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buwnwc
How are some animation movies so realistic?
Im talking about movies like "The adventures of Tintin" and "A christmas carol" by Disney. How are those movies so realistic? how are they made?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "epizzx8" ]
[ "I think it mostly comes down to the style of animation. Even as technology has improved over the years (look at the difference in animation quality between toy story 1 and 2 for example), certain styles \"look\" more realistic than others. This is on purpose. If you look at a recent film like Incredibles 2, the quality of animation is great but do the characters look \"realistic\"? Nope, they're meant to look like cartoons. It's an animated film and it knows it. Going off your example of the adventures of Tintin or A christmas carol, the characters and style were designed to look more photorealistic. It's just the way the animators decided to make it. You can do it with any film; but you might noticed that photorealism isn't always super prominent in the film industry. Most high budget animated films aren't meant to necessarily look \"realistic\", because the beauty of animation is that you can make it look like whatever you want. Certain styles are more desirable than others. If you remember the film The Polar Express, it was heavily criticized for using a photorealistic style with characters that simply weren't lifelike enough. When your goal is to look as realistic and as close to real life as possible, anything lacking in your quality of animation is going to be much more noticeable." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
8basqf
How does international trade of good and currency work.
Economics
explainlikeimfive
[ "dx58n5d" ]
[ "You would pay your dealer in Kenyan shillings. Toyota of Kenya, the corporate entity that imports the cars for all their local dealerships, would have to be able to exchange kenyan shillings for japanese yen in order to purchase the vahicles they import from Japan. The changes in demand back and forth are what cause currency fluctuation. If there was a surge in demand for Japanese goods, then the cost of yen in shilling would go up and the car that still cost the same in Yen would go up in price to you who pay in shillings. On the flipside, if there was a sudden surge in demand for Kenya coffee, that could strengthen demand for shillings as Japanese coffee importers would need them to pay your coffee growers." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6jonmx
What happens to a cucumber or other food when it's pickled?
How exactly does the vinegar solution pickles are in saturate and preserve them? What changes about the cucumber's chemistry that changes the taste and keeps it from spoiling?
Chemistry
explainlikeimfive
[ "djfvmms", "djfydik", "djfxaaj" ]
[ "Pickling is a fermentation process involving lactobacillus bacteria that can tolerate a high salinity environment which kills almost all other micro-organisms. The lactobacilli break down the structure of the cucumber changing its structure and also produce different compounds which change the flavor and increase the acidity of the cucumbers. Additionally, osmosis infuses the pickle with flavors from spices added to the pickling liquid. You end up with a salty, acidic, spice infused pickle that is not only preserved against rot from the action of other micro-organisms but a much different flavor" ]
[ 50 ]
[ [], [ "https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017GFUDWQ?psc=1" ], [ "https://youtu.be/qOo-Ss01-tc", "https://youtu.be/MRgQItmmZ4w" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
d810im
Why is it that when you push on your eyes you see weird shapes and patterns?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "f16eedz" ]
[ "When you push on your eyes, you're activating your optic nerve, but it's not due to incoming light. Your brain does the best it can to interpret the incoming signal, because that's what it does -- so that's why you see random shapes." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
jcjlf7
how do people build oil rigs in the oceans? How do we put the giant pillars into the ocean floor?
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "g91tc59" ]
[ "We don't actually anchor them to the floor. Those deep water platforms actually float there with anchor lines to keep them stable. The drill and pump mechanism is sent down some somewhat flexible tubing. There was an article in The Economist about towing one to a scrap yard in Turkey." ]
[ 16 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
lk18sm
why Western movies are considered their own genre. ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" as a past example, "News of the World" as a present example)
I understand some movies set in the Wild West are classic, but I don't understand why they're considered their own genre of movie. Why are they classified in their own genre instead of saying "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is an action movie set in the Wild West? Obviously I'm not a movie expert, but I keep hearing the Western term as a genre tossed around to this day. I don't quite get why movies set in the Wild West need their own genre.
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "gnhg2dx", "gnhftmz", "gnhgpan" ]
[ "Probably because of the sheer amount of western movies that ranged from actions to comedies to romances over the years. I mean John Wayne made 83 of them alone. Nevermind Tom Mix, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, the list goes on. It eventually reaches a point where there are so many movies that share one common trait (in this case, being based in the “Wild West”) that you just have to make it it’s own genre for it to make sense. Like Slasher films becoming a sub-genre of horror when originally they were just considered horror movies." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_Western_films" ], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
87wkbg
Why does paper turn hard after you left it in your pocket and washed the pants in the washing machine?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dwgfsmg" ]
[ "Paper is made up of fibres, during the manufacturing process the fibres are manipulated to form a nice thin mesh that allows them to flex. Once you put the paper in the wash it turns back to mush and forms into a random blob of fibres all stuck together and cannot fold as easily any more." ]
[ 16 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
8yvsrc
Why do babies cry as soon as they’re born, and why is it a bad sign if they don’t?
The answer seems like it should be obvious, but is there something else going on that makes this such an important component of its well being?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "e2e474c", "e2e2lda", "e2e5lok" ]
[ "It’s not a bad sign if they don’t cry, it’s a bad sign if they don’t breathe. What we want them to do is take a forceful first breath - sometimes that’s as part of a cry. This is to expand the lungs adequately to force out the fluid from the lungs opening them up for gas exchange and closing the foramen ovale. Source: I am a midwife." ]
[ 19 ]
[ [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apgar_score" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
bpw41v
How do scientists obtain a single neutron that they can shoot at the nucleus of an atom in fission?
From what I understand, nuclear fission is generally performed by firing a single neutron at the nucleus of an atom (often uranium 235), causing the nucleus to break apart and releasing "dormant" energy that was holding the nucleus together. How is the single neutron obtained if it doesn't have an electric charge? Also, for something like a fission bomb or fission reactor, how is that neutron not only obtained, but stored until it is needed and then precisely and accurately fired to get the designed result?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "eny66m9", "enyi09z" ]
[ "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." ]
[ 7 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
erfqxz
How do people have the ability to read in someone else's voice? Multiple of them in fact?
I was recently reading a writing prompt and noticed that a lot of people said they were reading it in someone else's voice. Now, I know it's possible, but how does it work?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "ff3j229", "ff3e2fu" ]
[ "You know how you have like, an inner voice? It's the thing that's reading this right now. That voice - its pitch, mannerisms, accent, dialect - is held in your memory somewhere. You can remember other people's voices in the same way, if you listen to them enough. Then, when you read something that you subconsciously associate with that person, you may find you're reading it in that person's voice instead of your inner voice. To experiment with this, go watch a full season of Planet Earth, then read a wikipedia article about frogs. You'll probably read it in David Attenborough's voice." ]
[ 10 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5nv2eb
What is the difference in a muscle strain/pull and normal fatigue from working out. Why does one heal so much faster.
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dceob1z" ]
[ "They are very different. Normal fatigue from working out is caused by lactic acid, a compound produced by your muscles when they run out of oxygen. Lactic acid is a byproduct of breaking down carbohydrates for energy that has the unfortunate side effect of making your muscles feel sore, but it doesn't physically damage them. A muscle strain or pull is when your muscle tissue is torn. This means the fibers have to regenerate and repair." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
hmxw4j
Why are powerlifters not lean? Wouldn't lean mass be more beneficial for lifting heavy?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fx7wvyz", "fx7ww5x" ]
[ "You have to eat a lot to build and maintain the muscle size and density they have. Its really hard to eat enough and stay lean so most just get chubby/fat. Plus when you do some of the bizzare strong man lifts (Google atlas stone) it's probably more comfortable to have some extra padding." ]
[ 8 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
gqhqqg
Why is it unhealthy to keep silent about thoughts/emotions?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "frt3uqa", "frt1a0f", "frstra2", "frtbr9q", "frt3x4r", "frtdj6y", "frt11aq", "frtftad", "frt0ag1", "frth670", "frtiqch" ]
[ "So - the evidence would show the healthiest way of managing our thoughts and emotions is leaning to *regulate* them, effectively and flexibly (this a a central aspect of many,many different types of therapies). “Bottling up” or suppressing emotions/thoughts may actually be a really a really good strategy at times (eg. Yep - you’re captain on a sinking ship and you’re a scared. Not the time to freak out or start talking in depth about your feelings) “Bottling up” your inner world becomes unhealthy when it’s the *only* ways you ever cope with emotions Because 1. You may not even realise yourself that you’re distressed and need to do something to cope. Awareness of our own emotions/thoughts is the first step to managing them. That’s a key thing. There’s a lot of research on the difference between the self-suppression of an emotion (eg I don’t want to feel this) vs. Suppression of the expression of the emotion (eg. I’m the ships captain and I know I’m scared, but I’m not gonna freak out right now). 2. If we don’t acknowledge and regulate our emotions/thoughts, distress builds up and up. And then we can act in impulsive and harmful/unhelpful ways (eg punching other people). This may seem cathartic. But it can actually be really damaging to our lives. 3. This can also have physiological effects (through chronic stress response) which can actually impact our physical health. Our nervous system is literally never getting a break or any down-time. As our brains and bodies are working extra hard to suppress/bottle up what’s happening inside us. 4. It can lead to a “catharsis”. Or bouncing between “bottling up” and “catharsis”. For example, punching something and letting it all go may seem like a good idea. And occasionally it’s a great emotional release. But it can be overwhelming and dangerous. And If you go around “letting it all go” eg. punching things every time you get angry/upset, it’s gonna cause you problems. 5. Finally, Bottling up emotions can affect our relationships with others. Most human beings are social creatures and communicate and build connections and relationships through sharing their inner world with others. When we talk to a *trusted* person about what’s going on for us, we feel closer to them, we feels safer, they can help us acknowledge and understand our emotions/thoughts. This can even be non-verbal; other people can co-regulate with us, even on a physiological nervous sytem level. Phew. Sorry for the essay! Hope that’s of some help" ]
[ 1164 ]
[ [], [], [], [ "https://study.com/academy/lesson/catharsis-and-aggression-in-social-psychology-definition-examples.html" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
mab7pw
How do YouTube & other social media/platforms store the massive amount of data uploaded to their site? Will they eventually run out of space?
