulk of the money, distributes \"dividends\" as long as they are able to increase their scam base, and eventually just disappears with all their cash. People fall for them because it isn't always abundantly clear that one is going on. Did you just find a really good investment, or is it a scheme? Unless you know how to do your research, you probably aren't equipped to *truly* tell the difference until its too late. The way to avoid them is to: 1) Consider investing in mutual funds and investment houses. Something like Oakmark can yield decent returns. 2) Understand that the saying \"It's too good to be true.\" Amazing profits? It's almost certainly a scam. 3) Avoid 'buying' a way to wealth. If someone is selling you a method to get wealthy, then why aren't they just using it themselves to get crazy wealthy? 4) DO. YOUR. HOMEWORK. Google shit. Find news stories on major financial sites. Go dig around places like reddit. Finance and investment dorks LOVE talking about these things. Find a group and pitch an idea and just like any other topic you'll find loads of peopel ready to say \"yeah that's awesome\" or \"no that's a scam\""
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9tvr0m
|
difference between class composition and inheritence in C++?
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e8zr5at",
"e90fpyq"
] |
[
"A class is a composition of data (fields) and functions (methods). The name of the class is used to describe the type of variables which are instances of this class. So if we have a class called A and it has a field on it which is of type B (where B is another class) then we have composed B with A - there is a B available within A. Classes can also be extended. This means if I have a class BaseClass I can \"extend it\" to NewClass, where NewClass will have all the non-private things of BaseClass, plus whatever else I put in this class. You can even sometimes \"override\" methods, which means NewClass can have a different version of a method in BaseClass. The usual basic rule of thumb about when to use composition and when to use inheritance sounds something like \"Compose if B has an A, extend if B is an A\". So if you have a class Pet, well pets have owners, so a field you might have on Pet could be an Owner instance where Owner is some other class. Also, pets are animals, so if you had an Animal class, it might be worth having Pet extend the Animal class, so that it gets all animal behaviours for free. A word of caution, however, inheritance is often the cause of horrible code coupling that leads to maintenance and testing issues. This usually only occurs when the \"is a\" relationship isn't quite as strong as first thought. If class B is going to extend class A, you should be dead certain that the logic in class A is *guaranteed forever* to be *exactly* what B needs. If you don't have this guarantee, prefer composition. C++ allows more in the way of inheritance than most other object oriented capable languages. It allows multiple inheritance, and you can define \"friends\" of classes. The less you know about these the better."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
an3rbm
|
Why are some diseases/disorders like diabetes reversible/curable but others are not? Why can’t that ability be mimicked in science?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"efqktrv",
"efqme07",
"efqmw8g"
] |
[
"Uhh... different diseases require different solutions. Some solutions we know and others we don’t."
] |
[
7
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
jgimsg
|
Why is it that a kid can fall down a flight of stairs and get up and walk away just fine, but I, at 21 years old, sleep wrong or stand up too fast and I'm SOL for the whole day?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"g9qphp2",
"g9qsggy",
"g9qmhcj",
"g9qs3dt",
"g9qs63o",
"g9qtg29",
"g9qthhk",
"g9qugq4",
"g9qtq28",
"g9qxqrd",
"g9qu3cw",
"g9qys44",
"g9qvrbt"
] |
[
"Kids are generally more flexible and have less wear and tear on their bodies than adults. Also like someone else said your height and weight have a lot to do with it. A heavier object hits the ground harder, and a taller object has more leverage. I’m a bigger guy around 6 foot 5 myself and if I fall it is rough."
] |
[
2227
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.choa.org/medical-services/wellness-and-preventive-care/parent-resources/all/7-ways-kid-bones-are-different-from-adult-bones%23:~:text%3DKids%27%2520bones%2520are%2520more%2520flexible%2520than%2520adults%27%2520bones.%26text%3DA%2520child%27s%2520bones%2520are%2520more,than%2520that%2520of%2520adult%2520bones.&ved=2ahUKEwjSx-eMu8rsAhUJlHIEHW7KAq0QFjABegQIBhAE&usg=AOvVaw3WnuJiYmjQrcM5VVN8ILIp"
],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://www.phys.ufl.edu/courses/phy3221/spring10/HaldaneRightSize.pdf"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
5wiah1
|
Why are brains more impressive than computers?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"deabcg6",
"dea93mb"
] |
[
"Let me give an example. Let's say you walk into a rose garden. You smell the roses, you notice the vibrant colors and recoil your hand when it brushes over a thorn. Your brain just processed an extremely high quality image, flipped it, fed it into your conscious mind, associated it with sensory data coming from the nose, reaching into your memory to associate roses with a certain scent, then reacted to a danger so fast that your conscious mind wasn't even let into the decision making process. In addition, your brain was keeping your heart pumping, monitoring and maintaining your internal pH and temperature, maintaining respiration and digestion, etc. Could a computer do any of these tasks? Almost certainly, but the brain is the only thing known that can do them all, at the same time, while still having \"processing power\" left over for contemplation of complex ideas and for learning."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
89s9yd
|
Despite all the advances in science, why havent we invented a dye that never fades off the fabric ?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dwt4e11"
] |
[
"Your premise is false. Many permanent dyes have been invented. However, non-permanent dyes are also popular."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
c1j4sv
|
why are processed meats Group 1 carcinogenic along cigarettes and plutonium?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"erdlvbv",
"erdku2i",
"erdkul1"
] |
[
"Processed meats contain a class of compounds called nitrites that are toxic to bacteria. This prevents the meat from spoiling and prolongs its life. However, nitrites can equilibrate with nitrous acid in the body. The DNA bases cytosine and adenine can become oxidatively deaminated into uracil and hypoxanthine from the action of nitrous acid. In other words, nitrous acid can mutate your DNA by changing the bases in the DNA itself. Over time, when enough mutations in certain genes accumulate in a cell, it can become cancerous."
] |
[
18
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
bst77c
|
why do certain containers cause the liquid to disastrously pour down the side but others don’t?
|
Chemistry
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"eor3j77",
"eoqien9",
"eoqs7um",
"eor0skc",
"eorq96i",
"eoru96z"
] |
[
"Everyone here is talking about properties of water cohesion and viscosity, but OP specifically asked about why certain **containers** pour well while others don't. That has to do with the type of spout, or the way the glass/plastic is shaped at the top of the container. You generally need a very sharp edge, or a very crisp curve at the end of the spout. The material of the spout also matters, and you tend to want surfaces that your liquid doesn't stick to as easily. If it's just a smooth rounded top, especially of glass, water will happily stick to the gentle flow over the curve and drip right down the sides of the glass rather than slide off the edge for a smooth pour. Sharper edges don't allow this, water can't stick to it and it just pours right off the end. The thing with your typical glass drinking glasses, is they generally have very smooth edges because that feels gentler on our mouths, rather than the more geometrically sharp edges you'd see on something like a plastic milk jug. This is why trying to pour water slowly out of a drinking glass causes the water to disastrously pour down the sides, while pouring the same liquid out of a plastic bottle is successful. The drinking glass has soft rounded edges on the top for a more comfortable feel on your lips, while the bottle has sharper curved edges for pouring. The only other variable is speed at which you pour, a faster pour gives the fluid more energy and forces it to fly off the edge and not drip. That's why if you really have to pour water of a drinking glass, you have to pour it quickly if you want to avoid a mess."
