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7q7dj6 | if a person jumped into a hole that began on one side of the globe and stretched to the other side would they fly into the air while exiting the hole or would they land safely on their feet? (assuming no obstructions in the hole) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7q7dj6/eli5_if_a_person_jumped_into_a_hole_that_began_on/ | {
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"Neither. Assuming that you ignore the fact that the temperature and pressure in the middle of the earth would kill them, they'd make it most of the way to the other side, but then start falling back down the way they came. They'd get even less close to the entrance where they jumped in, and switch directions again. They'd oscillate back and forth like that for a while before eventually settling into the center of the earth, weightless, and unable to escape without climbing the walls.\n\nThis is because friction with the air will slow them down during their fall and subsequent ascent."
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5l1o59 | how are production credits assigned in movies? | During the credits of every movie you see the list of producers, co-producers, executive producers, co-executive producers, etc. How exactly do they decide who falls into each category or role? I'm imagining some sort of hierarchy system where you start as some sort of a production assistant and work your way up through the ranks.
EDIT: added words. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5l1o59/eli5_how_are_production_credits_assigned_in_movies/ | {
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"Producers fund the movie. They decide what titles go where because they usually own the movie. People who work for them are often credited as \"associate producers\". The director has (usually) artistic free reign over everything but producers can influence things, even fire directors or actors etc. Other folks are listed with their trade, cinematographers, costume designers, etc. ",
"I work in Hollywood and basically it's all about money and politics. Agents work really hard to get their clients (actors) in a certain place in the credit sequence (billing) - and it is written into their contracts.\n\nName placement for above-the-line talent (directors, producers, cinematographers) is also negotiated. The rest of the crew usually just takes whatever position they get, which can be fairly arbitrary."
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1oxwdy | why is it that space and time are combined in physics? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1oxwdy/eli5_why_is_it_that_space_and_time_are_combined/ | {
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"Time, gravity, and space are interdependant. If you want to travel through space, you require time. If you travel through space very quickly, or interact with objects with much, or infinite gravity, the logistics of time and space changes.",
"Eli5 of the theory of relativity. \n\nWhat is the measure of a day? 24 hours passing. Okay, but what do we use to refrence that? Every 24 hours the earth spins around to the point your measuring. Okay, but it just feels like a bunch of hours. Well how do we measure a day? 7 days in a week. And a month? Well 30-31 days kinda. \n\nWell what about a year? That's 365 days. All of it compacted together. Like 60 seconds in a minute, 60 mins an hour, 7 days a week, 4 weeks ago month, 12 months a year. \n\nBut what actually happens every year? Well our earth goes around the sun one full rotation. \n\nOkay, got it. But it just feels like time is passing. But what really is this time...? \n\nWell let's look at how you find the speed of something. You take how much distance you moved between this amount of time. Well if that's how we find speed...that must mean.. we can find time, by finding how fast it took us to cover this amount of distance. \n\nSo wait a minute(no pun intended), you just said time is how quick it takes to go some distance. \n\nAnd then we hit the basic logic of the theory of relativity. Time is directly related to the space we moved at this speed. \n\nNow look at the example of our earthly time measurements in the new frame of mind. Woah, time is all about how fast we are going around this sun. \n\nOnce you quantify this, you start to realize how simple yet complex thus could get. How fast and how much distance has this really really quick thing traveled? So... it's moving faster than me in time?? And then you get into very complicated math stuffs. \n\nBut the basic principle is there. We derive time in definition By how fast we moved divided by the distance we traveled. "
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15sczj | pansexual | I know what it means, but I'm looking for a simple, easy definition for what is | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/15sczj/eli5_pansexual/ | {
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"Pansexuality means that the person is equally attracted to all genders, and sexes. (Male acting male, female acting female, male acting female, female acting male, or anything else in between)\n\nPan means all, so it literally means all sexual. \n\n[This video explains it better then I](_URL_0_)",
"You takes what you can gets"
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belvmb | how come on certain cloudy days it looks like the sky just looks gray but on other cloudy days you can see the layers of different clouds? | I hope I explained my question right. Like today it looks like it’s one big cloud covering the entire sky, but on other days I can see distinct outlines of the clouds even if they cover the whole sky? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/belvmb/eli5_how_come_on_certain_cloudy_days_it_looks/ | {
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"Some days it basically *is* one big cloud covering the entire sky. Other days there is more variation in the cloud cover, and you can see areas of different density.\n\nThe \"one big cloud\" phenomenon is pretty typical of a slow-moving warm front. Variation indicates faster winds or less moisture in the air."
]
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90g7vf | why do production companies sometimes cut out important bits in movies to save time? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/90g7vf/eli5_why_do_production_companies_sometimes_cut/ | {
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"Because overall they aren't that important to the story telling. While die hard fans might think certain details are important, when looking at the overall movie the detail/scene may be unnecessary and interrupt the flow of the plot line. \n\nUltimately you have to appease a wider audience than just the \"original\" fan base. Also yeah, wouldn't use Justice League as an example considering the film's rating was...questionable.",
"If you mean a theatrical release, a movie needs to be a length that most audiences will want to see. Putting aside epics like Lord of the Rings or Interstellar, most movies are between 90 and 120 minutes including the end credits. Most movies shoot more content than is needed, which is how sometimes you get a special edition or director's cut, or cut scenes on the DVD or youtube. It is simply a matter of producing a final edit that tells the story as concisely as possible. \n\n\nOn television, sometimes movies are cut for time. 1 hour of American television, with commercials, is about 40 minutes of program, 20 minutes of commercials. So if a 2 hour movie is shown on TV, it either needs to be cut down to 80 minutes, they need to put the movie into a longer time slot or run fewer commercials.\n\nIn a few cases it has been proven that programming has been sped up. Someone discovered that Seinfeld reruns were being sped up in order to fit more commercials in a 30 minute time slot.\n\n"
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3jsyyb | why are there major privacy issues with windows 10? | How does this differ to Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Mac OS, & Unix Based Operating Systems
Please and thank you! :D
EDIT: Formatting | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3jsyyb/eli5_why_are_there_major_privacy_issues_with/ | {
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"UNIX-based operating systems are a whole different ballgame, privacy-wise. Sure, different distributions can put whatever they want on top of the actual OS (I'm looking at you, Ubuntu) but the bottom line is that you have full control of your system. There's no part of Ubuntu I can't remove and replace with something else if I want to, for example. So if I don't like that Ubuntu installs some Amazon store thing, or has an application that phones home, I can easily nuke it from orbit. \n\nOf course, you need to know what you're doing. \n\n\nOS X *is* a UNIX-based operating system. Well, kind of. It's based on Darwin, which is a variant of FreeBSD, which is a UNIX-based operating system, but the GUI and all the apps are proprietary. You can't really replace them. However, I can still open a terminal window, get superuser access and edit or delete any file I want. Still, a lot of Apple components are vital to the OS and can't really be removed. So the *potential* for privacy breeches is still there.\n\nThat's how it is with Windows, too (regardless of the version), except that the commandline tools and administrative access are not as simple as UNIX-variants. The main difference in privacy issues between Windows 10 and previous versions is just how *much* potential privacy invasive components Microsoft chose to include, and how much of that can't be turned off, and how much of that is secret. Microsoft had the power to do this all along, and there *were* issues with privacy in every previous version of Windows, too, starting pretty much as soon as internet access became ubiquitous. "
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47exxi | what is the difference between adblock and adblock plus and why is everyone so upset recently? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/47exxi/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_adblock_and/ | {
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"adblock has been running a service where ad companies can pay to have their ads let through. Basically they've been \"bought out\", and a lot of their anti-advertisement/consumer culture fanbase feel betrayed (and rightly so to be honest). Adblock plus wants you to pay to have the features that normal adblock had to begin with.\n\nAlso; theres an alternitive program called uBlock Origin which does everything adblock plus does, but it takes up less processing power/memory. "
]
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43uhq1 | how can a coin toss determine a winner in a voting election? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/43uhq1/eli5_how_can_a_coin_toss_determine_a_winner_in_a/ | {
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"If your precinct has an odd number of delegates, but the voting ends up 50/50 then you can't divide a delegate in two. You have to come up with some way to decide which way the \"split\" delegate should go. E.G. in a precinct with 5 delegates where bernie gets 50% of the vote and hilary gets 50% of the vote they still have to decide which candidate gets 3 delegates and which gets 2."