YouTube gets 500 hours of content uploaded every minute. How do they manage to store all of this data? They can't do this forever, will they eventually run out of the resources to store it all?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "grri3v9", "grrkv01" ]
[ "They use both heavy compression and tons of storage. If they are having capacity issues, they buy more storage." ]
[ 7 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
krr105
Dermatology question. Why does sunburnt skin thicken and peel?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "gibelqu" ]
[ "Ultraviolet light can damage DNA. When cells (including skin cells) detect their DNA is damaged the cells die. So a sunburn literally kills a bit of your skin and your body is responding to that." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
j3i5oa
During surgery can doctors collect blood and put it back in the patient?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "g7c43o5", "g7c6e15" ]
[ "It would be discarded, there would be too much risk with putting contaminated blood back into the patient when the hospital almost certainly has ample stocks of fresh blood to transfuse." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
n1y9go
why can cars go 100+ mph when speed limits are much lower
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "gwg2lsa", "gwg2hp7", "gwg260o", "gwg2ekq" ]
[ "It has to do with gear ratios. You would use the highest gear at highway speeds to keep the engine rpm's low for fuel efficiency. You would not want your engine revving at 6,000 rpm for the car to go 75 mph. This is a relatively normal highway speed. They make it closer to 2,000 rpm by adding a larger gear. This way, the engine runs at a more efficient point of the power/torque curve when you are at the expected speeds, but the car could go faster than it is probably safe to operate at rpm's higher than they would want the engine running at over a length of time. Most cars tend to be their most efficient around 50 - 60 mph. That's because that's where your highest gear puts you. You can keep going faster, but you're making the car work harder and harder for every 1 mph you go beyond its maximum efficiency. Eventually, that tops out and you either reach the max speed the car can possibly get out of that gear or you red line the thing and blow it. Your speedometer does not dictate the top speed of your car. The gauge could go up to mach 3 and your stock Honda Civic off the lot is only ever going to go maybe a buck 20 on the highway and you'd be pushing the poor bastard." ]
[ 20 ]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
i8t2l9
What causes people to get goosebumps, and is it possible for someone to not have them at all?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "g1alz0f" ]
[ "The pilomotor reflex is the base of hairs (or where hairs would be) trying to make the hair stand up. This can be to make the person appear bigger, capture air to keep warm or due to sexual arousal. Stress, fear or other strong emotions tend to trigger it (the reaction is tied to mental state and adrenaline), and some people have a more pronounced reaction than others." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
ghdvjc
why does car doors have that middle position where the door is not fully closed nor fully opened
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "fq8aliq" ]
[ "To clarify, this is asking why sometimes when you close your car door with insufficient force it doesn't close completely and is not flush with the rest of the body, but at the same time it's latched into place requiring you to pull the handle mechanism to unlatch it to open it again. Not closed to the point the car accepts that it's closed, but not open to the point that it swings freely. I usually slam my butt into it to close it all the way. Correct? (At this time there's 2 answers that don't seem to have the same interpretation of the question)" ]
[ 10 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
69ujj8
Why are work-hour restrictions controversial in the medical field?
It seems pretty reasonable for them to be implemented if the motivation is to reduce mistakes caused by fatigue. Yet, many people seem to speak out against it and say that it lowers the quality of doctors.
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dh9j0aa" ]
[ "There are good reasons and bad reasons. A good reason is that some operation take a really long time, and there can be some advantages to having the same people perform the whole thing. There are also bad reasons. One is that \"we've always done it that way.\" It's almost like hazing at a fraternity. The older folks say, \"I survived the hazing just fine. There's no reason the young people today can't do the same.\" Another bad reason is that hospitals can save money overworking young docs. I get the sense that the bad reasons are more common among people objecting to work limits than the good reasons. You could certainly restrict hours except for those very specific cases, but you rarely hear the objectors propose that." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
65hzce
Is there something wrong with being honest with children about life?
Also, would you agree with the statement, "If you are old enough to ask the question, you are old enough to deserve an answer"?
Culture
explainlikeimfive
[ "dgafs6m", "dgafs8o" ]
[ "I feel like this is gonna get deleted right away because it doesn't seem like an eli5 question, but lemme answer it anyway because it raises an interesting point. Yes, there is something wrong with it. Because children can't fully comprehend struggles. Young humans are sponges, they pick up on everything. So if you bring up bills and work and other artificial issues, it could mess them up. It wouldn't mess them up if they were natural problems like hunger and death, but they aren't. It's a huge psychological problem among humans that we've created a world we can't tolerate. And that's for adults, an under developed child brain can't begin to understand these things, but it will try and fail in the process. Plus it's just a dick move to ruin a childhood. You only get one and it's not like life itself won't teach them anything you could tell them." ]
[ 9 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6f7cf8
Why do toilets in America get blocked so often.
So I'm from Australia and Ive always wondered about this and a TIFU thread got me thinking about it again. But I often see in tv or other Amercian media toilets getting clogged and I can never work out why. I've never heard of or experienced it in 20 years is that because our (Australia compared to America) sewer systems are better or is there another reason?
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "difyq79", "dig2o5n" ]
[ "Old buildings and old sewage systems is the primary cause. You also will sometimes have cases where someone did not do something up to code." ]
[ 4 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7rfyig
Can every single thing a computer does be broken down into binary code?
When I say every single thing, I am talking about what's displayed on the monitor. Obviously the electronic signals arent in binary.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dswn53l", "dswnf4z", "dswng33" ]
[ "...the signals going to the monitor are in binary. Once inside the monitor, the signals get reinterpreted by the controller ciruits, in binary and determine the brightness of each color pixel, whose data is in binary. The pixels themselves are sent binary signals. The brightness of the pixel is controlled by how long the pixel is pulsed at ON state vs OFF state." ]
[ 20 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6b5ryk
What's the difference between a powerful (semi truck) and fast (racecar) engine?
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "dhk8zd6", "dhk0jsx", "dhkdlk3" ]
[ "The difference all boils down to torque. That is how much turning force an engine can put out. Torque is arguably a more important number in determining engine performance than horsepower. Now there's two ways to increase torque: raise the pressure inside the engine, or increase the number of cylinders. In the case of a truck, you're dealing with a heavy object that needs a lot of torque to get moving. So you want your peak torque to all be at the low end of your RPM band. To do this, we turn up the pressure, aka the compression ratio. The piston will squeeze the air/fuel mixture more before it ignites. When you compress the mixture, it generates heat. If you compress it enough, that heat will cause the fuel to spontaneously ignite, slamming the piston back down with a lot of force. That force is transferred to the wheels, which helps get that heavy load moving. This is why trucks use diesel engines. Diesel fuel stands up to high pressures without igniting too quickly. So you can get pressures in the cylinders really high, meaning lots of low end torque. The downside is that due to the high pressures, diesel engines have to be built strong. That makes them heavy. A heavier engine can't spin around as fast. Nor does it like to change its rotational speed very quickly. Gearing can help, but you're ultimately limited how fast you can go, and how quickly you can accelerate. Now gasoline/top fuel engines use lower compression. They can be built much lighter since they don't have to hold up to very high pressures. So the engine can run faster. If you want more power, you just dump more air/fuel into the system. So they produce more torque the faster you rev them. Great for racing, because you're going to be running high RPM at full throttle. But even if you dump more fuel in, you're ultimately limited to how big the engine's volume is. So we need to go bigger. Now you could make one big cylinder, but that's going to require more momentum to get it moving. It's also less compact. So instead you work with several smaller cylinders. To increase torque, just increase the number of cylinders. You can increase power without having to increase the mass or work done by one piston. And you can just keep adding pistons. Petrol aviation engines will have 12, 24, even 36 cylinders and run at thousands or horsepower. A diesel can do the same with far fewer cylinders, but it'll run slower. Think of it like dragging a cart with a rope. You could get one big dude (think The Mountain) and he'll be able to efficiently pull it by himself without getting too tired, all be it slowly. But if you have four skinny guys, they can each share the work and move it faster, but they're going to tire out faster because they have less endurance. Of course there are gasoline engines that can run at higher pressures to increase torque. But these are more complex than a diesel, and also require specially formulated fuel. That is because gasoline self ignites more readily at lower temperatures. If it ignites prematurely, it can severely damage the engine in a phenomenon known as \"detonation\" or \"knocking\". They will use these more complex engines in race cars to help improve low end acceleration while keeping high end torque. However, it's not that common in road cars except high end ones. So what if you need the best of both worlds without increasing complexity, or making the vehicle prohibitively expensive? That's where electric come in. An electric motor produces consistently strong torque at all RPM bands, in a lightweight package. You'll see them used in vehicles like trains, which need to pull very heavy loads, but also need to go fast. Or Formula E race cars, which can accelerate very quickly." ]
[ 12 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
ej5yhc
why is childhood trauma so hard to overcome?
Psychology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fcvqjf8" ]
[ "When you are young, you are still developing your perception of the world. If your first experiences are bad, you have no good to balance it out, so it seems like everything is bad. But if you have had lots of good experiences, the your brains knows there is good in the world." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
69oj81
What keeps a bowling lane from getting warped from thrown balls?
You always see those bowling ball videos of people punching through the ceiling and it coming back down, and you can hear it occasionally in public lanes where the release isn't really on point, so what keeps the wooden lane from getting warped, dinged, or dented?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dh85e3x", "dh8avj5" ]
[ "Wood lanes are shaved down usually every 2 years. Also the lanes are not 1 continuous piece of wood. There are sections. The front part of the lane (where balls land) are made of a harder wood. Most lanes today are made of a synthetic material. Also in sections that can be replaced." ]
[ 96 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
acs01j
Bearer Bonds. What are they? How do they work?