] |
[
3739
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/2019/05/to-build-better-teapot-researchers.html"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
kdoeap
|
Why does the electron remains in the orbit of the atom and doesn't fall into the positively charged nucleus?
|
Physics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gfxkx8i",
"gfxnb66",
"gfy4sfx"
] |
[
"[ URL_0 ]( URL_1 ) Sometimes it does fall into, or get captured by, the nucleus. However, this is not governed by the electrical charge, but by another force called the weak force. Quantum mechanics says that orbiting electrons can only exist at specific energy levels, like how you can only stand on a ladder at specific heights. Anything in between doesn't work. The lowest energy orbit of the electron is where the electron will typically be. There's no way for it to orbit at a lower energy state, and the only way for it to jump down to the nucleus is to be captured by way of the weak force."
] |
[
12
] |
[
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron\\_capture",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_capture"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
bg1abt
|
To move from 0 to 1 second. Time must pass through 0.1 seconds, 0.11, 0.111, 0.1111 and so on to infinity. So how does it ever actually pass infinity to reach 1?
|
Mathematics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"elhn157",
"elhmkeb",
"elhmnuv",
"elhn3hd",
"elhpg4d",
"eli9z1r"
] |
[
"This is one of zeno’s paradoxes (sort of)! Like you, he didn’t understand how can anything change if it can be infinitely divided. The answer came in the form of math almost two thousand years later with infinite series. The simplified answer is that just because there are *inifinite steps* to take, doesn’t mean you have to *pass infinity*. At some point the steps become so small that they hardly change the sum at all. This might be easier to understand using another example by Zeno : imagine you have to walk in a 1km course. To finish it, you must pass the half mark, but first you must pass the quarter mark, and so on and so on. You can keep halving the distance inifinitely. But eventually the distances become so small they are smaller than even the radius of an atom. Just because there are infinitely many little pieces doesn’t mean you can pass them. We can actually calculate that sum and show that 0.5+0.25+0.125+... on and on infinite times= exactly 1. Further reading [here]( URL_0 )"
] |
[
86
] |
[
[
"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes"
],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes"
],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
74hpju
|
What's the internal difference between a flashdrive, an SSD, and an SD card if none of them have moving internal parts?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dnyh9nc"
] |
[
"They're differentiated by speed, reliability, and cost, these come from their usages A flash drive is limited by power provided by USB and the max speed of a USB port, it doesn't need to be stupid fast, but cost is important An SD card may need to record live 4k video so write speed is very important, it's small and easy to swap so capacity isn't a huge problem, price is still important but less so, and it won't see a huge number of writes so it can be decently reliable without great hardware SSDs need to be big, fast, and reliable. They'll see petabytes written to them over their lives. Write speed can be traded for read speed which is what computing applications need. Cost isn't nearly as important as for flash drives so they can use better chips Not all flash chips are created equal, they are created and binned for specific applications and use cases"
] |
[
4
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
b09rq9
|
How does your stomach know when food is digested enough to let it go into the intestines?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"eid4f1a"
] |
[
"Your stomach empties into the intestines once it was reached a certain ph , which is also why a lot of people who have reflux and indigestion find help from drinking diluted organic acv (apple cider vinegar) because it helps the stomach reach the correct ph and empty."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
ctbr34
|
Why is it that in many Asian countries, a large portion of a child's immunizations are done all at once, but in the US, it's over essentially their entire childhood?
|
Culture
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"exjy7u2"
] |
[
"The scar is from BCG, or for much older folks possibly smallpox. The US doesn't require this vaccination because its a relatively low risk of infection. In order to keep the risk low, TB tested for instead. As for immunization schedules the US and Philippines actually look to have pretty similar schedules. The schedules tend to be tweaked depending on what diseases are higher or lower risk."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
6xtukt
|
how most wild animals can run at incredible speeds for a long time whilst humans lose stamina quickly.
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dmieb0h",
"dmiewzs",
"dmifcai",
"dmieas9"
] |
[
"Humans are actually much more energy efficient than most animals, partially because we are bipedal. However, since we don't have to chase our food anymore so most of us aren't in shape enough to chase down an animal. There is an interesting book on the native tribe in Mexico that regularly runs marathon distances as a normal activity."
] |
[
27
] |
[
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
8jc0m1
|
Similar to measuring frame per second on a camera by telling the smoothness of a moving image (helicopter blades as one example), could you measure the varying speeds of different human minds by judging when spinning objects appear smooth instead of moving?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dyyhmjj",
"dyyi1cd",
"dyyghua"
] |
[
"Yes, you could do this experiment, it's called flicker fusion. However, this tells you nothing about brain speed in the \"who is smarter/faster\" sense. Human vision is not a camera+process system, it works with a completely different hardware architecture."
] |
[
11
] |
[
[],
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flicker_fusion_threshold"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
le95d6
|
Why can a PC not just close a program? Sometimes, especially with poorly optimised video games, they will freeze and crash, but you can’t close them with keybinds or a task manager.