]
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7q02g6 | how do"robo-advisors" like betterment and vanguard work? | I am an average middle class 20s somethings guy making roughly $60K. Is it worth it to use these online services to help save, vs just transferring money to my savings account? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7q02g6/eli5_how_doroboadvisors_like_betterment_and/ | {
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" > How do\"robo-advisors\" like Betterment and Vanguard work?\n\nThis is hard to give a generic answer. I'd recommend heading over to /r/personalfinance, or reading their FAQs.\n\nroboadviser basically just means there's an algorithm doing the investing, there is little/no human interference. It's not like the old days where you give someone your retirement money and they pick stocks by hand. But that's still a huuuuuuuuge category. You can design your algorithm to be very risky, or very safe, etc.\n\nI don't have personal experience with Betterment (again the guys at PF will!), but companies like Schwab, Fidelity, and Vanguard all have very great options. From what i've heard, Betterment is ok, but has slightly higher fees than those 3, which are basically the gold standard right now.\n\nVery basically, you want to minimize fees as much as possible, and for most people, you're looking for a very basic index fund (an index is just a generic term for a list of stocks. Places like Vanguard just use things like the S & P500. index is also a broad term, and there are exotic indexes, but you don't want/need to mess with them).\n\nThose index funds at places like Vanguard are designed to be relatively safe in the long run. they're still subject to swings in the market short term, but over 30 years, you'll be fine. And there's ways to \"wind down\" when you get close to retirement and can't afford a temporary dip.\n\nBut the important thing is- you don't want to go with any random roboadviser- if some dude from Wall Street tells you he has a roboadviser that uses indexes, be wary. But most of the big consumer ones like Vanguard/Betterment are great(but always check fees).\n\n > Is it worth it to use these online services to help save, vs just transferring money to my savings account?\n\nInvesting is *definitely* something you want to do when saving for retirement. Compound interest is really powerful. If you keep your money in a normal savings account, you'll typically make almost no interest (typically ~1%), it's basically cash. With inflation (~2%), you're actually losing purchasing power over time. The stock market, roughly speaking, earns 6% (being conservative) per year.\n\nLets say you had a retirement fund of $1million dollars (just picking a nice easy number for the math, you shouldn't expect to have a million over night). In a savings account with %1 interest, in 30 years that'll grow to ~1.35million(and remember, after inflation, you basically \"lost\" money. You'd need 1.8mill in 30 years to have the same buying power as 1 mil today). If you invest it, assuming ~6% return, that would've been 5.75 million. \n\nAlso, just as an example, the difference between a 0.5% fee and a 1% fee is 0.7million . Those \"small\" fees matter, * a lot*.\n\nA big difference!"
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v90bj | causes of the great potato famine | I'm finding this information a bit hard to digest, would someone like to ELI5? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/v90bj/eli5_causes_of_the_great_potato_famine/ | {
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"The age-old problem of the Irish: Do you eat the potato, or wait for it to ferment so you can drink it?",
"Lack of potatoes",
"The immediate cause is relatively simple - a large portion of the population lived on a diet of which the potato was the main component. The crop failed widely for a number of years due to a disease called blight. Therefore many people had niothing to eat and starved.\n\nHowever, this raises some questions: Why were so many people dependent on one crop? Why were no other food sources made available to them when the potato failed (and most people quote that Ireland was exporting lots of other food during the famine). These are contentious questions (although most Irish people will have definite answers to them which lay all blame firmly on the Britsh). It is probably fair to say that the system of rule from London was poor and let the situation of dependence develop. It is also probably true, that just like you and me today, when money was to be made by the English and Irish middle/upper classes they chose to make it rather than give food etc to the starving."
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6gavdj | how are search engines like duckduckgo any more private than google if your isp tracks everything you visit anyways? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6gavdj/eli5_how_are_search_engines_like_duckduckgo_any/ | {
"a_id": [
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"With a proper encryption setup (ie html over SSL), the ISP doesn't see the contents of the traffic, only the source and destination. ",
"When requesting a page web page using the HTTPS protocol (recognised by the green padlock in any modern web browser) the content of the page is encrypted before being transferred, at which point your ISP knows nothing more than the website you are requesting the page from.\n\nFor example, when I opened this URL from reddit, which is served over HTTPS only (try visiting _URL_2_ and see what happens), the full URL was:\n\n_URL_0_\n\nAs this page is served over HTTPS, my ISP cannot see the exact data that is being requested due to the nature of encryption, but they can see that I am on _URL_3_ (basically they will not see the end of the URL).\n\nNow to apply this information to your question.\n\nThe real privacy comes down to DuckDuckGo's policy (which can be viewed at _URL_1_). As you can see, they do not collect or share data about your searches.\n\nGoogle on the other hand do not have this policy. Without going in-depth into what you already know, Google as a company pretty much market any byte of data they could get about a user.\n\nRegardless of whether I search using Google or DuckDuck Go, my ISP will only ever see the website I am using, as both websites use HTTPS as standard.\n\nYour IP is not collecting and selling this data, Google is.\n\nHope that helps.\n\nEdit: Spelling."
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"http://reddit.com",
"https://www.reddit.com"
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1gjew6 | what is a tax lien, and how does one make money from it? | Also, how much money do I need to start doing this? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1gjew6/eli5_what_is_a_tax_lien_and_how_does_one_make/ | {
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"You don't make money from a tax lien. A *lien* is when something is used to pay a debt that is owed. A tax lien, is when a lien is placed on a piece of property or valuable, with the intent of paying a tax debt owed to the government.\n\nIn other words, let's say you owe $1,000 in taxes to the federal government. The IRS may place a lien on everything you own in order to collect that debt - so your car, your house, and all the crap inside of it may be sold to satisfy that debt. Basically, you don't ever want anything to do with a tax lien, and you certainly don't make money from them.",
"When a homeowner doesn't pay their property taxes, the state/county puts a lien on the property. That means the property cannot be sold until the taxes are paid. After a period of time, the county can sell the property to get the taxes that are owed.\n\nWhen the county sells the property, it has no obligation to maximize the selling price, and indeed, any proceeds over the tax debt go back to the homeowner. These properties are sold at auction and sometimes sell for far less than market value. This is why you may have heard that this is a way to make money: people try to get good deals, sometimes getting a house for a few thousand dollars in back taxes.\n\nHowever, it's not that simple: there are lots of people who know about this, and many people actually make a business of it. You'd be competing with people who have experience, connections and funding. "
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e2jfqr | ehy aren’t emps used in attacks/warfare situations? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/e2jfqr/eli5_ehy_arent_emps_used_in_attackswarfare/ | {
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"They tend to wreck your own electronics as well as the enemy.\n\nIn most conflicts these days the enemy is far less reliant on fragile technology than western forces are. Deploying an EMP is a big risk to the operation of friendly forces, for a negligible effect on a primitive enemy insurgency."
]
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60hyz0 | how stephen hawking is still alive. | [Serious] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/60hyz0/eli5_how_stephen_hawking_is_still_alive/ | {
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"Some people believe that because his ALS set in when he was young that contributed to his survival. As ALS usually affects older people. But really a lot of it just comes down to luck. ",
"Luck and money, or the possiblity that perhaps he doesnt have ALS. Instead he might have a rare disease that sorta acts like ALS but happens sooner but stalls."
