Datasets:
sentence-transformers
/
eli5

Dataset card Data Studio Files
xet
Community
question
stringlengths
19
300
answer
stringlengths
28
1.02k
Why do Americans think it is inappropriate to wear the same clothes two days in a row?
Since the middle ages the first world has developed a long way in questions of body-hygiene. Since then people always have become more focused on being clean, because at the beginning this was quite useful. Within the last few generations I think the top-point of usefulness was left behind without being noticed by the majority of our modern society. So today many people see every trace of body-odour and things like that as a sign of being dirty. This is not the case, but it is just where this development has brought us. As a result, for many people being "clean" means changing your clothes every day.
What do the sanctions against Kim Jong Un mean? How can you sanction a physical person/country leader?
The US maintains a big list full of people you can't do business with. You can see it right here (you can confirm that Kim Jong Un is on this list): _URL_0_ Part of my job at the company I work for is to go through this list and make sure that none of the people we do business with (at least in the context of the sanction) is on this list. Of course, the government isn't watching you all the time so it's your responsibility to make sure the people you do business with aren't sanctioned. You probably won't get in trouble for selling a terrorist a cookie, but if you ever end up in a situation where both of you wind up in court due to some kind of business dispute and authorities find out they're on the list, you can be in trouble.
Why are teeth naturally white?
Because through the various traits of evolution (which doesn't really have a why, it just is) a substance which happens to be white turned out to be the best one for chewing food.
Why does a GPS tracker require a monthly fee/service to "connect," but a GPS car navigator (e.g. Garmin) does not?
So GPS is a completely passive technology. A GPS receiver listens to signals broadcast by a group of satellites at known locations, and uses the timing difference between those signals to calculate its own location relative to the satellites. But the end result is that *only the GPS receiver knows its location*. The satellites don't even know that it exists. But if you want to track someone remotely, how do you get the location off of the GPS receiver and onto your computer/phone screen? You have to have it transmit its location somehow. For instance, over the cellular phone network. And *that* is what you're paying for. Without a subscription, the tracker will still know where it is; that costs nothing. But it won't be able to remotely *tell* you where it is.
When you throw a ball in a parabola, does it actually trace a parabola?
A parabola is what you get in the idealised case where the force of gravity is a constant. This is a good aproximation for movement near Earth's surface, 13,000km from the planet's centre. In your case, though, gravity is nowhere near a constant, so the parabola becomes an ellipse.
Why, after an emotionally taxing event such as a tough breakup or loss in the family, do people not experience hunger for a while?
Loss of appetite is a common response to stressful situations. I guess it makes sense - if your body senses something dangerous or wrong in the environment, it's probably safer to avoid eating while dealing with the danger. It's not a terribly appropriate response to emotional turmoil, but it's just how we're wired. The response makes a lot more sense in the context of physical threats & injuries than psychic ones. Other people will turn to food for comfort & consume large amounts of not-very-healthy stuff (eg - the stereotypical eating ice cream by the carton after a breakup).
The relationship between thunder and lightning
Lightning is very hot, and quickly heats up the air right next to it around 35,000°F (hotter than the Sun's surface). Heating up the air this quickly causes it to expand really fast, creating a sonic boom. It's the same process that happens when a firecracker going off, but on a much larger scale.
How would you explain the Trinity? How can God and Jesus be different and the same.
Not a Christian anymore, but I went to a private christian school throughout all of highschool, so I hope those mandatory Jesus classes taught me something. Jesus is the Son of God because he was given birth to on Earth. He lived his life as a human and even died. This humanity factor makes him separate from God, a unique aspect. He is god because he has a divine nature - I mean he was (if you go by the bible) born of a virgin and did lots of miracle things. Think of it this way. You have the week right? Monday - sunday. If monday - friday (the work week) is "god" - the god at the top of the trinity god, the GOD god, and saturday is Jesus, and sunday is the holy spirit, they are all separate beings because they can be defined in separate terms or all under one term. I hope this makes sense.
How are people/groups of people legally allowed to place "bounties" on others?
They're not "bounties" like in the Boba Fett sense. They're rewards to turn over information which would lead to arrest/prosecution. Boba Fett bounties ("Capture and/or kill this person") are illegal.
Why is Obama visiting Burma a big deal?
Burma (or Myanmar) was a military dictatorship for decades. Not as isolated as North Korea, but still one of the most isolated and authoritarian countries on earth. Myanmar has recently taken steps towards becoming more democratic, and releasing government control over the economy. An American President visiting Myanmar (the first President ever to do so) shows the progress that has been made.
Why does hot water rise and cold water sinks but ice floats?
Ice is less dense than water, due to a quirk of its molecular structure. When water freezes its molecules form ring structures, increasing the volume without increasing the total mass. This reduces density, and since objects less dense then the liquid they're in float, ice floats.
when cannabis was still illegal in the US, how did high profile smokers e.g. Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen etc. Not get charged for possesion?
Uh...I thought cannabis was still illegal in the U.S. Maybe not all parts of it, but...you know...
How do you tell the difference between a real and fake diamond with the naked eye?