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gmakw08"
] |
[
"An important thing to know here is that programs are based on a foundation of \"tasks\" that run in the background. Some tasks are little pieces of software that feed the program information and keep it moving smoothly, others are the whole program running as one whole mechanical engine. Some programs need just the one big task, others have multiple smaller tasks that work together. Most games are single-task, meaning that this big gaming engine is being run through one stream of information. When a game \"crashes\", what it really means is that that task, or that stream of continuous information that keeps it running smoothly, has stopped running as its meant to run. This usually means that the window of the game freezes or even disappears, but under the hood, that task might still be trying to do what it's been programmed to do. But since it's \"frozen\" (not responding to commands), it can't respond to any new input. And so it doesn't understand that you (or the task manager directly) have told it to stop. Sometimes, these invisible frozen tasks can even prevent you from reopening your game without problems. They can lag your system or cause other issues. Usually these frozen tasks have a time-out that eventually tells them to stop, at which point it finally closes. edit: Fixed a spelling mistake"
] |
[
9
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
aec7db
|
What effect would the border wall have on wildlife?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"edo2xhf"
] |
[
"It will cut off access to water for land animals that would normally drink from the Rio Grande, and it will disrupt migration patterns for land animals that live along traversable parts of the river or in the deserts farther West. It will have little effect on birds and other flying animals no effect on the aquatic animals"
] |
[
6
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
gkpq8t
|
What makes some water so clear that you can see the bottom?
|
I don't know if it's time dependent to see the bottom of the lake/sea/river but i always wondered what makes some water so clear. Is it the sunlight? Is it the molecules of that water?
|
Chemistry
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fqskkh3",
"fqsl349"
] |
[
"It’s not something that actively makes the water clear rather than the abscence of little particles levitating in the water. Those particles are, depending on how many of those are in the water, pretending the light from permeating the water and reflecting the light back to the surface making it impossible to see through the water."
] |
[
9
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
5w9lb8
|
What is an IP address and what role does it play in tracing online activities back to you?
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"de8gdgu",
"de8gjhd",
"de8d1is",
"de8gfvz"
] |
[
"I assign ips, both public and private for a hosting company. Im also responsible for switch configuration and firewall provisioning. Postal service is the best analogy here. Your house address is how people send letters to you. Each up address can be broken down into street and house number but for this example let's just says it's your whole address. Routers/firewalls are like post offices, they may not have anyone there who knows where 12345 easy lane is, but it knows where the post office in Simple, TX is, so it sends it there. In the mean time while it passes through some of these routers/firewalls the traffic gets monitored and logged. Apartments are more like dynamic ips, it's a temporary address assigned to a large group of dwellings. This is most of us who have home internet connections. The apt complex knows who has what address, and when questioned they know who had apt 987 in June of 2008. This is why TOR network was created, and this is also the importance of VPNs."
] |
[
34
] |
[
[],
[
"wee.reddit.com",
"www.reddit.com"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
cw9tuf
|
Why is underwear "a pair"?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"ey97tvt",
"ey9bn2l",
"ey9i98e",
"ey9ib1f",
"ey9dzf3",
"ey9px2p",
"ey9i6v8",
"ey9ofnr",
"ey9ozkb",
"ey9p6xt",
"ey9pf5t",
"ey9l8we",
"ey9gfbi"
] |
[
"Pants used to be made in two parts, one for each leg. A shirt was made from a single piece of cloth. When pants became one piece, the plural usage persisted with shorts and underwear following suit. Source: URL_0 Edit: thank you for the award!"
] |
[
3332
] |
[
[
"http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pai1.htm"
],
[],
[
"https://www.garbgeek.com/shop/medieval-hosen"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
6ze13n
|
How is renewable energy more feasible than the alternative if it relies upon rare-earth materials?
|
Ignoring the environmental impact for a moment, how is something like wind or solar energy a more feasible long term solution for energy resources vs. coal and oil when they use rare-earth materials such as Lithium for batteries?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dmulywc",
"dmukfmi",
"dmukbaf",
"dmuo92y",
"dmulaid"
] |
[
"despite the name, rare earth metals are abundant on earth (with exceptions). a quirk of their chemistry makes their elemental forms almost impossible to find in nature and their ores difficult to purify back when humanity was first figuring out this stuff. thus the name is largely historical. these elements are also (mostly) invested, rather than consumed. when you burn oil, it's not oil anymore, we can't realistically turn water and carbon dioxide back into oil. when you make a battery, 99.99% of the lithium is still there, even well after the battery is dead."
] |
[
14
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
5rjsi6
|
What is Celiac disease exactly and what does it cause?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dd7yesi"
] |
[
"Celiac disease is what is known as an \"auto-immune\" disease. This means that your own immune system incorrectly recognises a non-harmful substance (a food, an environmental factor, your own body part) as an invader to be fought off. When a person with Celiac disease consumes gluten, the immune system treats the gluten as a \"disease\" and tries to fight it. This causes inflammation of the small intestine, which is responsible for the symptoms of the disease; pain, cramping, diarrhoea, etc after eating something with gluten in it. A bigger problem is that longer-term damage to the small intestine can occur, which is bad both on its own, and because it can interfere with the absorption of other nutrients. At present, the only way to avoid problems is to have a gluten-free diet (or as close to it as possible)."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
8si23c
|
How does the planning for university exams work?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e0zi7t8"
] |
[
"You just assign rooms/time slots based on the actual course schedule to ensure that all (or very nearly all) of the classes taking a final at a given time were classes which all met at the same time. That way, no student could have two finals at the same time. From there it's just matching rooms to classes to ensure that classes have enough space."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
ammm1u
|
Why does microscopic views of salt and sugar reveal near perfect geometrical shapes?
|
[ URL_2 ]( URL_2 ) Inspired by this post: [ URL_0 ]( URL_1 ) This is really intriguing. I know they are man-made so does this have to do with the process of creation or something else? Thanks for your time! & #x200B;
|
Chemistry
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"efn43lk",
"efngjzg",
"efnafr2",
"efnrhu3"
] |
[
"The arrangement of the atoms that make up crystalline structures determine the shape of the mineral. Think of a mineral like salt you see in a microscope as made up of layers. Layers of atoms bonded in a specific arrangement form a lattice work in the shape of their various atomic bonds, stacking on top of one another to build up bigger to the point they form a visual structure. The tighter the layers and interlayer bond, the tougher the mineral. Diamond Carbon atoms are compressed super tight to one another and all bonded to each other like a criss cross interlocking weave. Graphite, like mechanical pencil lead, has weak interlayer bonds, while each flat layer is connected well, the connection between the layers are weak, so it flakes easy, leaving the writing on the page. Edit: to add. Salt and sugar are both cube like atomic structures, this is why they both appear near geometrical and similar. But the closer you get you start to see the difference in appearance between the two, sugar more column shaped. Salt more flat"
] |
[
34
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
lp8zkd
|
In an electrical grid, what is a "black start" and why is it difficult?