]
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jo7iw | [el5] how the fuck does shazam work? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/jo7iw/el5_how_the_fuck_does_shazam_work/ | {
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"Shazam has a catalog of many, many songs. Each song has its own unique \"fingerprint\". This fingerprint is calculated using special mathematical equations specialized for turning sound into an identifiable number. When you send a sound clip to Shazam for identification, it takes the sample, applies the math to the sound to find its fingerprint, then looks up the fingerprint on their database for a match.",
"That's some foul language for a 5-year-old",
"SHAZAM is the power of several ancient mythical heroes/gods, used to power Billy Batson and turn him into the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel.\n\nS - the wisdom of Solomon\nH - the strength of Hercules\nA - the stamina of Atlas\nZ - the power of Zeus\nA - the courage of Achilles\nM - the speed of Mercury\n\nTypically the power of SHAZAM would manifest itself into a huge bolt of lightning which would come down from the skies and hit Billy Batson everytime he yelled the word, \"SHAZAM!\" This would transform him into Captain Marvel. Billy Batson was given these powers by the wizard Shazam, who lives in the Rock of Eternity, a place hidden from humankind by magic. The power of SHAZAM would later be divided up amongst Billy Batson's family, specifically to his twin sister Mary Batson and friend Freddy Freeman. These two would respectively become Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. Though they had a portion of the power of SHAZAM, neither would be as powerful as Captain Marvel himself. Also, because he was granting the two a portion of his power, Captain Marvel would actually become weaker as a result.\n\nCaptain Marvel's oldest and greatest enemy is Black Adam who also has the power of SHAZAM, but derived from different heroes/gods. Black Adam's pantheon is as follows.\n\nS - the stamina of Shu\nH - the swiftness of Heru\nA - the strength of Amon\nZ - the wisdom of Zehuti\nA - the power of Aton\nM - the courage of Mehen\n\nBlack Adam's history is a bit convoluted, due to the nature of Fawcett Comics being absorbed by DC and DC itself rebooting the Captain Marvel franchise several times. But simply, Black Adam also received his powers from the wizard Shazam during the days of ancient Egypt. However, he proved to be too ambitious and evil and was cast out of Earth by Shazam, much later to be replaced by Billy Batson/Captain Marvel. Black Adam would later return to Earth and take his place as Captain Marvel's archenemy.\n\nBlack Adam also has a family who shares his power, his wife Isis and brother-in-law Osiris.",
"FYI, Tunatic is similar to Shazam, but it's free and works on your PC/Mac.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nIn some cases it even works better.",
"Here's how I think it works.\nIt has a HUGE library of songs. Each song in this library are converted into byte, where each byte would represent the frequency, tempo etc... They would have an algorithm to compute these numbers.\nExample: 892749048274028\n\nIt would do the same thing with your sample.\nExample: 892047401820192\n\nNow, the music file would 20x bigger than your sample so it would only look at many portions of one file before moving on to another file.\n\nBasically, it would subtract the numbers and see which one would be closest to zero.\nex:\n\n 892749048274028\n - 892047401820192\n\n---\n 000702447654176\n\nIf the whole set is closest to zero, it would show it as one of the songs.\n\n\n\n\n\n",
"Shazam has a catalog of many, many songs. Each song has its own unique \"fingerprint\". This fingerprint is calculated using special mathematical equations specialized for turning sound into an identifiable number. When you send a sound clip to Shazam for identification, it takes the sample, applies the math to the sound to find its fingerprint, then looks up the fingerprint on their database for a match.",
"That's some foul language for a 5-year-old",
"SHAZAM is the power of several ancient mythical heroes/gods, used to power Billy Batson and turn him into the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel.\n\nS - the wisdom of Solomon\nH - the strength of Hercules\nA - the stamina of Atlas\nZ - the power of Zeus\nA - the courage of Achilles\nM - the speed of Mercury\n\nTypically the power of SHAZAM would manifest itself into a huge bolt of lightning which would come down from the skies and hit Billy Batson everytime he yelled the word, \"SHAZAM!\" This would transform him into Captain Marvel. Billy Batson was given these powers by the wizard Shazam, who lives in the Rock of Eternity, a place hidden from humankind by magic. The power of SHAZAM would later be divided up amongst Billy Batson's family, specifically to his twin sister Mary Batson and friend Freddy Freeman. These two would respectively become Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. Though they had a portion of the power of SHAZAM, neither would be as powerful as Captain Marvel himself. Also, because he was granting the two a portion of his power, Captain Marvel would actually become weaker as a result.\n\nCaptain Marvel's oldest and greatest enemy is Black Adam who also has the power of SHAZAM, but derived from different heroes/gods. Black Adam's pantheon is as follows.\n\nS - the stamina of Shu\nH - the swiftness of Heru\nA - the strength of Amon\nZ - the wisdom of Zehuti\nA - the power of Aton\nM - the courage of Mehen\n\nBlack Adam's history is a bit convoluted, due to the nature of Fawcett Comics being absorbed by DC and DC itself rebooting the Captain Marvel franchise several times. But simply, Black Adam also received his powers from the wizard Shazam during the days of ancient Egypt. However, he proved to be too ambitious and evil and was cast out of Earth by Shazam, much later to be replaced by Billy Batson/Captain Marvel. Black Adam would later return to Earth and take his place as Captain Marvel's archenemy.\n\nBlack Adam also has a family who shares his power, his wife Isis and brother-in-law Osiris.",
"FYI, Tunatic is similar to Shazam, but it's free and works on your PC/Mac.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nIn some cases it even works better.",
"Here's how I think it works.\nIt has a HUGE library of songs. Each song in this library are converted into byte, where each byte would represent the frequency, tempo etc... They would have an algorithm to compute these numbers.\nExample: 892749048274028\n\nIt would do the same thing with your sample.\nExample: 892047401820192\n\nNow, the music file would 20x bigger than your sample so it would only look at many portions of one file before moving on to another file.\n\nBasically, it would subtract the numbers and see which one would be closest to zero.\nex:\n\n 892749048274028\n - 892047401820192\n\n---\n 000702447654176\n\nIf the whole set is closest to zero, it would show it as one of the songs.\n\n\n\n\n\n"
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662gah | why are tinfoil hats associed to silly people ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/662gah/eli5_why_are_tinfoil_hats_associed_to_silly_people/ | {
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"Stereotypically, it's associated with a negative image of a mentally ill delusional person who's trying to block out mind control or telepathy or some such - the \"tinfoil hat brigade\" being an imagined group of such people used as a pejorative for conspiracy theorists.",
"I thought that it was that crazy theorists believed that aliens/governments were trying to read there mind and the hats would stop it. So theorists and crazys were associated with tinfoil hats."
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4g5tjo | what makes a chemical reaction reversible and why are some chemical reactions irreversible? | For example, it's not too difficult for hydrogen peroxide to be broken up/decompose into water and oxygen, but you can't un-bake bread or un-scramble eggs. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4g5tjo/eli5_what_makes_a_chemical_reaction_reversible/ | {
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"Well the answer is somewhat complex. All chemical reactions are theoretically reversible. If you give the product of an exergonic reaction enough energy, the reaction will proceed backwards. In practice however, this is generally only true for low energy reactions and non-organic/biochemical reactions. This is not because of a flaw or nuance to the math of thermodynamics, but when giving large amounts of energy to a compound (or making complex compounds react in general) there are multiple reactions that can occur. For your example of eggs. If you cook an egg, the proteins in the egg are jumbled about and some bonds are broken and reformed. It is theoretically possible to just give the cooked egg enough energy to reverse the reactions (and as said in another comment we have found enzymes to facilitate this) but as you know, if you heat a cooked egg it burns. This is because other reactions are more favorable and occur before the egg can become \"uncooked\".\nBut I can hear you saying, \"well if combustion is the problem, what happens if I heat in under helium so it can't burn.\" Even if you could prevent side reactions, there are so many (like more than the age of the universe in seconds big) possibilities as to how each protein in the egg could fold, so the likelihood of them folding back to their original conformation is basically impossible\n\nIn summary, there is no law that says we can't heat a reaction to make it go backwards, but side reactions and statistics (entropy) often make the likelihood of the reverse reaction occurring next to 0"
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19n46x | someone diagnosed with add/adhd explain what it's like. | I've never really bought into this craze, or the idea of giving powerful drugs to children. I always kinda thought it was just a ploy by the pharmaceutical companies. I think kids today just have too many distractions. So I've always wondered how it affects you, is this like a disease, or something you can learn to mentally overcome. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/19n46x/someone_diagnosed_with_addadhd_explain_what_its/ | {
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"I went through all levels of education with it but no meds. I had a difficult time reading text books because my mind would wander. Some courses I had to take 2 or 3 times. I also had an undiagnosed mood disorder and I shut down and gave up many times. Once I got into a study group and we collectively read the text and discussed it, I got 4.0s. \nNow I take meds because I have MS and the fatigue med is the same as ADHD meds. I don't feel any more focused. I'm still distracted easily. I think I may need a higher dosage, though.\nEDIT: removed funny typo.\n\n",
"Try to imagine that you are in class or talking to someone and you need to listen, then try to imagine a unicorn walking into the middle of the room, except no one sees it but you and the unicorn is actually a thought in your head.",
" You are trying to read and a dog is barking...Each bark totally takes over your attention and you can't concentrate on reading b*BARK* because*BARK* because *bark* because the *bark* the dog won't shut up. You can't ignore it..In the classroom,or anywhere else,the same thing happens...Can't read if there is a tv or radio on cause it overrides your thought \"Hi I'm A Mac\" process \"And I'm A PC\" and you HAVE to attend to it even though you don't want to. In a party, you can hear several conversations at once and it's hard to listen to one.\n That's my experience anyway. \n\n ",