Economics
explainlikeimfive
[ "edablov" ]
[ "It's an IOU — a note for a debt — that says \"I owe you $___ and when due I will pay it to whoever brings me this piece of paper.\" As opposed to a traditional bond, where the name of the person owed is written on it. A bearer bond can be handed off between people, since whoever holds it can collect the money." ]
[ 7 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
63ejmt
why do you have a data link of 1gbs on your PC but you can not transfer at that speed ?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dftfkem", "dftjlxi", "dfti81n" ]
[ "Your transfer speed can never be greater than the slowest part of the connection. If your computer has a 1Gb/s connection to your router, and your router has a 100Mb/s connection to your modem, and your modem has a 50 Mb/s connection to your ISP, then the fastest connection you will get is 50 megabits per second. Yes, your computer can handle something 20 times faster, but it still has to wait on the slower parts of the connection." ]
[ 11 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6qlzg4
Why do our hearts feel like they're skipping a beat when we see someone we're attracted to or in a relationship with?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dkyfol1" ]
[ "So it's not literally skipping a beat. You're simply more aware of your heart beating. Essentially this is palpitations brought on by stress/anxiety. Your heart rate may increase, and you may be unusually aware of the sensation of your heart beating, but your rhythm remains regular. This is also why you might sweat, turn pale, or etc. in the same circumstances. These are all signs and symptoms of sympathetic nervous system activity." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
c9vsg6
Why is it preferable for an airplane to have the propeller pulling at the front, instead of pushing from the back?
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "et3ht21" ]
[ "Generally propeller placement actually comes down to engine placement. You need the center of mass of a plane to be in front of the center of lift otherwise the nose of the plane will constantly be lifting up and trying to stall you out. This generally calls for the big heavy engines to be in front of the wing. There are a bunch of designs that have made it work, from little ones like the [Saab J21 fighter]( URL_0 ) to bigger ones like the [Convair B-36 Peacemaker strategic bomber with 6 engines]( URL_1 ), but it adds a fair bit of complexity to the design, and complexity generally equals weight, and weight is something you're trying really hard to avoid Other downsides for it are that the prop wash actually helps generate more lift on a propeller plane as you're shoving fast air across the wings, and having the prop blow air across the engine helps keep it cool and reduces the risk of engine fires. If your prop is behind then wing then the wing goes through the air before the prop can causes turbulence which reduces the propeller efficiency by a few percent as well which requires a stronger(aka heavier) engine than if it were in front." ]
[ 20 ]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAAB_21", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-36_Peacemaker" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
idxnji
- in music, what are keys and octaves and how are they related and used?
Maybe it should be "Explain Like I'm a Drummer". I hear singers and guitar players refer to "key changes" or "singing in the wrong key" and I've never understood how all that stuff works. I know theres notes/chords, I sort of understand scales, but I'm just a drummer. Enlighten me please!
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "g2bugpi" ]
[ "If you sort of understand scales, let's take the common Major scale as an example. It has eight notes with the following intervals: 1st to 2nd: 2 halftones 2nd to 3rd: 2 halftones 3rd to 4th: 1 halftone 4th to 5th: 2 halftones 5th to 6th: 2 halftones 6th to 7th: 2 halftones 7th to 8th (back to the beginning, one octave higher: 1 halftone. This 'formula' of 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 can now be applied at any point of an a chromatically scaled (12 tones with equal intervals, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, F, F#, G, G#, A) instrument to yield a major scale. If you apply it to F, for example, you end up with F-G-A-A#-C-D-E-F. It's the key of F major! If you apply the same principle starting out with any other note you will end up in that respective key." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6w9djs
Why do two single digit integers that equal 10 when added together both have the same last number when squared?
0^2 and 10^2 end in 0 1^2 and 9^2 end in 1 2^2 and 8^2 end in 4 3^2 and 7^2 end in 9 4^2 and 6^2 end in 6 5^2 ends in 5 So if > x + y = an integer ending in 0 > x^2 and y^2 have the same last number Is there a reason for this? It feels like this makes the unit of 10 mathematically unique.
Mathematics
explainlikeimfive
[ "dm6boei", "dm6g3vm", "dm6k4mb", "dm6qp51" ]
[ "Let y = 10 - x. Assume x is an integer. Then y^2 = (10 - x)^2 = 100 - 20x + x^2 Notice that in the expression 100 - 20x + x^2, since x is an integer, 20x will end in a zero, just like 100 does. That means that the last digit in the sum will be 0 + 0 + whatever the last digit of x^2 is." ]
[ 55 ]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
64i13c
How Can two projectors beams cross paths but the individual images show up undisturbed on the canvas ?
I noticed st church today the project on the left was going to the right screen. And vice versa. But the images were normal. Why doesn't the light...Interact ?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "dg2cv0v" ]
[ "This is actually a very interesting question that not many people would think to ask. The answer is basically that photons are ghosts that can pass through one another easily, but then the obvious question is: why? Light is (ignoring quantum mechanics) a wave, and as such, you would think that two waves going past each other would mess each other up in some way. Two projectors isn't the only situation where you might expect this. On a sunny day, light bouncing off a tree is crossing the path of sunlight going straight downwards to hit the ground, but you can still see the tree just fine. Why is this? It's all down to a slightly technical property of the equations governing light propagation called \"linearity.\" You can look that term up if you want, but here is a rougher simpler explanation: As you probably already know, light is a wave made up of electric and magnetic fields. What this means is if you are standing in one place and a light wave is moving towards you from the front, then if you are holding a charged particle it will want to wiggle right and left, while if you are holding a compass, it will first want to point up, then down, then up, then down again until the wave has passed by. This is because invisible magnetic fields are passing you, waving up and down, and invisible electric fields are passing you, waving right and left. (If these fields are waving at just the right frequency, then they are actually visible light, and so in that particular case, you can see them if the wave enters your eye.) Generally speaking, electric fields are produced by charged particles. Each charged particle has an electric field extending out from it in all directions. Electric fields are also produced by changing magnetic fields. Likewise, magnetic fields are produced by changing electric fields. (Or the quantum spin of charged particles, but we are ignoring quantum mechanics here.) Roughly speaking, one can produce an electromagnetic wave, aka. 'light,' by waving an electric charge back and forth. Doing this causes the electric field it produces to change over time. This changing electric field causes a magnetic field to spring up nearby, but this change in the local magnetic field produces an electric field, and the process continues, sending an electromagnetic wave flying off at the speed of light. Now if we stop talking about waves for a moment, and just think about charges, we can see what it is that causes light waves to ignore each other. If I have two positively charged protons close together, then they repel. This is because each proton produces an electric field pointing away from itself, so the other proton wants to move in the direction of the field: away from the first proton. If we put an negatively charged electron close to the first proton instead, the two particles attract each other, since the electron, being negatively charged, wants to move in the opposite direction that the electric field points: towards the proton. Now what if we have three protons in a row? What does the one in the middle do? Each proton on the edge produces and electric field pointing away from itself. So in the middle, there will be two electric fields, one pointing right, and one pointing left. So the middle proton wants to move right and left at the same time, and so, as you can guess, it doesn't end up moving at all. The two opposing fields add together, and cancel out, just in the same way that (-3) + (3) cancels out to 0. Likewise, if we have a center proton, one proton to the south of it, and one proton to the west of it, then the center proton will want to move northeast, since the north electric field from the southern proton and the eastwards electric field from the west proton add together to make a northeast electric field that pushes the central proton northeast. It's as though each electric field pushes on center proton independently. The key point that answers your question is that this is true in all cases, even when you are shaking your particles. Suppose that I shake a charged particle to produce an electromagnetic wave. This has produced a series of electric and magnetic fields moving through space. Now suppose that I also start shaking a second charged particle. This also produces a series of electric and magnetic fields. And just like the case when the particles were still, the fields from shaking each particle add together. If they are pointing in opposite directions, they cancel, if they are pointing in the same direction, then the field gets stronger. However, the underlying fields ignore each other completely, though physicists like to write all of the electric and magnetic fields from each charged particle as a just two big fields: one electric and one magnetic. (it doesn't make a difference mathematically, though once you take into account quantum mechanics the \"one big field\" model becomes more right than the \"lots of independent\" fields model) In the case with your two projectors, each projector is pretty much shaking a bunch of charged particles back and forth in its bulb, and this produces a beam of light. In the area where the two beams cross, you may get some cancellation and reinforcement, but since the underlying electric and magnetic fields ignore each other, each beam reaches its final destination undisturbed." ]
[ 11 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5opm3u
Why do some people get sick so often and I get sick only about twice a year?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dcl7uvc", "dcljuxx", "dcl4ycf" ]
[ "You have probably been lucky, and not been exposed to as many contagious people. Do you have much contact with children?" ]
[ 4 ]
[ [], [], [ "http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/hea/20/1/4/" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
au4whi
How do transistors work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "eh5mw6q", "eh6iu62" ]
[ "A transistor is an electrical component that works as one of two things: an amplifier or a switch. An amplifier takes a small electrical current and turns it into a big electrical current. A switch takes a small electrical current and uses it as a signal to let another electrical current pass through it. The second one is probably more pertinent to this question, because switches form the basic function of all electronic systems. You probably have an idea of how the binary system works, and when it comes to electronics, transistors are the physical component of that system. In computer systems, transistors have two states: on and off. When a little electric current is applied to them, they turn on. When it isn't, they turn off. Certain patterns of transistors activate other patterns of transistors in a big network to perform calculations depending on which ones are on and off. When transistors are turned off and on in a certain order that can be 'read', they're storing information as memory." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
a5pzt9
How do mobile games get away with advertising blatantly fake gameplay?