|
This was mentioned in a news article: > In the electricity business, supply and demand need to be in balance. Imbalances lead to catastrophic blackouts. Recovering from a total blackout would be an agonizing and tedious process, known as a “black start,” that could take weeks, or possibly months. - [source]( URL_0 )
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"goa7yke",
"goa1iuw",
"goa4ncs"
] |
[
"It's a hen and egg problem. No power = no computers, valve actuators, pumps, etc. = can't start the power plant = no power. Normally, if a power plant goes down for some reason, you can rely on \"the grid\" (which are just other plants) to provide power in order get it running again. But if *everything* is down, you can't get any power, so a well-planned grid has \"black startable\" plants that can start with no external help (e.g. by having enough batteries or diesel generators on site, or by not needing much external power by design, such as hydro, where one could in principle crank open a valve by hand to start it). Once these are back up, other plants can use that power to start up themselves again. IDK what's wrong in Texas, but \"weeks to months\" to recover from a total blackout seems excessive to me. Here in Austria, operators train for having the national grid back up and running after max. 24h after an EU-wide grid failure. [source, in german]( URL_0 )"
] |
[
9
] |
[
[
"https://orf.at/stories/3197056/"
],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
8v6n8e
|
I've been gaming quite a bit lately with games that have "stealth kills". Either a person in the games get a sliced throat or a neck snap and they die immediately. I was thinking this can't be true. Any truth to these games when it comes to stealth kills?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e1ky1ji",
"e1kybhq"
] |
[
"Its pretty much impossible to do neck snaps like video games games or movies make out. And you slice someone throat. They are going to make a god awful scream and gurgling sound for about 5 to 10 seconds."
] |
[
9
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
n1ktyr
|
From a medical standpoint, why is bulimia unhealthy?
|
First off, I don't mean to be insensitive & I am actually this dumb. Anyways, why is bulimia bad for you? If eating unhealthy food is bad for you, then wouldn't throwing it back up be kinda good? Is throwing up a lot bad for your stomach or something? Is it just a social/mental health issue but is okay physically? Thanks
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gwdq4qv",
"gwdqfbq",
"gwdrjc1",
"gwdt4xc",
"gwdv4ll",
"gwe66jl"
] |
[
"The stomach acid will decay your teeth/esophagus. Throwing up means your body isn’t able to absorb nutrients it needs to thrive. Over time it can cause organ failure."
] |
[
31
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
hw85q7
|
If an old school phone was bugged but hung up, could the FBI, etc still hear in, or only when a call went through. If not always, why not?
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fyy0me3",
"fyy0pud"
] |
[
"Old school wiretaps were called wiretaps because that was literally what they were - your telephone line was strung up on a utility pole outside of your house and someone would climb up there and splice another cable into your phone line (IE, they would physically tap into it). When you take an old analogue phone off of the hook it creates an open line to the telephone company. If you just leave your phone off the hook, then that line stays open and the telephone company can hear anything that the phone picks up. Because an old school wiretap was placed on the telephone pole outside of your house - before the line got to the telephone company - anyone listening in on that tap could hear anything that the telephone company could hear. However, when your phone was on the hook it would depress a button which would close the line, preventing the telephone from transmitting any sound. So as long as the phone was on the hook a wiretap couldn't be used to listen to anything that the phone could hear."
] |
[
19
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
g44gmj
|
how does a guided infrared missile lock onto it's target?
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fnvbdq6"
] |
[
"It has a sensor that looks for heat sources, basically. When it finds one, it adjusts the wings on the missile to go in that direction. Since the jet engine of an airplane produces a lot of heat at the exhaust, that will generally be the biggest source of heat it picks up. This is also the reason some planes can release burning magnesium flares- to generate additional sources of heat, sometimes hotter than the jet exhaust, to try and let the sensor lock on to them, away from the plane."
] |
[
4
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
63b930
|
Can someone give me an explanation of what's going on when you say look at a light bulb and after you look away you're left with a purple spot in your vision.
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dfsr2ft",
"dfswnkh"
] |
[
"I believe this is how it goes. You have photo receptors at the back of your eyes. These take the light that comes through your hole (the pupil). It takes a certain brightness of light to activate one, but if there is too much light, even once you turn the receptors away from the light source they will continue to send a signal to the brain for a while that diminishes in a minute or so. Source: third year neurobiology major. So take it with a grain of salt."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
7upv3o
|
if tattoo’s fade because white blood cells are constantly eating the ink, then how do tattoo’s not weaken the immune system if so many WBC’s are focused on ink rather than infections?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dtmdsts"
] |
[
"Weakened is a relative term, and areas of the body are \"soft segmented\" (they interact, but have points of cell-origin). Since all your bone marrow (but some more than others) produce your blood cells, you have sort of have a \"great-wall of defense\" beside every bone, reinforced by nearbone garrisons. Your WBC near the tattoo are seeing conflict, but not all of them, and not all of your body will immediately respond (it knows from evolution that WBC's are needed all over - to move the entire army to one area would really weaken the system). White blood cells react to little (chemical) messages dropped by invaders (from their movement or metabolism), and so tattoos result in the dermis (skin) cells messages dropped near the WBCs (which is less motile than a pathogen). This means there is a range in which WBC will react to the messages, and it is quite a great distance in the WBC point of view. So ultimately, the tattoo doesn't attract and cause enough damage to cause a complete meltdown. Your immune system may be attacking it, but it attacks a lot of things all the time without you knowing, so its not much different anyway."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
ary092
|
Hand sanitizer kills the germs, but the germs still remains on our hands. So its not clean right?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"egqmmya",
"egqem3p"
] |
[
"What is your definition of \"clean\"? If dead bacteria are unclean, when why aren't dead skin cells?"
] |
[
7
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
kaqx60
|
. Why are instruments in different keys?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gfc8z2y",
"gfc5rw6"
] |
[
"It's just for ease of learning and playing the instruments. All saxophones have the same buttons, but because they play different ranges the buttons create different notes for each version of the sax. If you play multiple versions of the sax (which is extraordinarily common for sax players) you would have to memorize that *this* set of buttons plays one note on the alto sax, but that same set of keys plays this other note on the tenor sax, and yet a different note on the bari sax. What if instead of that, you just arbitrarily say that the same set of buttons plays the same note *as written on the page*, and adjust the sheet music accordingly? In this way, you take sheet music written for alto sax and it says play an A, so you hold down the buttons for A. Shift to sheet music written for tenor sax and it says play an A and, easy peasy, it's the *same set of buttons*. No need to memorize an almost entirely new set of keys. It makes it a little harder on the people writing it all down on the sheet music, but 1) it's basically just a formula to write the notes a certain number of steps higher or lower, and 2) the people writing the sheet music aren't doing it live in front of an audience in real time - a few extra minutes of making the sheet music match the instrument is worth it to avoid playing the wrong note in the middle of a performance. I used saxes as my example instrument because that's what I played, but the same can be said for other instrument families, like various clarinets or trumpets and whatnot."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
boiyb3
|
Why, if the EPA says Glysophate doesn't cause cancer, does Monsanto keep losing court battles of people saying they got cancer from Roundup?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"engv76t",
"engu7n4",
"engu7wi",
"engu7sy"
] |
[
"URL_0 People are bad at science and easily manipulated by emotions."