"When you're hungry you know you eat food right? Imagine for a second that you don't experience hunger. You eat 3 meals a day because you know you need to eat to survive, but sometimes you get really focused on something and forget to eat.\n\nADD (at least in my own experience) is sort of like that, except involving goals and tasks. Despite the fact that I know that I know on some level that I need to stay focused on listening or completing a task, it's hard for me to do so because my full attention is given to whatever catches my attention at any given moment. And when my attention shifts whatever I was focusing on before loses all importance to me despite the fact that it may be necessary for me to actually pay attention to it. \n\nPersonally, when I'm off medication completely I find it impossible to pay attention to a conversation for more than a handful of seconds. I starts to get annoyed, and sometimes feel like tearing my hair out because I've moved on from what that person was saying, no matter who they were or the importance of the statement. ",
"ADHD is about having broken filters on your perception. \n\nNormal people have a sort of mental secretary that takes the 99% of irrelevant crap that crosses their mind, and simply deletes it before they become consciously aware of it. As such, their mental workspace is like a huge clean whiteboard, ready to hold and organize useful information. \n\nADHD people... have no such luxury. Every single thing that comes in the front door gets written directly on the whiteboard in bold, underlined red letters, no matter what it is, and no matter what has to be erased in order for it to fit. \n\nAs such, if we're in the middle of some particularly important mental task, and our eye should happen to light upon... a doorknob, for instance, it's like someone burst into the room, clad in pink feathers and heralded by trumpets, screaming HEY LOOK EVERYONE, IT'S A DOORKNOB! LOOK AT IT! LOOK! IT OPENS THE DOOR IF YOU TURN IT! ISN'T THAT NEAT? I WONDER HOW THAT ACTUALLY WORKS DO YOU SUPPOSE THERE'S A CAM OR WHAT? MAYBE ITS SOME KIND OF SPRING WINCH AFFAIR ALTHOUGH THAT SEEMS KIND OF UNWORKABLE. \n\nIt's like living in a soft rain of post-it notes. \n\nThis happens every single waking moment, and we have to *manually* examine each thought, check for relevance, and try desperately to remember what the thing was we were thinking before it came along, if not. Most often we forget, and if we aren't caught up in the intricacies of doorknob engineering, we cast wildly about for context, trying to guess what the fuck we were up to from the clues available. \n\nPerhaps you're getting an idea of why we have the task-management skills of a five-year-old - and why we tend to have an \"oh fuck\" expression on our face whenever you interrupt us in the middle of something. \n\nOn the other hand, we're extremely good at working out the context of random remarks, as we're effectively doing that all the time anyway. I've lost count of the times my wife has said \"Hang on... how the hell did you know what I was talking about?\" \n\nWe rely *heavily* on routine, and 90% of the time get by on autopilot. You can't get distracted from a sufficiently ingrained habit, no matter what useless crap is going on inside your head... unless someone goes and actually disrupts your routine. I've actually been distracted out of taking my lunch to work, on several occasions, by my wife reminding me to take my lunch to work. What the? Who? Oh, yeah, will do. Where was I? um... briefcase! Got it. Now keys.. okay, see you honey! \n\nQuite often, if there's too much input, we can get kind of overwhelmed, like a new puppy surrounded by excited children. It's a flustery, unpleasant state to be in, halfway between excitement and anxiety, with no emotional component either way, but all the pacing and twitchiness of both. \n\nAlso, there's a diminishing-returns thing going on when trying to concentrate on what you might call a non-interactive task. Entering a big block of numbers into a spreadsheet, for instance. Keeping focused on the task takes exponentially more effort each minute, for less and less result. If you've ever held a brick out at arm's length for an extended period, you'll know the feeling. That's why reddit, for instance, is like crack to us - it's a non-stop influx of constantly-new things, so we can flick from one to the next after only seconds. It's better/worse than pistachios. \n\nThe exception to this is a thing we get called hyperfocus. Occasionally, when something just clicks with us, we can get ridiculously deeply drawn into it, and NOTHING can distract us. We've locked our metaphorical office door, and we're not coming out for anything short of a tornado. I've sat reading a book on a deathly-quiet country train platform, and not noticed a honking great train pull in about a foot from my nose, until someone tapped me on the shoulder. The same can happen with certain video games - what the fuck, it was light, now it's 4am. \n\nMedication - ritalin, in my case, takes the edge off. It reduces the input, it tones down the fluster, it makes it easier to ignore trivial stuff, and it increases the maximum focus-time. Imagine steadicam for your skull. \n\nIt is a disease, there are physical differences in our uptake of neurotransmitters. Some people grow out of it, some people live with it their entire life - and though you can learn some strategies to help *compensate for* it, it's definitely not something you can overcome by just trying harder. "
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3vik3h | why does cold air feel warmer when breathing through clothing (like a scarf) compared to just breathing normally? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3vik3h/eli5_why_does_cold_air_feel_warmer_when_breathing/ | {
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"Your scarf will be warmed by your breath and body temperature. Then, when you breath through the scarf, the scarf will raise the temperature of the air that passes through it.\n\n In general, you won't just be feeling warmer air, it *will* be warmer. "
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47yexp | why does it take so long to design a modern military aircraft? | I was looking at the developments of the aircraft in war, and I realized that in World War II, it took about a year to design a fighter, in 50s/60s it was several years, in 70s/80s over a decade, and 21st century stuff like F-22 and F-35(both programs started in 20th) about a quarter of a century. What's obvious is, of course it will be harder to design a more complex and advanced project, however one should realize that today we have advanced computer simulations and engineering software that weren't available to WW2/Early Cold War engineers. Hell they didn't even have a calculator. All pencil, paper, and a wind tunnel at most. At this rate, it seems like, 50 years from now, it will take a century or so to design a military aircraft, just like the old Medieval Cathedrals that took centuries to complete. How will the engineers overcome this problem? Sooner or later, it won't be feasible to waste decades for just a plane, and they'll look how to speed it up. How will it be? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/47yexp/eli5_why_does_it_take_so_long_to_design_a_modern/ | {
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"It took a year to design fighter planes when they were essentially a gun with wings and an engine. The capabilities of modern fighters are so advanced, the designs are so perfect, there's a razor's edge to improve upon in the the current crop of fighters such as Russia's T-50. \n Essentially you need to design absolute perfection, flight test it, maximize payload while improving maneuverability, all the while designing around the weakest link, which is the human pilot who can withstand far less G forces than the plane itself. \n\n It was easy to design a gun with wings when that was the only requirement. ",
"There's more or less 3 aspects to this:\n\n1. The jets are orders of magnitude more complex than they used to be. An F-16C had about 150,000 lines of code, an F-22 has 2 million lines of code, an F-35 has 8 million lines of code (plus another 16 million lines of code in it's ground-based logistic system ALIS). The avionics of jets from the 70s [looked like this](_URL_4_), while modern day avionics use boxes full of processors (like the CPU and GPU in your computer) that have orders of magnitude more logic switches and other components. [Everything here](_URL_1_) for example could fit into the area the size of a pin head in a modern processor.\n\n On the side of engines and airframe, aircraft now have to have attention to detail down to the sub-millimeter level in order to retain a low radar cross section and allow jets to last longer while pulling the same or greater forces. The F-35's airframe components are laser aligned to within something like 30 microns (0.3mm). Jet engines these days also use new somewhat exotic alloys, are grown out of single metal crystals, are machined into [exotic shapes](_URL_3_) and need to meet very strict quality control standards due to the temperatures and pressures that are used in today's engines.\n\n2. Safety, safety, safety & safety. Since around the end of the Cold War, safety has become far more important in aviation and various other industries. Because of this, quick but risky methods used in the past are unacceptable today. For example, the YF-16's first test flight was an accident, [when a high speed taxi test and fly-by-wire issues caused the jet to become airborne.](_URL_5_) Today, in order to prevent something like that resulting in a crash, systems are tested in software, tested in simulators, etc. When it comes to stores separation, [they prevent things like this](_URL_0_) by running[ simulated and ground-based runs over and over](_URL_2_) before the first test ever occurs in the air. \n\n Then there's the paperwork; the F-35 program for example produces more than 10,000 pages of documentation (test reports, risk assessments, authorisations, financial reports, etc) **per week.** All of that is required not just to make things work, but because they're legally required to. If a jet crashes, they want to be able to do an investigation, find which compressor blade failed, what that blade had been experienced to since it was first used, which factory it came from, who was responsible for quality control that day and even potentially where the alloy was mined and refined. In the 1960s, if a crash happened, big deal, *the commies* weren't going to slow down and wait for us, *just don't screw up next time.* Today, a crash results in the fleet being grounded and exhaustive investigations at every level, because people don't want their tax dollar being wasted on mishaps.\n\n3. As you can gauge from #2, it's also because there's not an existential threat at the moment. If there was, red tape and testing would be cut back; people would likely die due to this cutting back, but when millions of lives are perceived to be at stake, that doesn't matter as much. \n\n---\n\n > All pencil, paper, and a wind tunnel at most\n\nAnd a human brain; don't forget that on your shoulders rests the most complex parallel processor system ever discovered by mankind. We might not be able to crunch numbers like computers or calculators, but an experienced engineer who \"feels\" that a wing should be shaped a different way is essentially a supercomputer, running a heuristic algorithm to optimize a design. It takes a lot of experience (input data) to get *correct* results, but that's why fighter programs are generally overseen by guys with many years of experience.\n\n > How will the engineers overcome this problem?\n\nFor now, there's no need; the US spends enough money on development that they're ahead of the curve; by the time that Russia or China takes ~15 years to develop an equivalent jet, the war is already won or the current generation of fighters have already been upgraded quite a bit.\n\nIn the long run, the biggest hope for cutting down development times, without throwing away money or lives, is to work towards increased automation, particularly on a software level to troubleshoot problems quicker, etc. The framework can be optimized as well (eg, having competition throughout the life of a program, understanding the need for and pushing heavily for extra funding during things like software development, etc), but higher level strategies seldom produce too much change."