I'm not referring as much to the legality of the issue, as I understand it would be difficult to prosecute. I'm more curious as to how these adverts don't seem to be in violation of Google Play's own policies (I can't speak for the App Store since I've only ever used Android). A lot of these games promote fake CGI gameplay with a user interface attached on top to make it seem legit in an attempt to attract players who are probably not the most tech-savvy. This is exploitative no matter how you slice it, yet these games are somehow allowed to be hosted on the biggest app platform.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "eboj29i", "ebokcg7" ]
[ "It's not exclusive to mobile apps. You see it quite a bit in regular videogame commercials, I can remember them from the 90s showing little to no actual gameplay, or stuff that doesn't happen in the game sometimes, or bits and pieces of FMV sequences, etc. If it loosely correlates then it's probably given a pass." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
bd74g9
can anything be described as exact?
Mathematics
explainlikeimfive
[ "ekw7rze" ]
[ "Yes, by the Intermediate value theorem if you walk away from your house at some point you will be *exactly* 1 mile away. it might only be for a fraction of a fraction of a microsecond, but you can't be *less* than 1 mile away from your house and then be *more* than a mile away a moment later without crossing the 1 mile mark. Teleporting isn't a thing when you're walking down the street. What your friend is correct about is that human measurement is always inexact. Measuring sticks might be imperfect, they might have a small degree of error, humans might read off the scale wrong, the situation might change between measurements, the phsical world doesn't play nicely in black and white boxes. Exact things cannot be measured, but they do still exist. There is a sphere around your house that measures all the points *exactly* 1 mile away, but you'll never find them." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
d751t9
What exactly is the financial repo market?
There has been lots of talk on Wall Street about the repo market. My question is what exactly is the repo market and what are the impacts of the repo market on credit market+economy?
Economics
explainlikeimfive
[ "f0z55tl" ]
[ "Simply put, time is money - having cash sitting in your bank account, even for one night, is a lost opportunity. So when the bank accounts of commercial banks exceed or are under their legally mandated reserves, they loan/borrow it out with a repurchase agreement - this is where the term repo comes from. Basically, Bank A has $50m extra at the end of Thursday, Bank B has a need to get $50m on its books to comply with regulations - Bank A will loan out their extra $50m for an agreed interest rate, and will repurchase the loan on Friday morning. The agreed interest rate that banks charge each other for 1 day loans is just about the most fundamental metric in the entire financial system. Everything from government bonds, to commercial loans, to your mortgage is influenced by how much banks have to pay to square their books at the end of the day." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5t7qlv
Is Monopoly random?
I heard somewhere that some spots are landed on more often than others. Is that true? If so, how is that possible if rolling the dice is random every time? Thanks in advance.
Mathematics
explainlikeimfive
[ "ddkq0lh", "ddkqyo4", "ddkq3k2", "ddkt3uv" ]
[ "The position of a Monopoly piece is affected by more than just dice rolls. There are draw card spaces, which may send you to specific spots across the board, and the jail, which can pop up quite often in a normal game." ]
[ 15 ]
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[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5wp7x3
Why does the body allow us to sleep in positions that cause us pain in the morning? Such as waking up with sore necks, arms, etc.?
Shouldn't we unconsciously realize that it is uncomfortable and re-adjust?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dechxeu", "dec9wff", "dec5e62", "decbh3v", "debyl84", "dec4wlx", "dec2ics", "deckkqq", "decve39", "decr6da", "dec9tsy" ]
[ "I have been waiting for this moment my whole life. Sleep Expert here. The reason one does not feel pain while they sleep is because when you sleep, “most neurons in the brain stem immediately above the spinal cord, reduce or stop firing.” The brain stem is composed of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain. The brain stem is in a way, a highway where the motor and sensory system passes through to the brain. Therefore, while awake, the nociceptors, which is a type of sensory neuron which is active when there is tissue damage, and is what causes the pain sensation, is traveling from the point of damage through the brain stem to the brain. So, while asleep, there is no brain stem connection to the brain from the sensory neurons, ergo no pain perception. You can think of it as connecting Christmas lights. When you connect one series of lights to a second series of lights, it will allow electricity to flow through both sets. If you disconnect the second series of lights, then the flow of electricity will only flow though the first series of lights. As opposed to 1998 when the undertaker slammed mankind through the hell in the cell on a 16 foot drop. After which my dad beat the shit out of me with a pair of jumper cables. Edit: this also explains why they knock you out for certain surgerys Edit: TFTG. Also, side note of fun. You guys remember the trick of putting a sleeping persons hand in warm water and it makes them piss themselves?" ]
[ 4095 ]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
cllkp4
How does geometry explain things like color, proportion, depth ect..
Mathematics
explainlikeimfive
[ "evw7lpr" ]
[ "Geometry measures space. All those things you list can be described geometrically as structures in space. Width and depth are dimensional measurements of space. Proportionality is a comparison of multiple dimensional measurements of space. Shapes are an area or volume of space. We can perceive these spatial structures change over time. Things like color and music are perceived by how energy is transmitted though space (wavelengths of light, wavelengths of air) in sequence over a period of time." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7l4iix
why people can’t sleep for a couple years to awaken with enough energy to stay awake for just as long?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "drjfuoq", "drjfr25", "drjg33i" ]
[ "A main purpose of sleep is to clean up chemical waste products that your brain cells make constantly. If you stay awake for a year, without any sleep time for clean-up, you will in fact die long before the year is over." ]
[ 10 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
eck11x
how does our brain know the momentary position of every limb?
Our hands and legs don't have sensors per se. How come that in absolute pitch black I'm able to stretch my hands and know where they are and if I feel something with my fingers such as a doorway or a lamp I know exactly how far and how high the object is? How come I can reach my nose tip precisely with my finger with my eyes closed?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fbbwhsj", "fbbwedi" ]
[ "It actually comes from something called proprioception- some people call it our “sixth sense”. There are many sensors throughout your limbs that detect the movement/ velocity of your limbs, the load on them, and there are specific receptors in your muscles and tendons that send information to the brain so it can work out the position of your limbs. Edit: If you are interested, muscles have \"muscle spindle\" sensors which measure the stretch of a muscle, tendons have \"golgi tendon organs\" which measure the tension in the tendon. There are also other sensors as well that contribute to proprioception." ]
[ 13 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7r00yk
What does it actually mean when one declares bankruptcy? What happens after bankruptcy is declared?
Economics
explainlikeimfive
[ "dst5xqr" ]
[ "This depends on the jurisdiction. However, broadly speaking, bankruptcy is a declaration that a company or individual can no longer meet their financial obligations. Another words, they've run out of cash and will no longer be able to pay their debts. In the case of a company, an administrator is appointed by the courts, who will assess the damage and begin the process of repaying the creditors. They will liquidate everything if that's what's needed to ensure the creditors are repaid. If there isn't enough to do that, then... tough. If there's evidence of fraud, the administrator will investigate this as well and, if necessary, criminal proceedings will be initiated. Declaring bankruptcy is the nuclear option. It's the end-game. But it is a way to wipe the slate clean." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6ua1vk
Why is Scotland's national animal the Unicorn?
Culture
explainlikeimfive
[ "dlr1fmd", "dlr72ez" ]
[ "If you lived in the birthplace of whisky, you'd be \"seeing unicorns\" too.. Hah - in all seriousness, the Unicorn is in mythology the natural enemy of the Lion. Since the Lion was adopted as the emblem of the English Royalty, it was natural that Scotland's emblem would be opposition to that. It is also worth noting that in 1300, when Robert adopted it as the animal of Scotland, people thought it was a real animal of the utmost nobility." ]
[ 16 ]
[ [], [ "https://archive.org/stream/systemofheraldry01nisbuoft#page/304/mode/2up" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
e2pmtz
Why do people hate on Greta Thunberg?
Culture
explainlikeimfive
[ "f8wvurb", "f8wwxzw" ]
[ "There's no good answer. I think people are threatened by her - they find her message scary, and the fact that she can motivate herself to do something about it when they just want to ignore it makes them feel inferior. Like, \"This teenager figured out how to get noticed by the UN to try and save humanity without her parents' support, and I can't even get myself to do anything greater than my dead-end 9-to-5.\" It's easier to believe she's some kind of propoganda puppet. At least, that's what it looks like to me." ]
[ 12 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
m1zirr
Why is it that some injections (IV, heroin) require a vein while others (epinephrine, shots) can just go in a muscle?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "gqge14e", "gqgke02" ]
[ "It's mostly a function of where the injection is supposed to act. Heroin is taken to goof with your brain, so it needs to get to your brain. Doing so via your blood is its best bet. A vaccine on the other hand wants to interact with your tissue or lymphatic system in order to trigger an immune response. This is a lot easier to achieve if it gets injected into a muscle. Epinephrine is a bit of a weird one. You can give it into a vein, and it works really well if you do it right but there are other considerations. The standard form a lot of people are familiar with is an \"EpiPen\" which is designed to be used by someone who is in the middle of a serious medical emergency, so \"jam it into your thigh\" is chosen as a balance between effectiveness in getting the epinephrine into your blood system and ease of use. The other thing about epinephrine is that it doens't last that long once it hits your blood stream, so if you want to give it in a vein its usually as an infusion, again not something that Mrs Sally the kindergarten teacher is going to handle when Timmy accidently has peanuts. Sticking a large dose into your muscle and then allowing it to 'leak' into your blood over time achieves roughly the same effect that the infusion would." ]
[ 34 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cjugw
Can a flu shot make you feel sick?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dpqg0yg", "dpqg4gm" ]
[ "Yes. Headache, fever, nausea, and muscle aches are common side effects of flu vaccines. They are usually mild and go away by themselves after a day or two." ]
[ 4 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6mi79u
Why are the armpits one of the warmest parts of our body? What's there that needs to be kept so warm?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dk1r6n7", "dk25rtl" ]
[ "Nothing in particular needs to be kept warm, they're just enclosed on all sides so heat has a hard time leaving. Other areas with skin on all sides are warm too, such as inside your mouth." ]
[ 12 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
g25qu0
How come films and tv shows from the 60s to the early 2000s look so different from films today?