] |
[
26
] |
[
[
"https://slate.com/technology/2018/01/years-of-testing-shows-glyphosate-isnt-carcinogenic.html"
],
[],
[
"https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/some-links-to-cancer-shown-in-draft-review-of-common-pesticide"
],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
epadr2
|
why can an employer not hire me for failing a drug test while having a medical marijuana card?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fei5inf"
] |
[
"Because whether it's medically prescribed or not it still can make you a danger, depending on the job. You can't use machinery, drive, or operate anything that could be a risk. If you kill someone because your high and incompetent, you think the judge will say \"But his doctor said it was OK, he's free to go\"?"
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
gdikxx
|
Why amblyopia (lazy eye) cannot be surgically or anyhow treated at adulthood? I know that if treated properly at childhood that eye can function normally, but why is it hard to develop it later?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fphj67j",
"fphkacg",
"fphk8dh",
"fphscg6",
"fphkgny"
] |
[
"The brain is naturally ~~lazy~~ efficient. If it's getting bad information from the opic nerve in the lazy eye, it'll choose to ignore and favor the good eye. As a person gets older, the brain may completely cut off information from that nerve, even if the lazy eye is fixed surgically. You want to treat the lazy eye early before a person ages enough that the brain cuts off signal from the lazy eye."
] |
[
44
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
m2f0qu
|
What's the difference between rye whiskey and rye vodka?
|
My understanding with most liquors is they're distinguished by the main ingredient (molasses for rum, agave for tequila, etc). How does one take rye and end up with whiskey or vodka?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gqir8zk",
"gqiya0k"
] |
[
"It isn’t just the main ingredient. It’s the process of making the liquor that determines it too. Vodka is made with pretty much any food/grain with sugar in it. They let that sugar ferment, turning into alcohol. And then they take the water and alcohol, and repeatedly distill it to leave some of the water behind leaving a high concentration of alcohol. Whiskey is made with a slightly different process. There’s still fermenting and distillation, but The starting grain goes through a malting process, which ferments it in a bit of a different way. The resulting liquor is then aged in an oak barrel, another thing that doesn’t happen to vodka, which influences the flavor/color of the whiskey."
] |
[
12
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
ffta9x
|
How does Radar work?
|
Physics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fk0jk2o",
"fk0e8f9",
"fk0e3qb"
] |
[
"RADAR is like throwing a tennis ball against a wall (if you can't see the wall). You only know the wall is there because the ball came back to you. You can also tell how far away the wall is because you know how fast you threw the ball, and how long it took to come back. The longer it takes to come back the further away the wall is. RADAR is just like that except it uses radio waves instead of tennis balls."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
eaq01w
|
With the sheer volume how are bridges logged & monitored for erosion so they are deemed to be safe?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"favs2ei"
] |
[
"They are not. That is the simple truth. When a concerned user makes a report to a governmental body, it may be investigated. Multiple reports = greater likelihood of inspection. For that to happen though -- the level of concern has to get high enough to overcome the \"I really don't want to get involved\", \"not my job\", and \"wow this system is a pain in the ass to navigate\" thresholds. As such, it really doesn't happen often enough. The more complex answer is that there are infrastructure departments, but they are horrendously understaffed, for the amount of work that needs to be done. There is more \"research\" work done than actual inspection. If a bridge was built in 1940, with typical 1940 technology, there is a known / assumed life expectancy based on the construction type and materials available at the time. That gives urban planners / inspectors an idea of when to expect inspections to be required, maintenance to be done, components to fail, etc."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
auasz9
|
Why do people take more offence when someone they care about is insulted compared to if they themselves were insulted?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"eh6tasb"
] |
[
"Many people have very low self esteem and care more about their loved ones than themselves. Also, we feel we can handle a lot, whereas we don’t want our loved ones to be forced to tolerate anything (circling back to “we care more about them than ourselves.”)"
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
nj7597
|
Why do mothers enjoy the scent of their babies feet, breath and skin?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gz5p6ly"
] |
[
"Its a biology failsafe so mothers wont kill their children when they get annoying. There is a condition that makes these smells irrelevant to the mother, called postpartum depression."
] |
[
23
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
lhlv8l
|
Why is sugar bad for teeth?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gmxwomz"
] |
[
"Oral bacteria feed on sugars and grow, excreting acidic metabolic wastes as they do so. These acidic wastes are what attack the enamel and cause tooth decay."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9lci5k
|
How come we can see highly detailed images of a nebula 10,000 light years away but not planets 4.5 light years away?
|
Or even in our own solar system for that matter?
|
Physics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e75kmcv",
"e75kss7",
"e75l54m",
"e75l8wv",
"e75mwr7",
"e75mlyw",
"e75sqig",
"e75krys",
"e760oma",
"e75zwrs",
"e75ooq5",
"e75qr7z",
"e75telh",
"e764dow",
"e772tv0",
"e77eg94",
"e769vne",
"e770nwv"
] |
[
"Compared to nebulae, planets are very very very very very small. You can see a mountain that is 1 kilometre away from you much clearer than you can see a grain of sand that is 1 metre away. Edit: as several people have mentioned, planets don't emit any light of their own, this makes it extremely difficult to see planets when they're being drowned out by the light of their parent stars."
] |
[
11705
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
mbmmcf
|
Why does it not hurt our feet when we walk as the skin is being pinched by our bones and the surface below . But when you use your fingers to pinch the bottom of your foot it hurts?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gryqkcy"
] |
[
"When walking, the pressure is spread across the entire surface of the sole of your foot. When you pinch your foot you are putting force on a tiny bit of skin. The focused pressure is what hurts."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
m3zvz0
|
What is dark comedy / humour?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gqru809"
] |
[
"A type of humor which centers around morbid or taboo topics, like mental illness, death, rape, and things of that nature."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
iwtrpk
|
Why were red LEDs so much easier to make than LEDs of any other color?
|
Like the first ones were red, and all the early ones were red as well. Was there any thing that made red easier?
|
Engineering
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"g62nwzp",
"g62idzk"
] |
[
"LEDs work by using a semiconductor to control the flow of electrons. The electrons give off light of a specific wavelength (colour) when they cross the band gap (lose energy) in the semiconductor. We had to find semiconductors that had a specific band gap that corresponded to the wavelength of light we wanted to produce that colour. The first widely used semiconductor was gallium arsenide phosphide, which gave off red light. Aluminum gallium indium phosphide, as well as GaAsP can be used for red, orange or yellow LEDs. The first blue LED was made with gallium nitride, but now uses a mix of GaN and indium gallium nitride. InGaN and GaAsP can both be used for green, as can gallium phosphide. InGaN is much harder to produce than GaAsP, and a Nobel Prize was awarded for finding a way to make it more easily."