Find some glass you don't care about and drag the diamond across its surface, a real diamond will score the glass whereas a fake diamond will just glide along.
why is it comfortable to sleep under a warm blanket in a cool room but uncomfortable to sleep without a blanket in a warm room?
You're just used to sleeping with a blanket. The comfort and security isn't only about temperature.
How do people develop a phobia?
I just came here to point out that trypophobia isn't a real phobia. It's a survival thing. It stems from your body not wanting to enter a small space because if anything at all shifts you will be stuck in that space and die. I really hate how popular that phrase has become because it's as normal as a fear of the dark or sharp teeth.
How does hair grow AFTER shaving?
Shaving only removes the hair that's exposed. It does not remove the hair root. Your leg hair will grow back after shaving When it does grow back, the tip of the hair will be flat. That's what causes the prickling. Plucked hairs grow back more naturally feel
If I bought a brand new muffler for a car, put it to my mouth and screamed, would it make any noise? Why/why not?
Mufflers are tuned in such a way to cancel out a specific type of noise. A 9 year old screaming would probably not be "muffled" to the extent that an engine is. [Read more here](_URL_0_).
why does some poop sink and others floats?
Just for a quick answer a poop that floats is caused by having a larger amount of fat in it.
I've heard that roads tend to be safer without speed limits. Why does the US still have them?
Because roads *are* safer with speed limits. There are many scientists who work in road safety, and they would be in 99% agreement over this. The European and Scandanavian countries that have the lowest fatality rates in the world also have the lowest speed limits (UK, Netherlands, Sweden).
If someone were farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in the other, wouldn't they just balance out?
You aren't viewing the farsighted lens' vision through the nearsighted lens, to correct the farsightedness, or vice versa. You've got a farsighted (out of focus) image, and a near-sighted (out of focus) image. Two out of focus images.
Why do all in-flight map screens seem to utilise the same laggy style and design in this day and age of Google Earth?
The computers on planes are years old because of the extensive and time-consuming safety testing they have to undergo, plus the delay in getting them installed (the airline doesn't like to take the plane out of service for upgrades).
how are we able to manufacture computer processors with such high precision? Wouldn't just a few defective transistors out of the billions on the chip cause it to malfunction?
Actually, a lot of the transistors produced ARE defective. Sometimes yields are quite low... usually below 50%! The "secret" to producing chips that don't malfunction is that each chip is individually tested and verified to be working properly. Kinda like condoms :)
How can old game emulators create save states perfectly at any moment?
An emulator is a lot like a virtual machine, in that you can do many more things (such as create snapshots of a single point in time) with them than you can with the operating system itself. A save state is a snapshot of the contents of the RAM within the emulated system, which can be loaded back into RAM by the emulator.
The difference between feminism and equality?
Feminism is a movement or school of thought concerned with equality. Equality is a concept regarding the state of being similarly valuable. Equality in this context means people within society having equal opportunities or equal social status
How auto-dimming rearview mirrors work
Yarr! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: how do auto-dimming rearview mirrors work? ](_URL_0_) 1. [ELI5: how do autodimming mirrors work? ](_URL_1_)
Why are parents more worried about giving their kids more freedom compared to the 70's to 90's when the crime rate was higher?
The actual crime rate was higher, but the perception of crime is higher now. Lots of people talk about how the world got unsafer. That is not based on actual crime statistics (which have all been going down) but rather on the fact that because we live in such an interconnected world nowadays, we hear *everything*. And we hear it 24/7 due to the constant news cycle. That means people are hearing about things that happen that they would not have heard about 20 or 30 years ago, which makes it seem like these things are happening more often to them.
What is the difference between turbulent and laminar flow in a fluid?
Laminar as in layers. In laminar flow, the layers of air flowing across a surface or through a conduit move in the same direction at the same speed. In turbulent flow, the air tumbles around in different directions at different speeds. You can see turbulent flow as you pour cream into coffee. Turbulent flow makes cooling your PC less efficient. Most PC enclosures aren't well-shaped to use laminar flow to increase cooling efficiency. If the PC enclosure were essentially tubular with the circuit boards parallel to the axis, this would encourage laminar flow (Hmm, didn't somebody recently introduce a new computer designed this way?). Turbulent flow also decreases the lift produced by an aircraft's wings. If the "angle of attack" of the wing is essentially parallel with the air flowing over the wing, you get lift. If the angle is too pronounced, air flow over the top of the wing becomes turbulent, robbing the wing of lift. This is called a "stall."
If students are unable to repay loans and have no bankruptcy protection, what are the negative effects for students?
Off the top of my head the two big ones are wage garnishment (your creditor gets to collect part of your paycheck to pay towards your debt) and asset seizures (creditors can attach liens to your property, sell your property, and then use those proceeds to pay off your debt). Defaulting on your student loans can lead you to live a life of grinding, miserable poverty and I highly recommend exploring all options before anyone considers doing so. Oh, one more thing, no more tax returns, if you owe the government they'll collect from there too.
How are large national gangs like the Bloods and the Crips organized? Is there actually a central leader or just a bunch of groups that call themselves "Bloods" and "Crips"?