What I'm trying to say here is: why the image looks so unique? I don't know if it's because they were not filmed with digital cameras and they didn't have the great picture qualities we have nowadays, but they definitely feel like they were from the past, like if you're watching Back to the Future you think "this is definitely something that was filmed in the 80s" no matter if you're watching a remastered 4K edition or something, it always looks different. Just to give you a clue, whenever someone tries to make a modern film "look old" they barely resemble the aesthetic (most of the time it looks like if an Instagram filter has being applied).
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fnjnouy", "fnjzm1d", "fnk1huw", "fnjw22n", "fnkieej" ]
[ "35mm film has a very high resolution if properly scanned, but many videos from that time period were scanned to be shown on television so they were scanned at 480p. Hence they look blurry. They are rescanning the old films, but some they haven't done yet. Take a look at the 1080p versions of some of the old TV shows they have rescanned, like Perry Mason, and Andy Griffith, you'll be amazed at the clarity." ]
[ 16 ]
[ [], [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6eo77q
What are the major roadblocks to 'industrializing' spider silk?
It seems to be the Holy grail of textile sciences, so why haven't we been able to create an agriculture around it like silk worm silk or synthesize it in a lab?
Engineering
explainlikeimfive
[ "dibwpgj", "dibq935" ]
[ "Unfortunately, spiders themselves cannot be used to create any decent amount of thread. For one thing, they are cannibalistic and like to eat each other when placed in close quarters. Also, the orb weaving spiders (the ones that create the strongest type of fiber) can create 7 different types of silk and only really one of them is useful as far as strength properties go, so you have to literally [incapacitate a spider and manually draw the silk]( URL_6 ) to get the correct fiber from them. And, even if you do that, you would need [over a million spiders]( URL_5 ) to create anything useful as around 30,000 of them are needed to create a single gram of spider silk. Not really scalable. Now, that being said, artificial and transgenic spider silks are being created and industrialized as we speak. There are many companies and universities that are developing it and are on the cusp of commercialization using various vectors to achieve spider silk production via genetic editing of various organisms. These vectors can produce 2 things directly: spider silk protein powder and spider silk threads. Each has advantages and disadvantages. The spider silk protein powder is created by genetically altered bacteria, yeast, and goats that produce the proteins in their milk. The goats are inefficient, producing only about 2 grams of protein powder per liter of milk. Also, the goats take a long time to breed, so expanding production with this method is very slow going. The bacteria is more efficient, but the preferred bacteria, E.coli, can't store very long gene sequences, so need to be truncated to produce slightly inferior proteins and need to grow in a vat to make enough protein to be usable. The yeast method is the best protein method as it uses yeasts like *Pichia pastoris* that are able to store and transfer longer gene segments efficiently and accurately. The yeast also will reproduce much more efficiently with much cheaper “fuel” (mainly sugar water) to create much higher quality proteins than the bacteria method. Both the bacteria and yeast method have a very short gestation time, so any gene “tweaks” can be done to vary the properties of the proteins for custom applications. After they get the protein powder, they can then mix it with other substances to change their properties, turn it into a foam or film, or spin it into a fiber. Unfortunately, the mechanical spinning techniques such as wet spinning and electrospinning are still lacking and cannot spin fibers strong enough to measure up to natural dragline spider silks, but they are still being developed and I think it is only a matter of time before this issue is overcame. The spider silk fibers can be directly created by genetically altering silkworms. These silkworms get various strains of spider DNA injected into them and they can naturally spin different types of fibers. This method allows them to create much stronger fibers than the protein method, but it takes a longer gestation time and a lot of mulberry and space to expand production. Also, since you are directly producing the fibers with this method, it would be more costly if you wanted to create foams or films that can be made with the protein method. Now for the major companies creating the silks: **[Bolt Threads]( URL_7 )** is a San Francisco based company using transgenic yeast to create proteins that they spin into fibers for textiles. They have already released a limited production of [spider silk ties]( URL_13 ) and are working with Patagonia to create more textiles from their silks down the road. **[Spiber]( URL_10 )** Is a Japan based company that uses bacteria to make their protein powder that they plan to use in [automobiles]( URL_2 ) and spin into textiles. They are working with Goldwin, the main producer for The North Face Japan, to create jacked called the [Moon Parka]( URL_4 ) that should hopefully be out this winter. **[Kraig Biocraft Laboratories]( URL_11 )** is a Michigan based company that uses transgenic silkworms to create spider silk threads directly. They are currently fulfilling a [contract with the army to create bulletproof material]( URL_9 ) at small scale and are hoping to open a [large scale sericulture facility in Vietnam]( URL_1 ) in the near future to start mass production of their fibers for use in textiles. **[AMSilk]( URL_8 )** is a German based company that uses transgenic E.coli to produce protein that currently is being used in [cosmetics]( URL_3 ) and can be used in [medical applications]( URL_12 ). They are also working with Adidas to produce a [spider silk sneaker]( URL_0 ) that should be out in the near future. These four companies are the ones that I feel are the furthest along, but there are many more that are out there that I can go into detail about as well. I do try to keep up to date with what is going on in the spider silk field and keep /r/SpiderSilk updated with the latest news and events, so if you are interested in keeping up with this new, revolutionary technology, check it out." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [ "https://www.wired.com/2016/11/compost-adidas-spider-silk-shoe/", "http://ipaquangnam.gov.vn/eng/tin-tuc-chi-tiet/lanh-dao-ubnd-tinh-tiep-va-lam-viec-voi-lanh-dao-cong-ty-kraig-biocraft-laboratories-hoa-ky.html", "http://newatlas.com/lexus-paris-2016-concepts/45466/", "http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Business-Financial/AMSilk-and-Rahn-enter-European-distribution-deal-for-silk-biopolymers", "http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2015/10/20/moon-parka-outerwear-made-from-synthetic-spider-silk/", "https://www.wired.com/2009/09/spider-silk/", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLSGBQUA8l0", "https://boltthreads.com", "https://www.amsilk.com/home/", "http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/07/19/us-army-eyes-dragon-silk-for-bullet-proof-vests.html", "https://www.spiber.jp/en", "http://www.kraiglabs.com/", "http://www.news-medical.net/news/20140129/AMSilk-completes-preclinical-testing-of-proprietary-silicone-breast-implant-coating.aspx", "https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelarthur/2017/03/10/bolt-threads-is-launching-its-first-bioengineered-spider-silk-product-at-sxsw-a-necktie/#bca5baf4d13f" ], [ "http://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-16554357/the-goats-with-spider-genes-and-silk-in-their-milk", "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioSteel" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
9eoss0
Why in videos (documentaries, training videos, etc) where someone is talking to the camera, they never look directly at or into the camera?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "e5qe8w2", "e5qim3z", "e5qgu34" ]
[ "During interviews a person next to the camera is asking questions so that’s who they answer to, even not in interviews they are usually directing they’re speech to a person near the camera, not only does it help to make them speak and feel more natural, it also comes off as more natural to the viewer. Imagine how it feels during a news broadcast when the anchor speaks to the lens, there is something palpable when a person is “broadcasting” to a camera as opposed to speaking to another person, the lack of interpersonal connection is easy to notice and would make a documentary much less engaging" ]
[ 13 ]
[ [], [], [ "https://youtu.be/w5hyGgf34Jg" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
836h1v
Why are bonuses taxed differently than ordinary income?
Economics
explainlikeimfive
[ "dvfftpx", "dvfthzb" ]
[ "They're not They're *withheld* differently from your normal paycheck since the computer doing the withholding wasn't accounting for the bonus. Since it ends up boosting your income it gets taxed at your marginal tax rate but any income boost of the same amount would require the same taxes" ]
[ 49 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
o70dgi
Why can different email service providers (e.g. gmail, Yahoo! Mail) send emails to one another but instant messaging apps (e.g. Telegram, WhatsApp) cannot send messages to each other?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "h2vpntc", "h2vpqby", "h2vs232", "h2vprkk" ]
[ "Email business models, like telephone ones before them, built on the idea of interconnection. App based messaging is a different business model,based on seclusion in an ad ecosystem. They could technically interconnect, bwt that's bad for the companies selling ads." ]
[ 21 ]
[ [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
d7gysx
Considering the recent discovery of water vapors on a far away exo-planet, how the heck do scientists actually manage to 'detect' things like water vapor and other substances on far away planets?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "f0zvgu2" ]
[ "Each atom have a specific set of wavelengths of light they absorb. So you can use a spectrometer which splits the light into its different frequencies to look for these specific wavelengths in the light from the planet. This allows you to determine how much of each atom there is on the surface or at least on top of the clouds. In the case of K2-18b they discovered large quantities of hydrogen and helium but also some minor quantities of oxygen. And as we know mixing hydrogen and oxygen creates a very unstable mixture which will react to form water. So we know there is trace amounts of water in the upper atmosphere of K2-18b." ]
[ 9 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6t3gaf
How are we able to make ourselves urinate simply by thinking about it?
Whenever the doctor gives you a cup to pee in, most people can just make themselves pee by thinking about it. I always thought this was fascinating and am curious what the science behind it is. I also have a fear of vomiting, and sometimes I worry that I will "think myself into" vomiting just by thinking about being nauseous. Is this even possible? How do our minds govern bodily functions like this? Thanks!