] |
[
9
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
fbce1u
|
When you have a limb amputated, how does blood flowing through major arteries to that limb not get backed up and kill you?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fj3gfcq",
"fj3gk7z",
"fj3ndu1",
"fj3n1yv",
"fj3netf"
] |
[
"The major trunk vessels would be stitched up, if their intended location isn’t there any more. There are smaller ancillary vessels (arteries and veins, both) that would handle blood flow in each direction. Blood flow to damaged limbs can be a real issue, and result in more-than-expected amputation."
] |
[
78
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9for2u
|
When exposed to a heat source such as a fire or hot oven, why do some things get harder while some things get softer or melt?
|
Physics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e5y5ay6"
] |
[
"Well the things that get harder are uuuusually soft because of the water inside of them, when that water is boiled off you get just the hard stuff, whereas other stuff just melts"
] |
[
14
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
if1e77
|
why is Internet speed measured in bits per second rather than bytes per second?
|
Bytes seem like the logical option given everything else in personal computing is given in bytes (ram, storage, file size etc.)
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"g2knf39",
"g2koojb",
"g2kosfl",
"g2knfov"
] |
[
"Network speeds were measured in bits per second a long time before the internet was even a thing. In the 1970s back then it was beneficial to measure by a larger number - larger numbers mean more accuracies. Also, transmission is based on bits and packets, whereas storage is based on bytes (which is what makes the data based on a certain number of bits). The purpose of networking is to transmit data, not store it 🙂 Also, as explained by another Redditor: \"It probably had more to do with how in the past a byte was not always 8-bits. It could have been 4-bits, 6-bits, or whatever else a specific computer supported at the time. It would have been confusing to measure data transmission in bytes since it could have different meanings depending on the computer. That's probably also why in data transmissions 8-bits is still referred to as an octet rather than a byte.\""
] |
[
29
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
9hbody
|
Why do goats have rectangular horizontal pupils?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e6aorte",
"e6atab5",
"e6c5hzj"
] |
[
"They are low to the ground and that gives them a much better sort of panorama view of the ground. Being prey animals, it gives them some help spotting predators. Wider peripheral vision."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
8zr9mm
|
Is there ever a circumstance where the US would need to re-do a presidential election?
|
Under what circumstances, if any, would there need to be a new election or could there be a new election?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e2kv10w",
"e2l7qta"
] |
[
"There is no constitutional procedure to re-do an election, so it would require an amendment."
] |
[
12
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
9cqaft
|
Why do virtually all American Chinese restaurants seem to be so similar?
|
Culture
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e5ci497",
"e5chzk6"
] |
[
"I recommend watching the documentary \"The Search for General Tso.\" I believe it's on Netflix, and it pretty much answers your question, with a focus on the dish \"General Tso's Chicken.\" The gist is that the earlier Chinese immigrants adapted their dishes to American tastes, and when more Chinese immigrants came after them, they also set up restaurants, because it was easier to enter a business in which your relatives or friends already had experience - thus many of the early Chinese restaurants shared the same style, and the restaurants of today evolved from that style."
] |
[
17
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
f3hdki
|
Why is mouth breathing louder than breathing through the nose which has a much narrower channel?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fhitoa8"
] |
[
"The smallest opening isn't the nostrils but rather the wind pipe. Considering that the nasal cavity works like a muffler where the oral cavity works as a resonator."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
hdiipe
|
What does this quote mean?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fvlidss",
"fvld2t2",
"fvldbkz"
] |
[
"I understand it as comment on how people portray themselves vs. who they actually are. For example, someone posts on social media about supporting supporting small businesses but only shops at Walmart."
] |
[
7
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
c7sd1z
|
Why are shorter objects harder to bend than longer objects?
|
Physics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"esh9dnm",
"eshbwma"
] |
[
"Because of turning effect. Turning effect is calculated by multiplying the distance you are from the point of rotation of a lever (in this case the point at which the thing bends) and the force you apply. This means a long object has more turning effect for the same amount of force applied."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_machine"
]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
f3w0t9
|
A lot of languages have their own numeral system, how did the arabic one become the most common?
|
Mathematics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fhlrl77",
"fhlt5rm",
"fhmazjz"
] |
[
"Europeans widely used the Roman numeral system for many centuries, but if you've ever had to do work with it you'll quickly see that it's functionally retarded. When the Europeans and Middle Easterners started getting into more prolonged contact during incursions into Spain and the resulting crusades, word of their much more elegant system made its way back into Europe. When Europeans later sent naval traders all over the world, they brought this math with them."
] |
[
7
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
5mqlla
|
What causes a beer belly?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dc5urc4"
] |
[
"Beer is a sugary alcohol. It is also grain based. Sugars are processed in the liver, and when it is over saturated the sugar stores in fat cells near the liver. This type of *adipose* fat is specifically located in the belly and lower back, as well as around the liver itself. Eventually excessive consumption of alcohol (but beer in particular) leads to fatty liver and excess adipose fat. Beer is not the only substance that causes this, and excessive sugar consumption will lead to the same buildup of fat in and around the liver."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
i4n6f5
|
What are inserts in a Digital Audio Workstation used for? What can I do with them?
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"g0jxa0z"
] |
[
"They are a place to put an FX plug in. The plug in is **inserted** into the signal path, hence the name. Insert FX are used when you want to change the original signal. Examples include EQ, compression, distortion etc. The alternative is **send** FX. These send some of the original signal to the FX and allow the original unchanged signal to flow as well. These are used for things like reverb and delay. The benefit is that many tracks can use the same plug in. So it's a lower cpu load and convenient to, say, add the same reverb to multiple tracks. With inserts, you can use process the sound to alter it to your liking."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
lhi623
|
Why do we seem to have realisations or understandings beyond our waking consciousness just before falling asleep?
|
In the seconds or moments before sleep there seems to be a new state of conciousness emerging, one where you can discover things or have sudden realizations / truths. This seems to be a common occurrence among people.