The [STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW](_URL_0_) podcast does an episode on exactly this.
if we live inside the Milky Way, how can we see the whole thing in the sky at night?
We can't see the whole thing, or rather, the thing we call the Milky Way in the night sky isn't the entire Milky Way. As you note, our sun and all of the stars near us are also part of the same galaxy. However, we're way on the outer edge of the galaxy, which means that when you look in the direction of the center of the galaxy there are way more stars than if you look anywhere else. So we call that mass of stars in the night sky the Milky Way, since it's the area of sky that's much more densely populated with stars than the other portions.
What is the difference between the federal election process in America and Canada?
The actual ELI5 version? In Canada you are voting for a chair in a room of many chairs, in America you are voting for the throne.
How do they get release from people of prank interviews?
Publicity. They understand its a joke show but there is a real underlying theme especially with the Colbert report. He has an agenda. That agenda is to inform people of real world events without bias by mocking the persona of similar news casters and exploiting their biases. Its purely entertainment but he's mocking the people he portrays. So you get important people on there not only for publicity but also to get their own message out there to a target audience.
Why are there so many different forms of pasta? Isn't it all the same stuff? What's the difference?
Different shapes are intended to work [together with different sauces](_URL_0_) to improve flavour, supposedly. Also there's a lot of different pasta with stuffing inside and some types with unusual ingredients that mix up the flavour and/or the colour of the pasta itself - spinach, saffron, lemon...
Does the movie studio pay the movie theater to show their movie? Or does the movie theater pay the movie studio to bring in customers by letting them show their movie?
The movie studios and the theaters split the income depending on when people buy tickets to the movie, basically, each side gets a percent of ticket sales For example: Weeks 1 & 2: 90% studio / 10% theater Weeks 3 & 4: 70% studio / 30% theater Weeks 5+: 50% / 50% This can and will vary depending on specifics and the specific movie. As you can see, since most people view movies when they first come out as well, the movie studio is making their money there. But so where do theaters make their money? Popcorn, sodas, and hot dogs, sold at gigantic markups.
Why airlines don't sell empty seats on flights at cheap rates
Because people who purchase tickets last minute usually *have* to travel and will pay the full price. It's rare that a plane will be relatively empty. When that happens, it's probably just a fluke. If a route regularly has a lot of empty seats, they airlines will drop one of the flights and put it on a more profitable route.
What is HDR and why do people like it so much?
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range imaging. In laymen's terms, it takes several photos at different contrasts sort of at once, and then combines the images together. This way, the picture looks more like what your eyes see.
Why is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom still held in high regard? What purpose do they serve?
The simple answer, Timmy, is tradition. England has had a monarchy almost continuously for just shy of 1000 years. Major historical events have centered around British Kings and Queens (the signing of the Magna Carta and the American Revolution for starters). People LIKE tradition, Timmy. It makes them feel secure. It let's them know that no matter how weird or strange the world may get, thre is still one thing they can look at and say, "Yup, I still understand this, and it won't change."
I'm five, explain how Google works.
I actually am currently reading a book on Google and how it works. The search engine ELI5 link is good, but for Google specifically, they use keywords on websites to see what other websites are linked to it. The more traffic the linking websites get, the more important Google views them. Google also predicts similar words sequentially, so if you typed "trojan" you'd get condom links, but if you added "horse" you'd get historical pages. It searches through a literal "web" of linked websites.
Why haven't we adopted IPv6 if we've practically 'run out' of public IPv4 addresses?
From an administrative standpoint there's a certain amount of legwork to be done to convert over to IPv6, but there would also be issues with legacy devices being able to access IPv6 addresses and I assume this has factored in sonewhat. Also to be noted, ICANN (the organization that hands out blocks of IPv4 addresses to different regional organizations for further distribution to ISP's and governments) has officially distributed all available IP addresses to the regional organizations, but those latter groups haven't assigned them all yet. That is, we haven't actually run out of IPv4 addresses yet, but it will inevitably happen and sooner rather than later. The push to convert fully to IPv6 will continue to grow as that time gets closer .
Why is desalination not yet a cost effective solution for the world's clean water demands?
There are only a few ways to desalinate water. One way is to boil and condense the water, a process called distillation. The problem with this is that it takes a relatively enormous amount of energy to boil water so it isn't practical. If we had limitless energy available to us then it would definitely be on the table, but we can't just pull huge quantities of heat out of nowhere. The other way is to force the salty water through special filters which are fine enough to filter out the molecules of salt while letting the water molecules through. This also requires a fairly large amount of energy (pushing the water through requires a lot of pressure) and it also has the added trouble of fouling up the filters which need to be cleaned regularly. Overall the process of removing salt from water is very difficult and usually not cost effective, compared to the natural water cycle where the enormous fusion generator evaporates water over hundreds of thousands of miles for free.
Would a wet towel dry in space?
Yes, the water would vaporize due to the low (almost zero) pressure. You can see a similar effect when water in a sealed jar is placed under a vacuum--it begins to boil, even at room temperature. _URL_0_
Why you can drink in public, so long as your booze is in a brown paper bag.