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dlhm2a6" ]
[ "> How do our minds govern bodily functions like this? How can you walk just by thinking about it? You control muscles with your mind which produce movement. Similarly urination is achieved by muscles pushing the bladder, basically a bag of urine, and the relaxing of a ring of muscle sealing off the tube to the outside of the body. > I worry that I will \"think myself into\" vomiting just by thinking about being nauseous. Is this even possible? Maybe! But probably not, as vomiting spontaneously and without reason isn't really a problem most people have. Why do you fear vomiting exactly?" ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5xkvgm
what is dust? How does it get everywhere?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "deiv5f1" ]
[ "About [1/3]( URL_0 ) of dust comes from inorganic stuff in your house breaking down, like carpet fibers. The rest comes from dirt and air particulates you bring in from the outside. There's also a small contribution from organic matter like your skin cells and pet dander." ]
[ 17 ]
[ [ "http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120252957" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6mzoj5
Why hasn't 720/1080p become Standard Definition, and 4k become High Definition?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dk5lw2z", "dk5lyv0" ]
[ "HD is actually defined as the 720/1080. That's what HD means. It means that resolution. SD means stuff below that, usually 480. 4K means 3840x2160 resolution. Those are just the names for the formats. They don't have a deeper meaning." ]
[ 9 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
9bn41v
Why does Down's syndrome give very defining physical characteristics while other genetic disorders don't?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "e549az0", "e54b2kb" ]
[ "Down syndrome is caused by having an extra 21st chromosome (or a partial 21st chromosome). Many genetic conditions are caused by a mutation in a single protein or protein complex meaning if it were to affect physical appearance then it will usually be minor, but containing an extra chromosome means potentially hundreds of genes that aren't supposed to be there. So down syndrome is more of a chromosomal disorder over regular genetic disorders. Other chromosomal disorders tend to have drastic changes in appearance." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5milzu
Where did the thought of mice loving cheese come from?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dc3vy5w", "dc3vx82" ]
[ "A mouse will eat almost anything it can find and fit into its mouth, and although cheese isn't among its favorite foods it will eat it up if that's all there is. And that's probably how this myth of mice loving cheese got started. They were constantly being discovered in medieval cupboards eating the household cheese stash. But this would have been because it was the only food they could get to since the meat would be hanging and salted, and grain would be stored in jars. It was cheese or starvation. Then cartoons like Tom And Jerry picked it up and there was no turning back." ]
[ 7 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7p1qn4
Why are some websites browser specific, if their underlying code is based on a standardization, supported by most browsers (Google Earth on FF)?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dsdufnf" ]
[ "There are some specific tags that only specific browsers understand, there was a fair amount of Internet Explorer specific HTML and CSS years ago that wasn't part of the standard but IE implemented it. Other times you're relying on different implementations having different quirks, you made your page work with IE which uses a slightly off standard look and now it doesn't work with Firefox which uses a slightly different off standard way Now you're likely to run into things like ActiveX that need Internet Explorer to be able to run because its coupled tightly with windows. Its rather uncommon to find something that works in Firefox that doesn't work in Chrome. Google stuff generally works with every browser(can't risk losing customers!)" ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7ndm39
how does n+1 blankets keep you warmer than n blankets?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "ds10wja", "ds12dwr" ]
[ "Insulation. Your body heat is what warms the area under the blanket Warmth leaves the blanket from the air cooling the surface of the blanket, so when you add another blanket there is more air and blanket to trap heat." ]
[ 8 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6t809j
Why can we capture images of celestial objects which millions of lightyears away but not capture detailed images of Uranus or Neptune?
Repost
explainlikeimfive
[ "dlilzf1" ]
[ "We're taking some fabulous new photos of Jupiter, but only because there's a fabulous new space probe *at* Jupiter. (Juno). When a similar mission orbits Uranus & Neptune we'll get some new images. Our current images of Neptune (Voyager 2 flew by in 1989) & Uranus are from brief flybys from probes on thier way out We **can** take pictures of Neptune from orbit of Earth (such as the Hubble). Here is how the Hubble sees Neptune: URL_0 not a great image, is it? Well here's why images of Neptune & Uranus are so junk: They're not very bright. Taking an image of a local planet is hard because thy do not make light, they are far from the Sun so they do not reflect much light, and they're moving faster (relative to Earth's own movement) than something much farther away. A distant star or galaxy **is it's own light source**, are waaaay bigger than any planet, and don't wiggle as much during the image exposure." ]
[ 9 ]
[ [ "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Neptune-visible.jpg" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
604kwt
Why is there no cure, or even effective treatment, for the common cold?
Chemistry
explainlikeimfive
[ "df3esz7", "df3fu2k" ]
[ "It's a virus, so antibiotics don't work. It's also a virus that mutates constantly and is present in the population in a wide range of strains so vaccines are pretty much useless- a vaccine for one strain won't help after it mutates again. (you can get a yearly *influenza* vaccine effective again a small number of selected current flu strains) So direct attack is out. You're left with treating the symptoms- decongestants, cough suppressants, pain relievers, increased fluid intake. There's absolutely over the counter drugs for all of these symptoms, and have been for years (although you won't get a 19th century concoction of opiods for a common cold anymore)" ]
[ 10 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
ikz49k
How do satellites fall?
I recently read that a satellite just fell from orbit after 56 years in space. Once in orbit, how do they fall out of their path? Does a meteorite or similar object have to knock it off course? If falling is eventually inevitable, does that mean all things in orbit will fall (e.g. the ISS)?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "g3ofuwb", "g3ofnzw" ]
[ "Earth's atmosphere effectively extends out until it's gravitational pull no longer has an effect, and so no matter how far out you go, there is always a calculable amount of mass per unit of distance in space. Satallites, even the furthest ones out are very well within this gravitational effect area, and so they collide with particles over time, slowing their orbital speed. So, yes all objects in orbit are eventually going to fall back to the surface. More permanent satallites/stations have boosters they fire once in a while to keep them in orbit. edit: As per their path, no. Space is way to vast for anything to really be knocked from a path. Large accidental collisions are very very very very rare, more common is tiny particles or small bits of scrap from other destroyed objects colliding with other objects." ]
[ 4 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
722z86
Why is older wine considered "better"?
Why do people prefer wine that has been "aged"? What does aging do to the wine to make it any different than normal wine?
Culture
explainlikeimfive
[ "dnfd4z9", "dnfp9k2", "dnfk8r1", "dnfxbhc" ]
[ "It's actually not better, in a general sense. Not all wines taste better with age. However, there are still wines that do. Main reason for them is what's called \"tannins\", which comes mostly from the oak barrels (that's why it's stored in those). Tannins also come from grape stems, seeds, and skins. They have anti-fungal properties, but also make the unripe grape taste really nasty until the seed is mature. Not only do they taste bitter, tannins bind to the proteins that make your saliva slimy, stripping away the sliminess, leaving your mouth feeling dry, chalky, and ashen. The winemakers determine the amount of tannins that go into the wine, primarily by controlling how long the mashed grapes stay in contact with the tannin-loaded stems, skins, and seeds. Wine that’s allowed to marinate at length in the grape detritus will start out as a bitter, dry youngster, and mature into a rich, complex, and highly desirable vintage. Wines that age well do so over a continuum, and there is an ideal period where the flavors of both youth and maturity are balanced. [^Know ^more.]( URL_0 )" ]
[ 84 ]
[ [ "https://www.wired.com/2014/10/whats-wines-tastes-better-age/" ], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7o1rh0
How do aged spirit brands(whisky etc.) that grow rapidly manage to have enough stock if everything is aged minimum 10 years?
Economics
explainlikeimfive
[ "ds67g7o", "ds65n37", "ds65lfj", "ds6agdi", "ds6ceiw", "ds6bde2", "ds66e1h", "ds6c3hf", "ds6ag1f", "ds6d6pe", "ds6cwwg", "ds6by3e", "ds6bgws", "ds6dsiq", "ds6c2i8", "ds6bntg", "ds6bb5i", "ds6cwr1", "ds6gb14", "ds6h6cv", "ds6i50g", "ds6brpl", "ds6chhw", "ds6d0mm", "ds6ca7c", "ds6bsyk", "ds6edg1" ]
[ "You avoid as much as possible, making your name on aged single malts if you are a new distillery and are interested in expansion. 1. You distill and sell spirits that don't need to be aged for years. A new distillery can turn out rum and flavoured vodkas in short order. That pays the bills while your new-make spirit is aging and becoming whisky. 2. You buy up whisk(e)y from other distillers, blend it, bottle it and sell it under your label. A lot of US whiskey comes from one very large alcohol distiller who sells a dizzying array of ages and flavour profiles. You blend these to taste, perhaps aging them for a few months in a finishing barrel and then sell them, with or without an age statement, under your brandname. 3. You try to find interesting new-ish barrels in your rick houses and release a no age statement (NAS) whisky. Ardbeg does this a lot with their Committee releases and their routine NAS releases (Uigeadail & Corryvreckan). In Scotland, NAS whisky still has to be at least 3 years old, but 3 years is better than 10 years both for space management and mitigating losses to evaporation. 4. If you are \"reviving\" a defunct distillery, you may be able to buy aged stocks distilled at your distillery in years past that are held by other distilleries and blenders. Bruichladdich was able to do this as part of the offer to buy and revive that distillery at the turn of the millennium. If you can come up with the money, there may be thousands of barrels of 10 year old whisky available from past runs at your \"new\" distillery. Later, once you are fully capitalized, have adequate inventory, sufficient warehouse space and have some feeling for the market, then you can start focusing on aged single malt releases. Those are some the most restrictive constraints though, so you generally want to avoid locking yourself into those while you are still raising capital and getting established." ]
[ 12467 ]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/10/news/makers-mark-bourbon/index.html", "http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/17/news/makers-mark-bourbon/index.html" ], [], [], [], [ "https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/05/02/180661986/how-a-distillery-ages-bourbon-in-days-not-years" ], [], [ "www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2015/07/01/a-bank-that-accepts-parmesan-as-collateral-the-cheese-stands-a-loan/#3f6e4d7210a2" ], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGP_of_Indiana" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
bn8gtf
Why does your credit score drop when you check it?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "en3c4tx", "en3fwp3", "en43sl0" ]
[ "It shouldn't. Usimg credit karma to keep an eye on you score does not have an effect on it. What drops it among other things is when someone does a hard inquiry on it. Like when applying for a credit card for example" ]
[ 6 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
8fe0bi
How do video game discs work?