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gmxbkqq",
"gmy1dr6"
] |
[
"I don't know how to elaborate the scientific reason behind this (which there is) but I was once listening to a podcast about dreaming on Spotify and it said something like you're in your highest neurological state when you're drifting between being awake and falling asleep and vice versa, the small moment between sleeping and waking up. Most subject-relevant people say that it's the best time to repeat your affirmations as well. And also to plan your day, about what your priorities are - because the brain sees nothing negative in that moment so anything and everything is possible to your brain. I wish someone could explain this with facts and science though."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
668yon
|
How do flashbangs work?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dgglbnb"
] |
[
"It's basically a small firework, that is to say, it's basically a small bomb that's very loud and very bright. Fast acting explosive, extra metal dust for bright flash compared to a more \"boom\" kind of bomb . A flashbang would not be nearly as effective outside in a field, but used in an enclosed space like an apartment or foxhole that traps sound and light in a smaller space, it's easy to overload one's eyes and ears with the explosion."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
gcrjfr
|
Reflexes and things
|
So why are we able to move (or seem to move) lightning fast when we have a reflex, but we are unable to move that fast and acutely at will?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fpd0ygo",
"fpd58n2",
"fpczssw",
"fpdklnw"
] |
[
"Reflexes can be totally involuntarily or close to it and bypass a lot of the higher thought processes. Since we're not wasting time deciding if we should do something a lot of time is saved. Your brain can go straight from \"object flying at face\" to \"close eyes\" without considering anything else"
] |
[
7
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
6eb5i2
|
Why we can't use flash when taking photos on art galleries, museums, etc?
|
I thought it may be because it messes up with the chemistry, but idk. Anyone? (ps. Sorry if there is any gramatical mistake, english isn't my native language)
|
Chemistry
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"di8zyeu",
"di9030n",
"di91adz",
"di9ab4c"
] |
[
"Light damages everything but vegetation to varying degrees. The light from flash photography is much more intense than what is already in a gallery and continued exposure to that light can harm some works more than others depending on the media. Additionally, in cases of less sensitive works, there is a measure of courtesy to other visitors that calls for the practice of not disturbing them with a flash, or the sounds of cameras and camera phones among other things."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[],
[],
[
"http://staffweb.lib.washington.edu/units/preservation-services/preventive/staff-training/student-training/secure/images/Secure6b.jpg"
],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
kquocn
|
Why does meat spoil in weeks in the refrigerator but can be in cans for years without spoiling?
|
I have wondered that for the longest time and google doesn't help me. So why is it that canned meat lasts so much longer? Even if you salt the meat in the fridge it seems to still spoil quickly. Whats with that?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gi5xa79",
"gi5ywqi"
] |
[
"Meat spoils because of bacteria and such in the air, but the process of canning (unless done wrong) removes any air and seals the meat."
] |
[
8
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
74modf
|
How does the police choose what cars to use as patrol cars?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dnzmum5",
"dnznmpi",
"dnzjn9s",
"dnzupo1",
"dnzjb45",
"do04gqa"
] |
[
"I asked my father in law who was a retired lieutenant in a good sized department. 1. Safety. Car accidents are the #1 cause of death for officers 2. Space, they have a lot of gear and need seats big enough to get in and out with their vest and belt on, also a rear seat big enough to carry anybody that needs a ride. 3. Speed/handling popular police cars (almost all American) have \"police packages\" from the factory. They may have more horsepower, stiffer suspension, a pushbar front bumper. The only time I remember departments going with foreign made vehicles was BMW motorcycles and that was because BMW covered maintenance."
] |
[
263
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
jve8g9
|
Why do song lyrics get stuck in your head?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gcj7pnr"
] |
[
"The current widely accepted theory on why and how we enjoy music is that our brain is constantly searching for patterns. When we listen to music our brain is engaged in doing this and when it is able to predict and understand the pattern we get a release of dopamine. (This is suggested as to why we develop different tastes of music preferences as our minds work differently and therefore are able to predict patterns differently.) When your brain remembers a portion of a song or song lyrics it is being prevented from completing the pattern it knows and continues to go back to the same sequence of lyrics in order to accurately predict that portion of lyrics. This also explains why it usually does not get unstuck until you sing the song in its entirety or listen to the song. Looking for source."
] |
[
5
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
eme8nn
|
Why are salt & pepper most commonly used together as opposed to salt and garlic, or other spices?
|
Culture
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"fdo3b18",
"fdo336e",
"fdo4z3y"
] |
[
"Salt because it's a mineral that is essential for life, and we developed a specific taste for it. Pepper because of France, and French cuisine, and everyone wanting to emulate French cuisine. FYI, in Hungary, paprika is often in place of pepper."
] |
[
29
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
d8aoei
|
why do our eyes burn when things like soap get in them but stop burning when we close our eyes?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"f191g4p"
] |
[
"They don't always stop burning when we close our eyes. Our eyes are protected by a layer of moisture. We blink frequently to reapply the moisture. If our eyes hurt we tear up to apply a lot of moisture and hopefully wash whatever was in our eyes out. We can also moisturize our eyes by closing them. Which is blinking and holding the eyelids down. This applies continuous moisture. So if our eyes hurt and moisturizing them will remove the pain either by just eliminating dry eyes or by washing off something touching them, closing your eyes will make them feel better."
] |
[
4
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
6b45fa
|
Why does brain prevents you from touching hot objects because it hurts, yet it lets you drink alcohol again and again, knowing that terrible headache you gonna get next morning?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dhjlmwe"
] |
[
"Alcohol stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain in a variety of ways, including but not limited to; reducing anxiety and stress, easing social situations along, improving mood (whichever mood you're in when you start to drink, really), as well as chemically inducing pleasurable states in the short term (read: buzzed). Alcohol is also highly addictive, which means that once you become addicted to the stuff, it directly removes the addiction cravings, which are known to cause bad moods, high stress and anxiety, reduced stimulation from other direct sources of pleasure, and others. These two parts in conjunction are what cause us mere mortals to fall prey to the consistent poisoning of our bodies in search of those pleasurable outcomes. Humans strive to find pleasure wherever and whenever we can. Some might even say it's the sole reason to be alive. This is in stark contrast to burning your hand on a stove in that there is no source of pleasure to be derived from burning your hand on a stove repeatedly (and if you DO find pleasure in that, then by golly you're going to keep doing it)."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
6b3ywg
|
Why performance of storage devices (hard disks) haven't increased significantly like other devices (e.g Ram, GPU).
|
Technology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dhjlavr",
"dhjlhyo",
"dhjln5e",
"dhjlhcg"
] |
[
"CPU and RAM speeds are driven by the frequency of transmission of data. The high frequency make circuits behave like transmission lines where interference and other issues start to create so much noise data gets corrupted. New shielding and architectures allow for faster processing without all the drawbacks. With storage the problem is more complicated. Apart from the same transmission issues, you have to permanently change the state of the material that holds the data. SSDs have removed the issues present in hard drives where the with heads have to physically move thru the device. However, you still spend more time changing the state of the storage substrate than just transmitting the charge in the circuit. In addition you have a problem of data volume/size of channel. Storage has more space for data than RAM and RAM has more space than CPUs. So data flows from storage to RAM to CPU. So imagine a bathtub (storage) filling a bucket (RAM) and then filling a cup (CPU) from a bucket. But to move the water you have about the same size tube. It will always take longer to fill a bucket than a cup."