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1i2cor | can someone explain the gist of dc's "crisis of infinite earths" to me? | I never really got into comics as a kid, but I recently found an appreciation for it. I want to start fresh with the New 52 series but I kind of want to know what the Crisis was all about since it is marker for the beginning of the new line of comics.
Every time I search DC wiki or try to find out more about it, it goes all over the place and I lose track of all the names and events because there were so many comics depicting the event.
Thanks in advance. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1i2cor/eli5_can_someone_explain_the_gist_of_dcs_crisis/ | {
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"I know nothing about comics, but doesn't this answer your question? _URL_0_",
"Crisis on Infinite Earths has very little to do with The New 52. The New 52 was sparked by a non-Crisis event called \"Flashpoint.\" You may want to look into that. \n\nIf you want to know about Crisis on Infinite Earths regardless of the fact that it has nothing to do about New 52, essentially, DC writers felt that the DC universe had gotten too complicated in the early 1980s and decided to create a giant event about a villain called The Anti-Monitor trying to destroy the Multiverse. He nearly succeeds, and all of the infinite universes collapse in on themselves to create a single universe. This creates a single canon universe for DC... for a while. \n\nA separate event called Infinite Crisis in the mid-2000s establishes that there are, in fact, 52 Universes. A third event, functionally the finale of the \"Crisis Trilogy,\" is Grant Morrison's Final Crisis from 2008. \n\nBut again- The New 52 is created by Flashpoint, not by Crisis on Infinite Earths."
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7rdlhe | out of africa - how does that explain the diverse cultures, body types, eyes, and skin colors present today? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7rdlhe/eli5_out_of_africa_how_does_that_explain_the/ | {
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"It's simply that enough time has passed between humans leaving Africa (though this was very possibly done in a few waves rather than one event) that different cultures and those differences in appearance (which genetically speaking are all really minor) had enough time to evolve. ",
"100,000 years of evolution can do a lot of work on a species that gets around as much as Homo Sapiens.\n\nAs for culture, that's easy. Cultures can split off in a couple generations, or even in just a few years, of separation.",
"It's not meant to explain the diversity: it's meant to explain the origin.\n\nThe current OOA has the last of the migrations out of Africa happening around 50,000 years ago. That's long enough for the diversity we see today to come about.",
"To add to /u/pacatraz, it's likely that the descendants of some of the homos who left Africa eventually migrated back. If you go to Africa today, you'll find that there are diverse cultures, body types, eyes and skin colors present. Sure, nobody lost as much skin color as the northern Europeans did, but compare people from the pygmy tribes to the Congolese, Egyptians and Ethiopians, and I think you'll see that all the variation outside of Africa is minor by comparison.",
"That's like asking \"how does the boiling point of water explain the hardness of diamonds?\"\n\nIt doesn't explain that. It doesn't have it. That is not its responsibility.\n\nThe evidence for Out of Africa is that there is even more genetic diversity within Africa than their is outside of it. That the genetic and phenotypic diversity outside of Africa is greater than zero does not change this.",
"Large amounts of melanin help prevent UV damage to the skin. Wearing more clothes and/or moving to colder/darker areas means loss of melanin makes little difference. Skin gets lighter.\n\nPeople in colder areas have higher body fat content and fattier diets, in order to insulate themselves against the cold.\n\nBabies lose the lactase protein as they grow older, causing them to become lactose intolerant. People who domesticated cattle were more likely to retain the lactase gene into adulthood.\n\n\nIn all of these situations, you have to take into account that the people that are better attuned to the environment are more likely to have children that survive into adulthood and make up the next generation.\n\nOther factors play a part as well. A few survivors of a plague may repopulate, causing the entire population to overwhelmingly share from a smaller pool of different genes. Viking raids may in part explain why Scandinavian countries have a high percentage of blond(e)s.\n\n\nThat's only talking about features we can observe. As far as actual genetic comparisons, 2/3 of human history has been spent in Africa. There are groups in Africa that are genetically closer to everyone outside Africa than they are to other groups on the continent.",
"Those features are pretty superficial and prone to genetic drift. Skin color is about climate, and there are a lot of features that hide in recessive genes are not obvious until there is some adaptive pressure.\n\nThe fact of the matter is there is more genetic diversity inside Africa than out. ",
"Like animals, humans evolve to work well in the environment they live in. Evolution is very slow, and we've only been around about 100,000 years (maybe longer with newer evidence) but when we were a small population of people living in the same climates, we didn't look that different from each other. \n\nBut as people traveled to Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world, climates changed, the amount of sunlight, temperature, and other things changed, and so slight variations in our bodies gave some people advantages which were passed on to their children, resulting in ethnic changes over many generations. \n\nAfrica - Much of it is on the equator which means a lot of sunlight, ultraviolet light, and warm temperatures. A taller, thinner body works better for shedding heat, and dark pigmented skin helps protect against UV damage from harsh, direct sunlight. Humans make vitamin D from ultraviolet light on our skin, and there is plenty of sunlight at the equator so the pigment isn't a problem. \n\nHigh latitudes like Northern Europe - Much less sunlight, colder climate, shorter days. A shorter, thicker body type helps maintain body heat in cold climates better. The reduction in sunlight means strong skin pigment is no longer an advantage, and vitamin D production is not very strong so pigment becomes a disadvantage. So you see lighter skin that more readily absorbs UV light to make vitamin D, but without harsh sunlight it doesn't lead to skin damage as easily. \n\nThe Americas, Similar climate and heat to equatorial Africa, but food can be more scarce, and there are fewer savannahs and open areas so the rain forests provide some protection from the sun, allowing for a lighter pigment, but still dark skinned. Less access to food gave an advantage to people with a small body type who needed less calories.\n\nIn some isolated environments where food was very scarce, some human populations became very small, short people, almost mini humans, because calories were very hard to come by, the smaller body size gave a great advantage. "
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23efbr | why doesn't the surface of a pool of paint dry or crust up? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23efbr/eli5why_doesnt_the_surface_of_a_pool_of_paint_dry/ | {
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"show me paint that never dries, and ill do my best to show you an answer.",
"The solvent has to 'migrate' through the paint to escape into the air.\n\nThe surface can't dry til the solvent is practically all gone.\n\n(Once it's mostly dry, the migration slows and the inside does \ntake longer to get completely dry.)\n"
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75zbrp | when you hydraulic press an object, does all the force come from the press, or does any of it come from the stationary part? | We've been having a discussion about our dough pressing machine at my bakery. It's essentially a machine that presses whatever dough you put into it, into a square.
So, kind of like a hydraulic press, one part is pushing, and one is stationary.
My cuestion is: Is the press putting in all the force, or is the lid putting out an equal force on the dough as it presses out?
The argument stems from if the press itself is putting all the (flattening) force, or if the lid is putting any force in as well.
| explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/75zbrp/eli5_when_you_hydraulic_press_an_object_does_all/ | {
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"If an object is not accelerating then the total force on it must be zero.\n\nThere is a force from the ram and an opposing force, equal in magnitude, from the stationary part. Without this, the ram would just push the object out of the way.\n\n",
"There is equal force being applied by both the press and the stationary object. \n\nLet's look at another example of opposing forces to see how they work, then we'll go back to the press example. \n\nTake your hands and put them together like you're praying/clapping ([it should look a little like this](_URL_0_)). Don't press at all with your left and and start to press with your right hand. Both of your hands will start moving to the left. Now start pushing back with your left hand. Eventually, you can press hard enough so your hands balance eachother out. The only way to stop the movement is by putting equal pressure from both hands. \n\nIn that example, we learned that an unopposed force will cause movement (after all, force is the measure of mass times acceleration). And the only way to neutralize that acceleration was to put equal force against it. \n\nGoing back to the hydraulic press example, the same factors are at play. If there was no force pushing back up against the press, the whole mechanism would just sink into the ground. Instead, you have an equal force (essentially the strength of the base \"pushing up\") opposing it. "
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61ftjk | why does organic and recycled stuff cost me twice as much or more than inorganic or non-recycled stuff? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/61ftjk/eli5_why_does_organic_and_recycled_stuff_cost_me/ | {
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"Organic agriculture is less productive ([source](_URL_2_)). Also, demand for organic is probably less *elastic* than demand for normal food. Elasticity means \"how much demand decreases as price increases\".\n\nOrganic food [is not healthier](_URL_1_) and it's [worse for the environment](_URL_0_) (due to lower productivity ─ it occupies more land). Therefore, the reason why people buy organic is *signaling*: they want to show themselves and others they are somehow superior for not buying the same kind of food the plebs eat.\n\nTherefore, it wouldn't be useful for organic produce to be cheaper, even if that were economically possible (it isn't, due to productivity). Organic is a bit like buying a Ferrari: the point is to spend a lot of money on it. You don't bargain to get your Ferrari from $500k to $450k. In the same vein, you don't skimp on the food you buy for signaling purposes."