She was just being nice. While they cannot legally search your bag without your consent, they can detain you until a warrant is filed or if there is probable cause to search (read:obvious intoxication). Both of those take time. The chatting may have just been a way to gauge how drunk you were. She saw no over intoxication and didn't want to do paperwork.
Why does the number on an analog bathroom scale go up when you bend down to read it?
A bathroom scale doesn't measure weight, it measures normal reaction. When you bend, the normal force on different areas of your sole changes to keep you from toppling over. If it increases at the place where the sensors are present, it gives a larger reading. A similar thing could happen if you stand on one foot/change posture to drastically shift the weight distribution.
Why did wireless charging take so long to come about given that the physical principles behind it are very simple?
One big issue to consider is the ubiquity of rechargeable devices. Sure, 10-20 years ago we could have made wireless recharging mats and the like, but there wouldn't be a reason. No one had devices that required frequent recharging. For example, my first cell phone a mere 10 years ago needed to be recharged once a week, sometimes less than that. My first laptop, approximately 17 years ago, had no battery, and needed to be plugged into the wall at all times. Because there was no demand for wireless recharging, no one bothered to bring it to market until about 5 years ago, when the rise of the smartphone and tablet created a large market for convenient recharging.
What is happening inside when I'm losing weight?
Usually, when the body gets more energy (calories) for what it needs for its internal functions (cell multiplication, moving muscles and heart beating, thinking, every single one of those would use up incredible amount of energy), it simply stores them as fat stored in several parts in your body for when it would need it. When you "eat less", you simply offer less energy for the body and forces him to use up what you have of stored fat when it "moves more", causing weight to drop. No cannibalism here :)
Why does looking at the horizon help against seasickness?
It gives your mind a frame of reference to determine exactly what is level. When you know what "level" is, your brain can deal with the motions reported by your inner ear. If you're inside a closed space and the boat is rocking around a lot, your eyes are telling your brain that you are standing on level ground, but the fluids sloshing around in your inner ear say you're bouncing all over the place. Being unable to ignore that difference tends to make some people sick. Source: My seagoing, retired, Royal Marine grandfather. (35 years!)
Why the order of numbers on a calculator and a phone dialpad are reversed?
Because the two standards were developed by different people at around the same time. Some of the early calculator manufacturers decided on the ascending pattern, some of the early keyed phone manufacturers decided on the descending pattern.
Why does cable T.V. show advertisements, but Netflix, which is way cheaper, doesn't?
Two completely different businesses in two completely different industries, doing two completely different things. Netflix started out as a movie rental company, and because it was a startup and not in the slow-moving cable industry, it was able to jump on streaming on-demand content before anyone else. Which is why Blockbuster is no more. Cable's entire revenue model is based around advertisements. Netflix's revenue model is subscription based, and they are smart enough to realize that no one likes ads when they watch TV.
Why does AT & T giving customers unlimited streaming mean a "war on an open internet" ?
It starts creating walled gardens of the internet. With a limited data cap, it hurts any streaming service that's not covered under their unlimited streaming plan. Why watch Netflix when Hulu doesn't use up data? With zero rating programs like this, it's like every *other* service is penalized. Imagine if 10 companies did things like this. Now, any service who doesn't want to lose customers worried about a data cap has to negotiate and/or pay 10 different companies to compete equally. The idea of an open internet is that everything is treated the same. You shouldn't have to pay extra for a "Youtube package"; you should get equal access to everything.
Why do countries still loan us money if we already owe trillions upon trillions dollars?
Because the US government is a very good credit risk. The Dollar is a stable currency, and the US repays its debts. The US borrows money by auctioning off bonds. If people were afraid the US wouldn't repay, then the bids would come in lower. The effect is that the US would pay more interest on its bonds. Today, the US can borrow for 1 year at 0.11% -- for every $1000 you lend them, they promise to repay you next year, plus $1.10. That's effectively nothing. For longer periods, the US faces slightly higher rates, but it's the definition of a safe borrower. You can find the rates [here](_URL_0_)
How does currency in other countries have more value than currencies in different countires?
Supply and demand, let's pretend there are three guys in a world that Jelly beans are money. One guy has orange beans, one guy has black beans and one guy has blue beans. Each guy has five beans and they buy and work for more beans. The orange bean guy said screw that and just made 10 more beans. The others complain and point out he shouldn't get more stuff cause he just made more beans. So no one can take advantage of bean making, they make 1 blue or black bean worth as much 3 orange beans. Since they have 5 and orange has 15. Cause orange has higher supply yet the same demand as Blue and Black.
If our bodies are 37*C, why does water at that temperature feel warm?
One important detail - 37°C is the CORE (i.e. inside your body) temperature. Your hands (which you most likely use to touch the water) are cooler, significantly so in some people.
What is the process of remastering old films/movies? Also, as a followup, how long does this typically take?