] |
[
14
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9zm7ed
|
How do deep ocean creatures survive under so much atmospheric pressure?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"eaaacf0",
"eaa8vhw",
"eaa8zdx"
] |
[
"Take an empty flask and put the cap on. The air pressure in the bottle will be the same as the air pressure on the outside, so it's in equilibrium. But now take that same flask and put it deep under water. The same air pressure from surface level is in the flask, but now the water pressure is so high around. The net pressure is inwards and the bottle crushes. But what happens if you, instead, take an empty flask down and then tie on the cap only when you're in deep water? You have high water pressure inside the bottle, and high water pressure outside. They cancel out so there's equilibrium and the flask is ok. Bodies formed at surface level are adapted to air pressure at surface level because they are formed and sealed in that environment. Bodies formed in deep water are adapted to the high pressure, again, because their bodies are formed and sealed to that environment."
] |
[
34
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
b60685
|
Why did/do countries honor Switzerland’s neutrality in times of war?
|
Culture
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"ejh54hk",
"ejh7dj8",
"ejh910t",
"ejh5nih",
"ejh7nes"
] |
[
"There's a lot of reasons. Generally though, here are the main ones. & #x200B; There is very little to gain(or at least, has been in the past, I can't say for it's current state), from attacking Switzerland. It had few people, few resources, a small army, and wasn't great topographically(how the land looked/was set up.) & #x200B; Along with these reasons for no real need for invading switzerland, (I'll use Germany as the example) countries with the ability to invade it have \"bigger fish to fry,\" in the sense that there's not only more valuable people to attack, but there are more dangerous people for them to handle. & #x200B; This last part has no true factual basis, however if the Germans had succeeded in their plans to take over Europe, it's MORE than likely that switzerland would have gotten swept up too. They wouldn't have put up a great fight, and would have been absorbed eventually. & #x200B; Separately, to TRULY answer your question, there's no real reason to honor a country's neutrality other than the fact that they're neutral. That's literally it. There's no reason to mindlessly attack a country you're not at war with. Making more enemies for yourself will only make your life harder and your enemy's life easier."
] |
[
27
] |
[
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
6mvmo1
|
How do companies that operate as basically monopolies not get into trouble in the US?
|
Repost
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"dk4o4xp"
] |
[
"it is not a crime to be a monopoly. it is a problem if you actively prevent a fair market. In your example, the simple fact is that broadband service has enormous startup and fixed costs. its rarely practical to bury two fiber networks and split the revenue. The fact that it doesn't make financial sense to challenge the incumbent is not the incumbents fault. You cant force someone to compete. Often times these situations will become a utility, at which point the local govt will protect their monopoly status, but in return, they get a say in how the business runs, prices, ect, to ensure they are not exploiting their status. So far, this hasnt happened with broadband, because they fight it... but it will probably happen eventually. Or 4g/5g/6g whatever will eventually supplant the buried cables and the whole model changes. Im ignoring claims that comcast does supress fair competition, blocking access to utility poles and such."
] |
[
3
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
ksabwg
|
What are feelings and how are they able to physically affect us?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gieueam",
"gif8miz"
] |
[
"Your brain is a predictive simulation machine. When you see something going on it will predict what will happen next instead of waiting for stimulation and then responding. It still responds to stimulation, just not as reliant on it as we think. When you feel something like anxiety or anger, that’s your brain comparing a lot of past situations and predicting that this feeling is beneficial for the moment. I can’t accurately say more so I’ll suggest a book called How Emotions are Made by Lisa Barret."
] |
[
7
] |
[
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
jkrtmi
|
If the Earth orbits the Sun and electrons orbit protons/ neutrons, why are there no intermediately sized objects that display this behavior?
|
Physics
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gaku44o",
"gakw2h6",
"gaktk2d"
] |
[
"Electron 'orbits' are mechanically very different from planetary orbits. They are not elliptical, and cannot really be compared in any way. Electrons do not orbit atomic nuclei, but rather, they vaguely float around the nucleus with no particular direction. Anyways, smaller object gravitational orbits totally exist, however in the presence of a strong gravitational field, they can't really exist because Earth's gravity is dominant in this region."
] |
[
14
] |
[
[],
[],
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
jpuxfu
|
what is the difference between major and minor scale in music/singing?
|
Other
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"gbh0uq5"
] |
[
"So there are 12 notes in western music. A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#, and then it repeats. When you go from any note then go one note up or one note down that is called a half-step, like A to A#. When you go from any note up two notes that is a whole step. Like A to B. A major scale is a pattern that starts on any note then you move in this way, Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half. And a minor scale is a pattern that goes like this, Whole Half Whole Whole Half Whole Whole."
] |
[
6
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
9j5t6l
|
Why does wood retain its structural integrity for decades, whilst other plants whither away and decompose?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"e6p8y34"
] |
[
"Wood is an incredibly strong natural polymer made of of long chain cellulose fibers and lignin. In order for it to decay, there must be moisture and oxygen present. The wood that your house, furniture, etc is made of is dry (enough), so the fungi that feed off the wood cannot survive. Smaller plants are also made of cellulose and lignin, but since they have no structural benefit to us, they remain wet on the ground and rot. 10 years later and finally using that Wood Science degree; boom"
] |
[
4
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
b1tla5
|
Why can you focus on an object with one eye closed, shouldn't it all be in focus because you don't have depth perception?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"eio0nxn"
] |
[
"Depth perception and focus are not related in the way you think. Your eye has a flexible lens behind the iris that changes shape to focus light onto the retina. Just like when you use a camera, look through a telescope or any other instrument that peers at imagery, they all require the adjustment of lenses to focus the image. This focus is based on the distance of the object one is looking at. The shape of a person's eye, cornea, and lens limitations all add constraints to this range of focus. Hence why some people require glasses or contact lenses."
] |
[
7
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
|
7lb1iq
|
how do sores in the mouth heal without scabbing?
|
Biology
|
explainlikeimfive
|
[
"drkzwva"
] |
[
"scabs arent vital to the healing process, they're just there to stop dirt and germs from getting into open wounds. the mouth is self-cleaning and inhabited by a beneficial biome of microorganisms that make it harder for newcomers to take root (harder, not impossible), so you dont have to rely on scabs"
] |
[
14
] |
[
[]
] |
[
"url"
] |
[
"url"
] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.