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"http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/09/10/is-organic-food-worth-the-expense/the-ecological-case-against-organic-farming",
"http://annals.org/aim/article/1355685/organic-foods-safer-healthier-than-conventional-alternatives-systematic-review",
"http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7397/full/nature11069.html"
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1syx88 | why does the acid in our stomach not burn through our stomach and insides, when it breaks down food that we eat? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1syx88/why_does_the_acid_in_our_stomach_not_burn_through/ | {
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"We are constantly producing a layer of stomach mucus. If it was just bare stomach lining then yes, our stomach acids would break through, but we produce mucus at a steady rate to prevent this.",
"Mucus coats the interior of your stomach creating a lining that protects the fleshy wall of the organ. The chemical composition of your stomach mucus is designed to neutralize your stomach acid, thereby protecting the wall of your stomach from damage. Ulcers and hernias of the stomach can be caused by a lack of protective mucus lining",
"The interior of your stomach is covered in a thick layer of mucous that prevents damage. Inactive forms of these acids are first produced by cells in specialized indentations called gastric pits and do not become active until they have been released into the stomach, thereby preventing damage to the cells themselves. "
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2f1p05 | no-zero policy in schools | Where did this policy come from (country of origin, if applicable)? What is the thought process behind not giving a student a 0? What are some of the proposed alternatives to giving students 0's? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2f1p05/eli5_nozero_policy_in_schools/ | {
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"The logic behind not giving students zeros is that the ultimate goal is for the student to learn the material. If a student does poorly on a task the first time they try it, that's unfortunate, but immediate comprehension isn't actually the most important thing. If they are later able to repeat the assignment, or complete an alternate assignment, with satisfactory results, then the true goal (education) has been achieved and the student should be rewarded with a passing grade.\n\nThis line of thinking has led to new techniques for teaching that are based around grading students on large portfolios of work (instead of a few high-stakes exams), allowing them to revise and resubmit assignments they did poorly on the first time, and allowing them to submit work even after the nominal deadline. These techniques keep the focus on encouraging the student to master the material, in whatever time frame that might occur."
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3sc8q4 | why aren't there 3l 4 cylinder engines or 2l v6/8 | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3sc8q4/eli5_why_arent_there_3l_4_cylinder_engines_or_2l/ | {
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"The more parts, the more an engine weighs and costs. A tiny v8 is not cost effective. Large 4 cylinder engines don't run as smoothly as their V6 counterparts, so they aren't as desirable either. Engine manufacturers spend a lot on engineering, so their products are a well balanced compromise of all the possible configurations.",
"Size of components.\n\n A 2L V8 would have tiny internal components, bottle cap sized pistons for example, that would be weak and ineffective in pushing a heavy vehicle down the road. \n\nConversely a massive 4 cylinder would have pistons the size of coffee cans and be so massive that it would be counter productive to the economic gains ( cost, weight and fuel to name a few). ",
"_URL_0_\n\n_URL_1_\n\nI could go on. They're quite common in Europe. 3 litre straight fours less so, but then there aren't many 3 litre cars in Europe. No shortage of 2.5L fours, but that's because there's a taxation break there."
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"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_KV6_engine"
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e5qtzm | how are we going to adapt our power grids to gigantic power demand of increasing number of electric vehicles? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/e5qtzm/eli5_how_are_we_going_to_adapt_our_power_grids_to/ | {
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"By adding more capacity as it's needed. The same way we have repeatedly done as electric needs and other power needs have increased. we use far more electricity now than we did 30 years ago, and we used far more 30 years ago then we did 60 years ago. That pattern continues all the way back until the dawn of the electric age. And with each successive year and decade, power providers found a way to provide power. There's nothing Earth shattering or game-changing about electric vehicles in this regard."
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4fk5hb | if i enter an airlock on the international space station and load air in halfway, would i be able to breathe regularly or pass out or even die? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4fk5hb/eli5_if_i_enter_an_airlock_on_the_international/ | {
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"iSS presurizes to 1 ATM.\n\n.5 ATM is close to the limit for humans, but requires extensive acclimation, so no, if you were used to 1atm and quickly tried to suddenly live at .5ATM, you would die quickly",
"I'm not sure if I'm interpreting this correctly... is the question whether you will pass out at an air pressure of 0.5 atmospheres?\n\nIf the air mixture has the same partial pressure of components (still 21% oxygen etc.), then no, you would be able to breathe quite alright for a short duration, but you would have to breathe faster.\n\n0.5 atmospheres is equivalent to an altitude of about 5500m. The air at the top of Mt. Everest only has one third of an atmosphere.\n\nWhile any altitude above 2000m or so requires acclimation for long-term (get used to less oxygen), as far as I know, climbers usually have no issues climbing up to about 6000m (without staying more than a day at high altitude) without any required acclimation.\n\nSo no, you wouldn't pass out (if you're otherwise healthy), you'd just breathe a little faster. But it wouldn't be good for you to spend more than a day in such circumstances. And you'd be getting tired faster than at 1 atm."
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apk1ov | why haven't we discovered how to put someone in cryogenic sleep | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/apk1ov/eli5_why_havent_we_discovered_how_to_put_someone/ | {
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"Because for now, cryotechnology is only used on people who already died. In hopes of being abled to revive a dead person in the future. We can't currently freeze someone without them dying, there is no such thing (yet) as freezing a body to stop all functions including brainfunction, and being able to start all of that back up after thawing without any damage.",
"We have people crygenicly frozen at this time. Only problem is freezing someone causes massive brain damage. We have yet to find a work around for it.",
"Go put a can of soda in the freezer and get in the morning.\n\nNow imagine every cell in your body doing that."
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evsenv | why is there widespread love and admiration for kobe after all the evidence seems to indicate his guilt in a rape? and why are people screamed down when they point this out? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/evsenv/eli5_why_is_there_widespread_love_and_admiration/ | {
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"Because nobody really cares if he raped anyone. They care more about how well he plays basketball.",
"A lot of people take offense when somebody speaks ill of the dead. Especially of celebrities that died a \"tragic\" death."