Strangely, (at least it seems strange to some people) regular old film is extremely detailed, somewhere around 25 megapixels per image. In order to distribute a movie, it gets converted to an easier-to-use format, but this process loses some of the detail. This isn't a problem because if they convert it to DVD, for example, they expect it to be shown on TVs of a certain quality, and there's no sense in going over that. When they remaster a movie, they go get the original film, scan it into a computer at (nearly) full resolution, go over it frame-by-frame to remove scratches and dust, tweak the colors so it looks better, etc.. The end result is that they can then re-convert it to a new format (Blu-ray, for example) at a higher quality than the original release.
Why do airport runways cost "14-18 billion pounds to build?"
very quick calculations at the rates we use for roads shows about 100 million dollars just to place the material, 3000m x 50m of crushed rock base and concrete surface. thats the absolute bare minimum. you also have costs with excavation, transportation, buying the land, fittings (lights and signs etc), probably as much pavement again with new taxi areas, this could easily be 400 million it looks like. and thats for a very basic runway, with taxi access, in unoccupied land. once you have to start buying up developed land, creating a huge new terminal, upgrading traffic access, upgrading plane handling facilities, etc, you doing the equivalent of creating a new full size international airport.
How did artists like Van Gogh paint self-portraits without the painting being mirrored?
You could always make a trace first and flip it if you're that concerned about 100% accuracy, but I wouldn't assume that a lot of famous self portraits *aren't* mirrored unless there's a clearly defining asymmetric feature that's present in both portaits and self portraits. Just a note about Van Gogh specifically, you could definitely get a picture done in 1880.
Why is it that the majority of sinks dispense aerated bubbly water rather than a smooth uninterrupted stream? Is this done on purpose? If so why?
Yes it's done on purpose, the tap of your sink has an aerator on it. If you look at it from below, you can see the little mesh screen, and you can unscrew it if you really want to. It's in place to reduce the amount of water you use because you will almost never need a solid column of water. It also helps to keep the water from splashing all over the place or coming out at weird angles.
How do astronauts get enough air?
The ISS atmosphere is 21% oxygen 79% nitrogen at 1atm pressure. Oxygen production is carried out by electrolysis of water in the station's 2 oxygen generation systems (ECLSS in the US Discovery module, and Elektron in the Russian Zvezda module). Backup is provided by oxygen tanks and emergency solid fuel oxygen generators. Computers monitor the air quality constantly and introduce more oxygen when it's needed. Carbon dioxide is removed from the air by chemical scrubbers.
What is the idea behind people being 'served' papers, usually through some form of trickery as seen in media.
I served papers for about 3 months. It was an allright job but could be a pain in the ass. I personally never had to use any trickery. I just walked up to there door and knocked. A few people did avoid me. My boss did not use trickery she would just sit outside there house and wait. Eventually people have to come home. The worst part of the job though is that served a few people divorce papers who appeared not to be expecting them. Just seeing that crushing look of defeat on people's faces was a bit much for me.
Why does the death penalty cost tax payers more than life without parole?
All of the appeals that are allowed before the sentence is carried out. Court costs
Back in the first half of the 20th century, how were movies edited? What was used to apply special effects? How was the movie distributed to theaters before any major digital technology came out?
You know how in video editing they call it a "cut"? Well, in the film days movies were edited by literally cutting the film with a razor blade, and gluing it onto other film. Special effects were largely done practically during shooting. For example, they would use a mirror to make it look like an actor was inside a building, and in reality the building would be a 3 foot tall model and the actor would be standing beside it. Some post-production effects existed, such as overlaying one set of film on top of another to make a "ghost". When a movie was finished, the film negative "master" would be used to make copies of the film This was done by putting the film frame by frame over fresh, unexposed film, and then a big flash bulb would expose the bottom layer *through* the top layer (the master). This would create a film positive, which would then be used to create the duplicate negatives that go to theaters. This process was order of magnitudes more expensive than the flash drives we use now.
What are the limitations that prevent us from making super-fast vehicles (e.g. 1,000mph cars)
Wind resistance increases something like square of the velocity. And we only have the science to reduce drag by so much. You eventually hit a point, like with say the Bugatti Veyron or F1 cars where to go 1 mph faster would require 100 more horsepower, requiring 50 lbs more weight.... and the hp/weight starts bringing the speed down again. I just pulled numbers out of the air, but its something like that.
How does observing an electron modify how it acts?
If you observe something you have to interact with it in some way. For instance you might shine a light on it or hit it with some energy or a particle beam. Well, that interaction will have a consequence. So things will happen that would not have happened if you did not interact and observe it.
Why is it wrong for a country to save a lot of money?
Basically German domestic consumption is really, really low because they save so much. Consumption is what drives economic activity and the Eurozone in particular has suffered from a dearth of consumer spending. The fact that Germany has tons of money but squirrels it away in corporate and government savings accounts rather than spending it or passing it on to workers to spend while Europe's economic growth is anemic is bad policy, in the magazine's opinion.
What does the President of France do as Co-Prince of Andorra?
The coprinses have, like most heads of state of modern monarchies, more of a ceremonial function than a political one. The don't even have the right to veto governmental decisions. They are also have representatives in place so the President of France will normally not directly concern Andorran affairs that often. The real power lies with the parliament and their head of government, Antoni Martí. So not much difference there compared to other democracies.