This may be a stupid question, but how do video game discs work? I understand that CDs for movies and songs just play as they spin in a certain direction, but where does the information from a disc for a video game come from? Thanks!
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dy2qpm5", "dy2qrmt" ]
[ "I believe all the data simply gets loaded from the disk and stored in the memory of the system, it doesn't have to look for every bit on the disk during the game. It's why you often have to install a game first, while you can just play music directly." ]
[ 7 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7uw9u4
Why was Michael Jackson such an important figure in music?
Culture
explainlikeimfive
[ "dtnns00" ]
[ "He revolutionized what a music video could be. He was the first to make them into literally short movies. Before that, it was basically just a video of the band lip synching to their song." ]
[ 6 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
kebwzq
Why is the feeling after losing $100, stronger than the feeling after winning $100?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "gg1iekt", "gg1p6a0" ]
[ "Evolutionary brain geared towards survival is designed to detect threats and danger and therefore negative experience is like velcro and positive is like teflon. All based on evolution and survival" ]
[ 7 ]
[ [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_aversion" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
e6gr1e
With cases of people being revived after being dead for 'x' amount of minutes, I wonder, what's the time límit in which You can be brought back and why?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "f9pwv24", "f9pxf5i" ]
[ "I’ve seen people brought back after being down for 30 minutes. We generally call it after 20. It depends on how their heart stopped, how soon cpr was initiated, and how cold they are. We have a saying “they aren’t dead until they’re warm and dead”. People that drowned in icy water are more likely to be brought back than people that drowned in warm water. No matter what though very few people that are brought back leave the hospital. The longer they’re down the less likely they can be resuscitated." ]
[ 10 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
a4me6u
Is it possible to break the following paper down into terms that a 7-13 year old can easily understand?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "ebfq31j" ]
[ "Shouldn't you be the one doing this? You're financially compensated to make a docuseries but you want somebody to break this down for you, so shoudlnt you be paying them for their time?" ]
[ 6 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
nl6wap
How does our brain know to not fall out of bed when we are sleeping?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "gzgzoeh" ]
[ "Contrary to popular belief you are not unconscious when you are asleep. Your brain is quite alert but doesn't bother waking up your conscious mind unless it has to. This means it's taking in information from the outside world including keeping track of where it is in relation to other things. If you start to roll over and you feel the edge of the bed you'll stop rolling over." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
am9vgd
Why does the human body need darkness to produce melatonin?
And how can the body/brain tell the difference between complete darkness and covering ourselves entirely with a blanket or wearing an eye mask?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "efkgq97" ]
[ "Light goes into your eyeball. The signal from your eyeball goes to a handful of places. One of them is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The SCN sends a signal to your pineal gland which is where melatonin is produced. So there is a connection between the light sensors in your eye and the gland that secretes melatonin. Research done so far seems to suggest that your brain can't tell the difference between complete darkness from the sun being down and a blanket or eye mask. It's about how much light enters your eye. For example, one study found that blind people that could still sense light had similar melatonin patterns to people with full vision, but blind people who couldn't sense light had different patterns. This implies that it's based on light sensitivity, not time of day. Another study found that people produce less melatonin on nights where there is a full moon. This is potentially because it's brighter out. They also produce less melatonin in the summer when the days are longer. Researchers haven't ruled out other fac like cool temperature, a sensation of time, diet, etc. But it seems like light is the most important factor when it comes to melatonin production." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
mkpshq
Why does the brain develop a tolerance for dopamine?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "gthfh0f", "gthezbl", "gthezjw", "gti88l0", "gth93fy", "gthbyul" ]
[ "You don't get tolerance from dopamine, if that would be the case our lives would be fucked up. DOpamine is involved in motricity, vision and motivated behavior and is secreted all the time with highs/lows depending on what you do. The closest thing you get from dopamine tolerance is when heavily using cocaine you can affect the balance between dopamine receptors D1 and D2, but that's because cocaine block our dopamine recapture system causing a massive surge of dopamine (300% of the baseline release if my memory is correct). D2, which kind of acts like a brake on dopamine neurons, becomes downregulated in some brain regions and that participates in making you crave more and more drugs because the reward system never cools down and gets stuck on a loop of wanting more" ]
[ 86 ]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
f4ub8t
What is dust?
Chemistry
explainlikeimfive
[ "fhto898", "fhtpqks" ]
[ "The composition varies hugely depending on where you are and...Well...What it's made of. Around a normal house it will be generally a combination of clothing fibers, carpet fibers, pet hair and skin, probably a bit of soil and plant debris. But the majority of it, on average around 80% is...shed human skin cells. So the next time you don't feel like dusting remember that means you're happy with every surface in your house being covered with a thin layer of human flesh." ]
[ 9 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
874ee7
How debt between countries works
Repost
explainlikeimfive
[ "dwa3gqj" ]
[ "Debt isn't between countries. Debt is held by investors who buy the debt in the form of bonds. So U.S. debt is held by whomever decides to invest in U.S Treasury bonds -- about 75% are held by Americans and American institutions. Other counties similarly sell bonds to fund their operations, selling their debt to investors domestic and foreign." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
iulby5
What does it mean when a fluid (or anything really) goes “super-critical”?
During my evening exploration around the internet, I stumbled upon some science videos about Aero-Gel and another on radioactive material and in both cases the term “super-critical” was used. What is actually happening and what does it mean when something is “super-critical”? Can I go super-critical?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "g5le458", "g5lhhlf" ]
[ "You likely already understand that things transition from solid, liquid and then gas based on an increase of temperature. You might also understand that you can also sometimes transition things from gas to a liquid and sometimes a solid by an increase in pressure. Think how Nitrogen at room temp is a gas but if you compress it into a tank, it can be a liquid at the same temp. Now, there exists a range of high pressures and temperature values where its hot enough to be a gas but also compressed enough to be a liquid. When its in this state its not really a gas and not really a liquid and generally has properties between the two states. You could theoretically go super critical, but it would not be pleasant... or survivable." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nh827
Final Fantasy
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "ds1qswp" ]
[ "Final Fantasy is a disconnected group of games that share similar mechanics, but not stories or characters. It was made by Squaresoft, a Japaneses company, until the Squaresoft/Enix merger. It is now made by SquareEnix. Some games were not released outside of Japan initially, so although the Japanese series is sequential (1, 2, 3, etc), the series outside of Japan is numbered by order of release in those countries. Final Fantasy 1, 4, and 6 were the first that were released in other countries, so they become 1, 2, and 3. Later, Final Fantasy 2, 3, and 5 were released internationally, so the number system got a little screwy. We all just decided to go with the Japanese numbering system after that." ]
[ 14 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
agb537
Why tumble dried towels feel soft and fluffy while the naturally air dried towels feel hard and rough?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "ee4w1zb", "ee52hng" ]
[ "Because when the towel hang drys gravity is pulling the entire wetness of it down so all of it drys facing one direction. In a tumble dryer its constantly moving and not facing anyone direction" ]
[ 175 ]
[ [], [ "https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5y4pub/eli5_why_do_towels_feel_crunchyrough_when_line/", "https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8wem2h/eli5_why_towels_and_clothes_get_stiff_when_you/", "https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7981w2/eli5_why_are_air_dried_towels_more_absorbent_than/", "https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ngcya/eli5_what_creates_that_crunchy_effect_on_your/" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
d3tty3
Why do songs like Eye of the Tiger gets us pumped up?
Psychology
explainlikeimfive
[ "f05l4zt", "f057aif", "f0579tz", "f06btfl" ]
[ "The fat, punchy rhythm of the drums are purposely mixed to sound aggressive combined with a chorus starting in a minor key which creates a sense of ugency. When the minor chorus is met with a major 4 and subsequent transition into a major 5 it resolves it in a way that feels like movement and progress are being made, like the relief you get when reaching the top of the stairs or doing the last rep in weightlifting. This is layered with a rising melody in the vocals that climb and reach a peak, especially right before it goes back into the verse. Because the verse is in a minor key and repeats itself, there's a sense that \"the fight is never ending\" creating a sense of perseverance especially with the return of the major keys later in the chorus. The song also clocks in at edit:116 beats per minute, which is about the fast paced walking speed similar to when you're in a rush, which adds to the urgency of a song. Edit: In celebration of my first silver URL_0" ]
[ 961 ]
[ [ "https://youtu.be/rY-XDQN6ipE?t=8" ], [], [], [ "https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/Lesson-4/Standing-Wave-Patterns" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
81ywlf
Machine Learning
Repost
explainlikeimfive
[ "dv66v0v", "dv68twa" ]
[ "Machine learning is simply using data in a computer to teach the machine learning model how everything works. In a ML model, you pass in data known as training data. It’s the data that you want to work on, say to classify or predict the values. The model contains values called weights which are used by equations to do the task. Now either it can be right or wrong. So slowly over time using different optimisation methods, the model is made to change its weights which changes its decisions. So eventually, the predictions start becoming increasingly correct. Now this model which was trained is used to predict the results that you need. Some different models have their own ‘quirks’ that are handy at different applications." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
l9chi8
How does “no waste” living work? Doesn’t the trash just go somewhere else?