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dlmb0l | why are there still black bars on the top and bottom of some tv shows and movies despite viewing them on a widescreen tv? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dlmb0l/eli5_why_are_there_still_black_bars_on_the_top/ | {
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"Because different movies are shot in different shapes. Some are made extra-widescreen so that in order to show the whole image, there will be some blank space above and below.",
"The aspect ratio of the source material doesn't fit or match the aspect ratio of your screen. \n\nA widescreen HD TV is 16:9. Old non HD TV was typically 4:3. A lot of movies now aren't filmed in 16:9 they're filmed in an even wider 21:9 aspect ratio, so they still get \"letterboxed\".\n\nAs to why movies are still filmed in this (and other) wide formats, I can't tell ya.",
"This may explain part of the reason:\n\nMost TV shows and commercials are shot with an aspect ratio (height vs width) that fits your wide screen TV. However, some movies old and new are shot in a wider aspect ratio. If they showed the movie on your TV the sides of the images would be cut off. So you can see the whole image (as it was meant to be seen) they put black bars at the top and bottom.",
"Your display has a native aspect ratio(width to height ratio), most likely 16:9(or 1.78:1) but this may not be the true aspect of the content you are watching. Anamorphic wide screen is 2.39:1 for example is much wider. Now to fit that into your screens 1.78:1 screen without scaling and distorting it you will need the black bars to preserve the original picture and not stretch it out and distort it or crop out any footage to fill the screen. Same goes for if you are watching 4:3(square video designed for tube TVs) on a 16:9 flat screen only this would be called pillar box and have the bars on the sides instead of stretching the square out into a rectangle to fill the space.",
"Because the aspect ratio of cinematic movies is generally wider than a widescreen TV.\n\nThe human field of vision is wider along the horizontal plane relative to the vertical. Creating movies with such a wide aspect ratio engulfs more of your visual field making the viewer more immersed in the viewing experience.",
"Cinema is often shot at 2.39:1 (that was intentionally wide in order to differentiate films from 4:3 television). When it was relatively new, movies could be considerably wider. A few movies from the very wide era, remain classics today. \n\nYour 16:9 television was picked as a compromise between the classic movie format of 2.39:1 and the then 4:3 standard of TV. The idea being that there would be bars on each type of content but the bars would average out to being smaller than if other sizes were used. TV pretty quickly matched the new screen size, and some movies followed, while other movies are still shot in the older wide formats.\n\nIn both 4:3 and 16:9 television formats, movies can be shown with black bars, or cropped to fit the narrower screen. Broadcasters make a choice based on what they believe their audience would prefer.",
"At the risk of repeating what others say, here's my version, with how I understand it, and my own questions:\n\nSo originally movies were filmed in the ratio 4:3, where for every 4 inches wide it's 3 inches high. Let's call this \"square.\" So we're talking about like the old silent movie and black and white days. The \"square\" is the shape of pictures and film reels, so it all made sense.\n\nThe TV's came out so logically they made them the shape of movie screens.\n\nThen the movie business was afraid of losing customers to the convenience of TV so they started filming wider screens to offer a grander experience. But that meant there was no one standard any more and you had different ratios all over the place. Thus black bars.\n\nThen widescreen TV's came out because now they had to catch up and because there's no one side for movies they came up with 16:9, which is kind of in the middle of everything. So that's gonna mean different size black bars for different movies.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nWhat I don't understand is NEW TV shows that have black bars- this must mean that TV show producers are choosing to film wider screen than what fits on common TV's. Which I don't get.",
"I read this as black bears and was very confused/excited for a moment. \n\n(But really, what the others said.)",
"It's already been said below but yeah it's just about aspect ratio. \n\nIt's funny because movie trailers will sometimes play in full screen for my 21:9 monitor and cover the whole thing, BUT in a lot of cases I still just end up with black bars because a lot of trailers are exported at 16:9 making the black bars kind of.... artificial I guess.",
"The other replies here have talked about how movies are often shot in an even wider aspect ratio which requires black bars on a regular widescreen TV, but there's also another very annoying reason.\n\nWhen you set up a widescreen show or movie to appear on a 4:3 screen you need to add the black bars. If you then take this 4:3 version of the show/movie and display it on a widescreen it will not necessarily fit on the screen properly. More likely it will be stretched to fit, leaving the black bars and distorting the picture.\n\nThis was very common when widescreen TVs were first becoming popular since a lot of people didn't know better. It still happens a lot when people connect an older device (ex. a VCR or an old DVD player) to a widescreen TV without properly adjusting the screen ratio.",
"Sometimes, if what you're watching is old enough to predate actual widescreen TVs, back in the day of 4:3 DVD the black bars were part of the content to create the illusion of a wider picture in your normal non-wide TV. Then when actual widescreen was a thing some lazy/careless publishers never picked up the master content and just transcoded the old stuff resulting in what you're watching encased in a black box. Some modern TVs are smart enough to recognize this and zoom in, but resolution is still lost.",
"There isn't just one \"widescreen.\" Some widescreens are wider, or slightly taller, or whatever else. These are called *aspect ratios*.\n\nThere are a lot of slightly different aspect ratios, and if you're seeing black bars (called \"letterboxing\"), then whatever your watching has a different aspect ratio than the thing you're watching on.\n\nEveryone has their preferred ratio (theaters, IMAX theaters, old tvs, new tvs, even newer tvs, computers, phones, etc). And even certain people (i.e. movie directors) have a preferred ratio when they're making movies.\n\nFun fact, letterboxing also happens in movie theaters, but they use the curtains instead of black bars. Next time you're seeing a movie, watch when all of the pre-movie advertisements (like the car commercials) finish. As the lights go down, the big curtains around the screen will adjust to the proper aspect ratio for the film.\n\nP.S. sometimes, instead of letterboxing, they'll just cut off the extra bits at the edges to make things fit. If you've ever seen something like this: *This film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit this screen.\"*... that's what they're talking about. They stretched or chopped or otherwise changed the original version to fit on a different screen type",
"If the bars are only on the top & bottom then the aspect ratio is even wider than widescreen. Probably something straight from a theater with an odd aspect. If you only have the on the sides then it's natively 4:3. If it's on all four it could possibly be an old analog channel that is sending a widescreen signal for a 4:3 channel.",
"Hold your hands on the side of your TV. That is the width of the picture. Now imagine one of the movies you watch on your TV that has black bars on it. Now widen your arms away from the edges of your TV and that is the width of the picture from that movie you are watching. Because the width of the movie won't fit on your TV screen, they have to shrink everything down until the full picture will fit. And in order to make it so that everything doesn't look squished, if the width of the picture is reduced, so is the height. Those black bars you see are the space left by the picture size being reduced to fit your TV screen.",
"tv's sold today are manufactured primarily as 16:9 (1.77:1) aspect ratio (the width is 1.77x the length of the height). most tv shows are shot in this aspect ratio, however some tv studios are starting to produce more content in 2:1 (which presents the viewing audience with a wider viewing angle). \n\nfilm on the other hand is predominantly shot in 2.35 (2.39:1 today) called cinemascope. there are even wider aspect ratio formats that exist (e.g., the hateful eight was shot in super 8 panavision which is 2.76:1).\n\nultimately it's up to the director to choose the aspect ratio to shoot & present their creation in. 16:9 tv's were born of a compromise between the old \"square\" 4:3 aspect ratio, and 2.39 scope films. 16:9 is right in the middle of the two.\n\nuntil we have variable aspect ratio fixed displays (your tv being able to change AR on demand--something you can do however with drapes/masking and a projection setup), 16:9 probably makes the most sense right now as a middle ground for fixed displays.",
"Most films are shot in 21:9 aspect ratio, aka ultra wide screen, like a movie cinema. Most HDTVs are 16:9 aspect ratio. 21:9 tv's are becoming more popular for home viewing but most shows on Netflix and cable are in 16:9 currently.",
"If you're talking about aspect ratios then you've left the realm of ELI5 in my opinion. Here's my answer:\n\nYour widescreen TV is a rectangle. It is just one of many kinds of rectangles used to make movies and TV. Most movies are a different shape to your TV because they were made for theatres. Most TV shows are the same shape as your TV because they're created for TV, however *some* TV show creators like to use movie-shaped rectangles for various reasons.\n\nAbout the black bars. If your TV wants to show a picture that is a different shape to itself, it has the following options:\n\n1. Stretch its width or height, distorting the picture (people will look fatter or skinnier)\n2. Enlarge the picture to fill the whole TV without stretching it, cropping the picture (some of the edges will be missing so you're not seeing the whole picture)\n3. Leave the shape alone and make it as large as possible without cropping it, leaving some area of the TV without picture on it (black bars)\n\nOption 3 is most common.",
"Cinematographer & Director here!\n\n***ELI5 version***: Different image sizes can show scope and scale differently, and make you feel different things emotionally. Sometimes that choice means that you get the black bars on your screen so you can see the film how the filmmakers intended.\n\n***Filmmaker version***: The aspect ratio is indeed the \"why.\" As others have said, older TV's (pre \"flat\" screens, for the most part) displayed an image that was 4:3. Most TV's these days are 16:9, but many movies and occasionally TV shows are often filmed in wider formats of 2.35:1 to 2.4:1. When the wider images is played on a screen that isn't that wide, then the bars get added (\"letterboxing\"). \n\nFilmmakers feel like different aspect rations suit their creative vision, is why they are still shot that way.\n\n*21:9 is not a format that we capture in specifically, and instead is the ratio of some screens that you can purchase*. \n\n\nThis video explains it well, I feel: [_URL_0_](_URL_0_)",
"When Titanic was first released I learned something... and I watched the two copies side by side to see it... When they say “formatted to fit your screen” you actually lose some of the scene on the side(s)- they use the pan and scan effect to capture more of the true film- the whole ratio thing... so you can choose to either watch the letterbox version, which is the way it was intended to be seen, except shrunk to fit our TVs, which gives you the black bars, or u can get the pan and scan version that gives you a full screen but you lose some of the detail. Watching them side by side, u can see the parts of the shot the other is missing",