Why can we see faraway light source (e.g. cars, lamps, stars) clearly when it doesn't seem to illuminate my position?
The difference is this: For you to see light, the light has to be strong enough to reach your eye and produce a reaction there. For it to illuminate you, it would have to reach you, scatter off you, reach someone else's eye, and produce a reaction there. During the scattering, the light is spread out more, so it becomes fainter. Let's look at the case of a laser pointer. Point the laser at the wall, and the scattered light is comfortably visible. Point it at your eye, and you're looking at serious eye damage.
Tv/Cable, ISP, Phone companies
LOL nobody in this thread knows what the fuck they're talking about. The definitive answer is the Telecommunications Act of 1996, signed by Bill Clinton. This act deregulated markets to allow corporations to operate across state lines, ostensibly to foster competition. In reality all it did was let the mega-corporations gobble up everyone else, resulting in *decreased* competition year after year until ultimately only one or two two remained per any given region.
What is it about overheating that is bad for computer parts?
Simple, Heat causes things to expand very slightly. Lets say you have a microchip that's just been soldered onto a circuit board, and it runs very hot. The circuit board around it doesn't run hot since it's a circuit board, which means the microchip expands, putting STRESS on those solder joints. Those can eventually crack and disconnect.
How does medicine work with our body to relieve pain in different parts of our body? Back ache-Take an asprin. Tooth ache-Take the same asprin.
Pharmacist here. To ELI5 this: basically, there are enzymes which facilitate reactions (cause them to happen more rapidly and more often) which cause signals to be sent producing pain. The name of the enzyme medicines like Ibuprofen target is called cyclo-oxygenase, or COX for short. Meds like this are closely related to the chemicals in the body which actually activate this enzyme, and the med takes the place of the body chemical, but do not activate the enzyme, causing it not to activate. That's it on a molecular level, and that happens many, many times when you take medicine. This causes the pain signal not to be sent. This is an example using NSAIDS. There are many other types of pain medications, all having unique ways in which they stop pain (Tylenol, opioids).
- Bandwidth and broadband linespeed
_URL_0_ gives you the results in bits per seconds, while it's generally presented in bytes per second in applications used for downloading. So when you're downloading at 1.1MB/s, you're using 8.8Mb/s, because 1 byte is 8 bits.
Why does tap water seem to taste better or worse in different areas? Is it because of what we've been accustomed to or is it a mix of minerals that actually contribute to the taste?
There is a lot of variety regarding minerals in the water in different places, plus different water sources that need more or less treatment and may have undesirable tastes or colours from contaminants or byproducts. Water quality can vary greatly, even water deemed "safe" can be of a lower quality in one area than in another.
Why do tired children become all restless, not calm? That does not seem to make sense. Or does it?
Based upon my 14 month old daughter, it's because they're fighting the sleepiness. Their bodies are telling them that they need to rest, but their mind is telling them that they want to keep playing and explore and interact or whatever. It's how bedtime goes most nights. She fights it and gets crazy and squirms around refusing to give in, until suddenly she just hits a point where she gives up. Then her head goes on my shoulder and thirty seconds later she's out for the night.
How can meteorologists predict temperatures, even within 2-3 degree ranges?
Meteorologists haver been keeping records of things for a long time...they are some of the first "big data" people. Basically, on a global scale, things like temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind direction measured and recorded. Patterns and trends are observed... if the data in a certain area looks a certain way, they have seen that over time, predictable things happen in other areas later. More and more data allows good models to be built up. So, when they see things happening, they can consult their model and see what happened (to some extent) the last time that data looked that way and then predict based on that.
How does salt act as preservative in food?
Salt kills bacteria and molds by drying them out. The growth of bacteria and molds is what makes your food go bad, so inhibiting the growth of those stops your food from going bad. And no, the food does not get less salty as time passes. Maybe the salt becomes more evenly distributed, but the amount of salt remains the same.
why in Germany or The Netherlands the youth unemployment rate is under 9% while in countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal the same rate ranges from a 40% to 60%?
Overall unemployment in Germany and the Netherlands is significantly lower, so without a lot of unemployed, experienced workers around, businesses have no real choice. They would either have to get into a bidding war with other businesses over older, already trained workers, or hire young people and train them themselves. In Spain, Greece and Portugal, businesses have no need to take on younger, inexperienced workers because they can hire unemployed experienced workers cheaply. In addition to that, with the situation of the economy in those countries, businesses aren't expanding, so they're hiring fewer new workers to begin with. They may even be overstaffed already.
What being "spiritual" but not religious means?
When people say they are 'religious', it generally means they can put a name/label to their beliefs (ex. I am a Christian/Muslim/Buddhist/etc). When people say they are 'spiritual', it usually means they believe in a higher power/supernatural forces but don't have a name for it (ex. they believe in miracles, but they don't think that 'God' or any specific deity is the cause of those miracles). Basically, a person who is religious is almost always spiritual (ex. a Christian believes in Jesus Christ AND miracles), but a person who is spiritual is not usually religious (ex. a person who believe in miracles but NOT Jesus Christ).
The IMF and their relationship to Greece and Germany.