I’m a crazy liberal hippie and very interested in low/no waste living. I can’t do everything, but I eat a plant-based diet, my kids wear cloth diapers, and some other stuff. I want to move our pantry toward lower waste, but all our food comes in disposable containers and wrappers. I see lots of low/no waste people reusing jars to store food but here’s where I get stuck in my thinking: if I buy a bag of lentils, it comes in a thin, disposable, plastic bag. If I put those lentils in a reused glass jar, am I not still throwing away the plastic bag they came in?? Follow up: isn’t getting rid of my plastic items to replace them with more sustainable ones creating a bunch of plastic waste? For example, if I ditch my current plastic Tupperware for glass mason jars, aren’t I just putting a bunch of plastic Tupperware in a landfill and creating demand for more mason jars? Which will eventually also end up in a landfill? I’m sure I’m missing some key part of the argument, but it just kinda seems like creating a fashionably recyclable bubble around myself instead of making some kind of effective change in consumerism...
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "glh9pqk", "glh9klz", "glhmx01", "glh9a71", "glhgvp7", "glianae" ]
[ "> if I buy a bag of lentils, it comes in a thin, disposable, plastic bag. If I put those lentils in a reused glass jar, am I not still throwing away the plastic bag they came in?? The general idea of no-waste living relies on you having access to stores and markets that sell you goods without packaging or that allow you to bring your own packaging. Instead of buying pre-packaged lentils, for example, you'd be bringing your own container or canvas baggy and put the lentils in there from whatever [container the market is using]( URL_0 ). > Follow up: isn’t getting rid of my plastic items to replace them with more sustainable ones creating a bunch of plastic waste? For example, if I ditch my current plastic Tupperware for glass mason jars Don't throw away things that are still serviceable to you :P" ]
[ 43 ]
[ [ "https://c8.alamy.com/comp/DWWJE0/small-food-store-in-souk-selling-variety-of-lentils-and-beans-plus-DWWJE0.jpg" ], [], [], [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5uwojs
Why do we have morning breath?
Simply put, we brush our teeth before we go to sleep, wake up and our breath is terrible. Why?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "ddxo2qq" ]
[ "During the day, our mouths are constantly producing saliva which, to some extent, neutralises plaque. However, whilst we are asleep, we stop producing so much saliva which gives bacteria an ideal opportunity to feed on the plaque, giving us bad breath in the morning. That is also the reason we need to brush before we go to bed and when we get up even though we haven't eaten during the night." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
9w3vm8
When a whale dives to depths of thousands of feet, why does the extreme pressure not force seawater through its anus into its colon?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "e9ham1l", "e9hd8ic" ]
[ "By having colon muscles strong enough to prevent that. Also they have eyes, mouths, blowholes... why would you single out their anus?" ]
[ 28 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
mbyhhy
in searching for life on other celestial bodies in space, aren't we seeding potential life with all of the contamination we bring from Earth?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "gs0owgb", "gs0pf4w" ]
[ "This is one of the reasons that probes and rovers sent to other planets are carefully built in clean rooms and kept sterile, to avoid contaminating their destinations. It wouldn't do to look for signs of life and find it on the end of your detector because you didn't clean it properly." ]
[ 7 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
ej535g
When someone tells you to do something you were about to do, why does it make you want to do it less?
Psychology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fcvr7jo" ]
[ "You feel like a little bit of control has been taken from you and an irrational part of you wants that control back." ]
[ 15 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
b9svgj
Why does temperature vary so drastically on earth?
Physics
explainlikeimfive
[ "ek6mzjl", "ek6mrfl", "ek6ox9i" ]
[ "It doesn't really vary that much in the absolute sense, the Earth is well insulated by the atmosphere and oceans and temperatures don't wander too far from average. The higher latitudes get the biggest yearly swings from ~250K to ~310K due to how they angle in and out from the sun over the course of the year. Equatorial areas barely budge. Over on Mercury the temperatures swing violently from 100K at night to 700K at \"noon\" since it's just rock exposed to the sun's fury and frozen deep space." ]
[ 11 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
hdpgtx
What controls our "speed" of perceiving the world?
I've heard that adrenaline can make people view the world in a sort of slow-motion and I got curious - what makes us perceive the world at that particular speed we do? Can we control it anyhow? And is there a way to actually compare perception speed of two individuals?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fvmgwhz" ]
[ "your brain activity goes up to 300% (or 3x) normal usage, under death threatenung scenarios even 8x the amound, we even make stupid decisions and mistakes because the overload. Imagine missing child, you look for 15 minutes, race every corner and literally checked the whole city or town in 15 minutes, it feels like 1 hour, then realizing you were by bike, drove more than 5 km, same time on the phone with the police while calling her name in EVERY CORNER. makes you a beast." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
f6wmsd
What is FXAA Antialiasing and what does it do for PC Gaming?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "fi7gegz" ]
[ "**F**ast Appro**x**imate **A**nti-**A**liasing. It smooths out jagged edges in rendered animation/screens. It's also faster than some other methods and uses less CPU because it only smooths out edges as they appear on screen, not how they are actually rendered. It can also work on non-vector based images unlike MSAA (multisample anti-aliasing). In games, it gives you a better image for less computational power which in turn means higher frame-rates." ]
[ 4 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
a5sc3a
Why are pillows considered good for sleeping when they bend your neck so that it's not parallel to your spine?
This is for when you sleep facing the ceiling.
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "ebovki5" ]
[ "Put it under your shoulders, not your head. Also there are different pillow shapes for different sleep positions. Really though, they're just comfy. Plus there's always the cool side 😎" ]
[ 4 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
6hm43v
Would increasing the speed limit on certain roads decrease the likelihood of traffic jams?
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dizc7ax", "dizc25i", "dizbvgt" ]
[ "No, infact rather the opposite happens. Where I'm from, the main highways other busy roads near the city use variable speed signs. This way when there's traffic they can REDUCE the speed limit (ideally before you get to the traffic). The main goal in traffic flow is CONSISTENT traffic! Think about what they teach u when there is an emergency, walk single file to an emergency exit. Do not rush. This is done partly to prevent traffic jams. Why is consistency important? Because the reason traffic occurs is because cars slow down. Then cars behind them have to slow down. Then cars behind them and so on and so on. This creates a chain reaction. The fist car may have slowed down 45 minutes ago. But the effect of slowing down (traffic) persists for much longer. If you can prevent cars from slowing down as much or as hard then you will have less traffic. High speeds produce big traffic jams. But obviously it's a trade off. A speed limit that is unnecessarily too slow will prevent cars from utilising the road's full potential." ]
[ 32 ]
[ [], [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
if2l6d
Why are photos on my display always so bad at showing a smooth color gradient, when it comes to very dark - > black?
It's hard to explain, but I've realised that when there's a source of light surrounded by darkness on a picture, the shift from very bright to very dark is quite smooth, while on the outer shift the border to the blackness consists of rough lines and seems kind of pixelated, and the color difference to the lighter tone that comes before it is quite noticeable. Like, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see the border in the first place.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "g2l2krl" ]
[ "Tom Scott did an interesting video on the topic so I’ll link it here if you’re interested URL_0 But a simpler answer is that with 256 shades of red green and blue, only so many of those shades can “represent” black, so those blotchy bands you see are where the color shifts from one shade (say 0 0 0) to another (say 0 1 1)." ]
[ 5 ]
[ [ "https://youtu.be/h9j89L8eQQk" ] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
8dj0nl
How do people raise money by walking across a country/cycling around the world/ climbing Mount something / go q month without eating chocolate for charity
Other
explainlikeimfive
[ "dxninq0", "dxnlltw" ]
[ "They use it as a publicity stunt to get people to donate to their cause. It’s rarely very effective compared to say, just working your actual job and donating the money yourself." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
j9an6k
why oversleeping leads to headache
Why does it happen that when you oversleep in the morning by 3-4 hours and wake up, you have a headache?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "g8ik9z0", "g8j35aw" ]
[ "I usually don't. But it could be a lack of water?" ]
[ 9 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
av0bf3
How are cracks in concrete detected
Technology
explainlikeimfive
[ "ehbo2x6" ]
[ "Usually visually. Cracks in the ground or in a foundation wall underground can be easily spotted. If the area behind or under the concrete is wet, the crack is lined with a dark color, as concrete is porous, it absorbs water making the crack and the surrounding concrete dark. Due to the brittle quality of concrete, and the most common causes of cracking, frost heaves and poor soil conditions, concrete almost always cracks all the way through from one side to the other." ]
[ 3 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
5tqns6
Beyonce worship
Culture
explainlikeimfive
[ "ddob5ya", "ddoh1hl" ]
[ "Kind of feel it's just a weird facet of today's society. Religion is frowned upon, morals are shunned, everything is a joke... however, most societies throughout history have worshiped someone or something. Pop-culture is now the thing being worshiped... in a world with so many negative things being broadcast 24/7, people turn other people into god-like figures." ]
[ 9 ]
[ [], [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
77zd5k
What exactly is a sneeze and why do we all have a different sound?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "dopxh9z" ]
[ "Sneezing is your body trying to clear your upper airways of debris and other stuff that shouldn't be in there. As for different sounds, I would assume that it has to do with air rushing over our vocal cords. And since we have different vocal cords and voices, our sneezes would sound different too. (This is just an educated guess) Also, some people I know like to be dramatic when they sneeze, whereas I try to cover my sneezes so I'm sure that has something to do with it too." ]
[ 4 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7528ew
When my gums are sore in a particular area, why does it feel sort of... good... to scrape it or continue to injure it?
Biology
explainlikeimfive
[ "do2zbcj" ]
[ "You get comparable sensation when letting out pus, scratching a scab, etc. Part of this is because we're trying to disengage an infection from our body. We are trying to forcibly remove it and hope the outside envoirment can deal with it, instead of letting the infection fester between the layers of our skin. Even in the case of injury, we're letting it come into contact with our immune system instead of giving it a safe spot outside of our body's reach. A sore gum is similar. Infectious organisms build up between our teeth and we're not content to let them just stay there. Don't get the wrong impression, you're still inflicting injury, but there's a small rewarding sensation out of \"cleaning\" such an area." ]
[ 40 ]
[ [] ]
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]