The IMF was originally created to serve as an international institution to prevent another Great Depression and World War from happening. Much of the discussion that went into creating the IMF also serves as the global financial backbone of the world economy. I wouldn't say that they have complete control over Greece but they have a lot of influence in what is happening right now. As you may remember Greece has had a pretty horrible debt crisis. The IMF is deeply involved in a bailout of Greece as the financial situation of Greece is still not great.
If you are killed out in public (i.e. hit by a car, stabbed, etc.) how do the police find out who your next of kin is to notify them?
Depends. The easiest way would be to find your wallet. They also try and ask people around the scene or wait until a missing persons report is filed. Edit: Oh and fingerprint, dna, and dental records can be used too.
nitroglycerin pills for heart attacks vs. nitroglycerin needs to be handled carefully or it blows up. How is this the same substance?
Nitroglycerin tablets are solid. It is the liquid form that is unstable. This link might help you _URL_0_
How is it that Sweden has a lower GDP per capita than Mississippi, but a much higher standard of living?
Sweden doesn't have a lower GDP per capita. Mississippi's GDP per capita in 2015 was $35,717. Sweden's was around $50,000. GDP per capita also doesn't take into account wealth distribution. If a few people make billions of dollars in a year while most everyone else just makes a few thousand, you can have a high GDP but the standard of living will still be low for most people. There are a few ways to measure income inequality, but the Gini coefficient is a common one. A 1 for a Gini coefficient means complete inequality and a 0 means complete equality. Sweden had .273 Gini coefficient in 2012 and Mississippi had .468 in 2010 (it was .469 for the US as a whole), so Sweden also has more equal wealth distribution, which generally leads to a higher average standard of living.
why does rice have more genes than humans do?
The number of genes isn't what determines complexity, it's how those genes are used. Imagine the same principle with language. If you try to describe something simple with thousands of words, your description isn't more complex than a short and precise one. To oversimplify: In plants, 10 genes might do 10 different things. In mammals those 10 different things could be done with 1 gene. It's the context in which the gene is used that determines what it does.
If marriage is a legal framework, why is adultery not a punishable offense?
It is - in most places - grounds for the dissolution of the contract of marriage - aka divorce. There are plenty of contract violations that are not criminal offenses.
Why does burnt stuff taste so bad?
It's because foods have sugar in them. Caramelization is what makes the sugar taste sweet, and if it burns, the compounds in the sugar change, making it taste bitter. So basically, the hotter the sugar gets, the bigger the taste will differ.
If WWI and WWII never happened, what would the be our current population on earth.
There is no way to know because history would be entirely different. Maybe we wouldn't have been so hesitant about using nuclear weapons in the Cold War since no one saw the destruction caused by the atomic bomb and we would have nuked ourselves into near-extinction. Or maybe we would have all gotten along really well and have about 20 million more people around today.
How does a fingerprint scanner work?
These scanners look for certain points on the fingerprint and then convert it into a hash, a number, to compare it against the enrolled fingerprints. Not all points need to match, allowing a bad image or damaged finger to authenticate. Given the hash you can not recreate the finger print. Some scanners, like ones at police stations or jails, do keep an image of the fingerprint which allows a visual check by a person if needed. Finger print scanners seem like a good security feature at first to fullfill authentication, but it has a very serious problem; finger prints can not be revoked from the user. If a malicious person gets your finger prints then it is impossible for you to securely use fingerprint authentication. If somebody managed to steal your password you can change it, if they get their hands on an authenticator you can remove it from your account. Such things can't be done to your finger prints.
Why aren't American politicians taking payments from companies prosecuted/fined/penalised for bribery/corruption?
They aren't taking direct money into their pockets. That would be bribery. Super PACs that support them and run all of their advertising, lawyers, strategists get the money. This is considered separate.
Why does it take several decades to dismantle a nuclear power plant and only a few years to build it?
While being built, none of the parts are radioactive. You don't need any special protection and can discard waste as any other construction site. However, many of the components become radioactive during use. Waiting some time allows the radiation levels to drop off, and upon dismantling, the waste must be carefully monitored and disposed of to minimize exposure to the environment and crew.
Do the countries where the immigrant children escape to the US (like Honduras) want the kids back? What are the reactions of those governments and what happens when those kids are sent back?
At the beach I worked at there are a four and five year old down by the water's edge for ten minutes. On rotation I go over, ask them what they're building, how its constructed then, "Who are you here with? They look at me dumbfounded and then at each other. Without really considering I ask, "Where is your mom?" Older girl with blue eyes, "jail". Me, "where is your dad?" Blue eyes impatient. I'm boring them, "dead". Me, "who is watching your?" They both look up, can't believe I'm that dumb, "You are." The Honduras has enough kids of their own. Their second cousins may make contact with those kids twenty years down the road. For now they're ours.
Why is it common for McDonalds in multiple countries to have technical "problems" with their ice cream machines?
It doesn't break. It's down for maintenance. The maintenance cycle takes a few hours and they can only perform maintenance during work hours.
Do mental issues run in the bloodline or do they develop, if they do, what causes them?
"Mental issues" is very vague here. Some have genetic factors, some are exclusively a result of some sort of trauma, and many are in between. It *really* depends on which one you're talking about.
How did Brachiosaurus' find enough Vegetation to eat, and how were plants enough for this huge animal?
They dont have to chase their food and theres a lot of it so they spend their entire day eating. Its just like how cows produce insane amounts of meat from mostly grass or hay. Because they eat constantly.
Why do people who plea guilty in court get time knocked off of their sentence when they still committed the same crime?
Costs the state a whole lot less if they can avoid a trial, guarantees a conviction, etc. It's a form of leniency for admission of guilt and saving resources.
Why does it take so long to download something but such a short amount of time to delete it?
When you download something every individual byte of information has to travel down the line to your computer. So it has to sent that amount of information. For example maybe say 40 Gigabytes all down the line to your computer. When you delete that information you dont remove that 40Gb what happens is the computer tells itself it can overwrite that information. It's actually still there and can be recovered.
why is it in northern states (US) it can snow several feet and daily life doesn't change, but in southern states ~1 inch of snow can shut everything down?
Infrastructure in place to deal with it, both people's stuff and city wide. If you live in an area that regularly gets snow, you have snowblowers. You have shovels. You have winter tires, and they're already on the car. The city has huge salt reserves, plows, you name it. if you live somewhere that *doesn't* get snow regularly... that's a lot of money to spend on shit you need once every five years, tops! So nobody has the equipment to deal with even a little bit. **edit:** one additional problem warmer climates can have is ice. In colder climates, once the weather gets below freezing it usually **hangs out** below it for some time. So snow stays snow. But in the south, if it happens it only happens for relatively short times. If you have cold enough weather for snow, then it warms up enough to melt briefly, then dips back down again... now you have nice big sheets of *ice*. And that will ruin your day.
why are American college athletes unpaid?
in a way, they are getting paid. they get a free ride for their "work", is it fair? that's another story. * no tuition USD10-50k per year (depends on what school you go to) * usually, free meals during the school year * free housing * my freshmen roommate gets free books from the book store too. * some athletes get extra scholarship spending money too
Why do tractor trailers need so many gears?
Just to allow them to tug more weight. You would need an insane amount of power to tow those trailers if you only had say 5 gears. Either you wouldn't have enough power, or your top speed would be very slow. Having more gears allow the driver to start moving the weight using the gears to keep the engine in it's optimum RPM range. Deisels don't have high rev limits like gas engine do simply because of the way they operate. They make gobs of power in the lower rpm range, so increasing a diesels rpm limit would act rally give you less power
Why has it been so hard for President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay?
He is the President. He is not Congress. Most of the members of Congress do not want Guantanamo Bay closed. That is the simple answer. But this is ELI5. Lets get broader. Guantanamo Bay is a United States base leased from the Cuban Government for, I believe, 99 years. That government is long since vanished. But the USA maintains it still has the right to the base until the lease expires. I think the present Cuban government would like it back, or has wanted it back. What you are really referring to are the detention facilities. Since Guantanamo Bay is not actually on US soil the legal experts agree that some rules do not apply. So anyone the US wanted detained after 9/11/01 in the custody of US armed forces, (I am leaving out the CIA and its hidden prisons), is moved there. There are some bad folks there, dangerous to us. So going back to what I said. The President cannot do everything he wants to do. The Congress must approve. They do not.
How did a bunch of great actors agree to star in a movie that would obviously flop (emoji movie)?
The producers managed to solicit funding for a passing fad from people who had more money than sense. They had a big outlay of cash and rather predictable costs for the actual production, so there was plenty of cash to pay for big name voices. I'd be willing to bet most of the voice work was remote; they just paid whomever to record wherever they were. With a fairly limited script, I'd be surprised if any of them spend more than a week recording.
If humans were made for physical activities (not sitting for long hours), how is our body adjusting to us sitting for long hours staring at a screen
There will only be an evolutionary change if people who have spontaneous mutations that allow them to complete desk work more easily and remain healthy end up having more offspring than those who die early of sedentary heart attacks.
Somebody in the comments of this video said it wasn’t a heart problem. Why is this guy like he is?
In the Reddit post about it, somebody claiming to be an ER/trauma doctor said it was a condition called [flail chest](_URL_0_). Rather than being the heart beating, the broken ribs move in & out as a response to air pressure from breathing.
Why is there a second explosion?
So this is actually pretty cool. The second "explosion" you're seeing is called sonoluminescence, which can sometimes happen when bubbles in a liquid collapse. Basically it is a collapsing air pocket that explodes due to a violent change in pressure. You can see as the bullet strikes the gel it creates a large air cavity along its path. When it exits the other side, the openings of the cavity collapse and trap this pocket of air inside the gel, which at this point is the same temperature and pressure as the outside air. As the gel collapses around it, it compresses the air driving the pressure and temperature up almost instantly. If this occurs quickly enough, enough the air can reach temperatures of several thousand degrees in a fraction of a second. This causes the air molecules to emit a burst of light that we can see with high-speed cameras. Once this happens, the hot air gets pushed out of the entry and exit holes the bullet made.