"I'm a retired cinematographer, and that is a complicated question that has to do with changing formats over the years, as well as people who don't know how to configure their television sets. Let me explain:\n\nThe original film format was close to the old television format, 1.33:1, or 4:3. Back when VHS and DVDs showed \"Wide-screen\" content, the black bars, called a letterbox matte, were rendered into the video so that the picture would be the correct aspect on square televisions. Eventually more modern DVDs would just encode directly to wide screen 1.85:1 or 16:9 format, and the player would render the letterbox matte when the image was sent to the display, allowing for more bandwidth to be dedicated to the actual video image recoded on disk.\n\nBut not all wide screen movies were filmed in 1.85:1/16:9 aspect ration. This was the first \"widescreen\" format introduced, but a wider 2.2:1 ratio was introduced, and an even wider aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and even the ultra-wide screen \"Cinerama\" format of 2.59-2.65:1 exists. Modern players can still encode the native aspect ratio and render the appropriate letterbox matte into the video signal (for some sets and some aspect ratios), however for wider compatibility with most (and older) DVD players, the letterbox matte would be hard-encoded into a 16:9 aspect ratio video, forcing the correct aspect ratio into the rendered video image.\n\nBeginning around the year 2000, wide-screen HDTV sets started to enter the marketplace and people could display their 16:9 DVD content natively on their screens. However, broadcast television was still in analog 4:3 because the digital broadcast conversion hadn't been completed yet, and wouldn't be complete for many years to come. So there was a large mixture of formats out there from over the air (OTA) 4:3 video, DVDs in 4:3 with letterboxed content burned in (pre-rendered in the video), which you probably remember seeing many times as a 16:9 aspect ratio video floating inside a larger 16:9 \"box\" that was the size of the television. That's because the actual \"video signal\" was a square box, centered in the television, from bottom to top, however the bottom and top of that square video were just \"black bars\" you couldn't see.\n\nBecause of all these competing aspect ratios and encoding formats, many television sets came with the ability to \"squeeze,\" \"stretch,\" or \"zoom\" the video to fit inside the 16:9 television. The \"square\" version of aspect conversion, watching 4:3 television on a 16:9 set would render a \"curtain matte\" on the left and right of the image, preserving the square picture. Same thing as the widescreen matte, but just to keep older content looking the way it originally did.\n\nAdd on top of this the \"burned in letterbox\" matte on a 4:3 square video recording of a \"widescreen format\" film being played on a 16:9 television, set to the \"stretch\" or \"squeeze\" mode and it would stretch that video out into some unnatural and unrecognizable aspect ratio where everyone looked short and fat.\n\nThe most common excuse for this was people complaining about buying all that television and the image wasn't using \"all of it\" so they'd force it, things would look bad, but hey, it's using the whole screen so DOUBLE PLUS GOOD!\n\nYou probably still see 4:3 aspect video signal media with burned-in letterbox matte because, believe it or not, people still have 4:3 television sets that they refuse to get rid of Why? Because it's a perfectly good television set, gosh darn it, and good money was paid for it, and they'll be darn-hootin-nannied if they have to buy a new one and that's the end of that don't ask me again! There is still enough of a market of cable television catered to these individuals, with enough advertising to make it worth the while to burn in letterbox matte, which is cheaper for everyone involved rather than paying someone to run the pan-and-scan machine.\n\nAnd this will continue to be a thing as long as you have a set-top player that can play DVDs, and as long as you can buy DVDs from second-hand stores, or until the last of the Greatest Generation passes away, finally relinquishing their old television sets to the landfill.\n\n*Edit: Also, if you notice on many broadcasts (like NFL and Golf) where there are two announcers, they still sit close together with space on the left and the right? This is so that they can \"crop\" that image down to fit on 4:3 broadcasts while using the same source material. You will also still see a lot of graphics and titles rendered on the screen within this 4:3 safety crop zone for the same reason."
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5j2h56 | equity | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5j2h56/eli5_equity/ | {
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"positive market sale value above loans/mortgage debt on that asset.\n\nIf my used car is worth 20k on the market, and I have a 10k auto loan outstanding, I have 10k of equity in the car, that I could sell the car, repay the loan, and walk away with 10k in my pocket.",
"If you borrow money to buy something and pay it back in installments, equity is the total of the repayments you have made (after any fees/interest charges). It represents the value of the item you own (vs the amount still owned by your lender).",
"So... you remember when you wanted that $25.00 toy even though you had just had a birthday and you asked if I would buy it for you?, but not for Christmas? And how I said I would buy it and we could take it out of your allowance?\n\nSince I bought the toy, it technically belongs to me. But, you are paying for it, a little at a time. Well... that's called \"paying through credit\". You do it when you can't afford something.\n\nNow, every month, when I give you your allowance, I am taking $5.00 out. So, because it will take you 5 months to pay me back, every month, how much of that toy you actually own goes up by 1/5. \n\nThe first month, you have $5.00 worth of that toy that you own. I have the other $20.00. The next month, you own $10.00 worth of that toy, and I have $15.00 in ownership.\n\nNow, on the third month, you will have $15.00 worth and I'll have $10.00.\nAnd this goes on until you've completely paid it off.\n\nNow, since it's before Christmas, and we haven't opened it yet, since they're are people out there willing to pay $50.00 for that toy, we could sell it and make $25.00. But, because I was the one who bought it, I would get all of that money back.\n\nIf it was still worth $50.00 in a month and we sold it, because you had paid me $5.00, you would own 1/5 stake in it. Therefore, I would have to pay you 1/5 of the selling price of $50.00, which means I would give you $10.00.\n\nSo, equity, is the amount of ownership you have translated into the value of what you own. So, if you bought this $25.00 toy with your own money, you would own 100% of it, so if you sold it for $50.00, you would get all $50.00.\n\nEdit:\nOn a house or car, they come with a Title, which means you own the whole thing. Now, until it is paid off, you don't get that title, so you have to give back the portion of the money you make on the sold item that you didn't own.\n\n"
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6o38yj | why do we feel less dizzy when spinning clockwise after spinning counter-clockwise, and viceversa? also, does closing your eyes help feeling less dizzy? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6o38yj/eli5_why_do_we_feel_less_dizzy_when_spinning/ | {
"a_id": [
"dkeb9cl"
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"Part of the inner ear consists of a small organ called the cochlea. It is a snail shell shaped organ holds fluid and is lined with hair-like fibers. The fluid maintains its position due to inertia whenever the body moves. This causes the fibers to move, and signals are transmitted to the brain due to the movement of these fibers. These signals allow the brain to adjust sense of balance to any movements that may occur.\n\nNow, spinning counter-clockwise for a prolonged amount of time will cause the fluid to spin in the same way, also due to inertia. This whole system works due to the fact that the fluid does not move, and now you have a fluid that won't stop moving. Spinning clockwise will reverse the fluid's motion to a stop, restoring its original state.\n\nIf you have trouble visualizing this, put some water in a bowl and spin it one way. Stop the bowl and see that the water is still spinning. Now spin it the other way and see that the water has either slowed its spin or even reversed its spin.\n\nAs for closing your eyes, it removes a contradictory input. After spinning, you have fluid that is moving in your cochlea, but your brain is used to interpreting these signals as if the fluid is only slightly moving or still. So after spinning, your brain is getting input saying that the body is still moving, but input from your eyes says that you are still. Closing your eyes does not make the dizziness resolve itself any more quickly, but it does relieve the disorientation by taking away that contradicting sensory input."
]
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[]
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||
39i3wn | tone curves in digital photography/photoshop. | I'm relatively new to digital photography, and am interested in editing the curves in my images in post processing. I just don't understand what dragging the curve means/does. Any explanations are appreciated! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/39i3wn/eli5_tone_curves_in_digital_photographyphotoshop/ | {
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"cs3pbnl"
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"There are different [color tones](_URL_0_) (I don't know if this is the right term since I am German, but anyway, that's not important). This picture, although it might not be scientifically totally correct, really helps to understand the tones: The different tones are red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and so on. Tones can differ in brightness: Colors more in the middle of this circle are brighter, but have the same tone as colors more on the outside in the same position.\n\nWhen you change the tone, you turn this circle slightly: blue turns purple, purple turns pink, pink turns red, and so on, of course it also works in the different direction. Note that for example in Photoshop the tone is a number between -180 and 180, with 0 as default. That's the amount of degrees you turn the circle (+ or - means clockwise or counterclockwise), which makes sense, since 360 degrees is a whole circle. 0 wouldn't change the tone at all, 180 (or -180) turns a picture into its negative (since 180 degrees are exactly one helf circle).\n\nUsually you don't want to change the tone much, since it would turn colors odd, like humans green or the sky red.\n\nEdit: Wait, did I explain something wrong? I might have confused some terms while translating them... :("
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.makeup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/color-wheel-skin-tone-makeup-680.jpg"
]
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|
cat883 | why does the air in a stuffy room literally feel thicker? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cat883/eli5_why_does_the_air_in_a_stuffy_room_literally/ | {
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"etaxlpu"
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"Stuffiness is usually associated with elevated humidity levels. In these cases, the air is actually heavier as humid air contains more water vapor. It is worth noting that as air temperature increases, it can hold more water vapor, which increases the stuffiness effect.\n\nFor additional information on the properties of air, try googling info on the psychrometric chart. The topics can get advanced in a hurry, but could be informative."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
1vgy7i | how involved is china in africa? you don't hear much in the mainstream media, but i hear china now owns a lot of africa | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1vgy7i/eli5_how_involved_is_china_in_africa_you_dont/ | {
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"China has given a lot of \"loans\" to African nations, primarily because Western nations put restrictions on giving loans to African nations (i.e. they have to prove they meet blahblahblah rights, conditions, etc.)\n\nOn top of it, Western banks charge very high interests on loans to Africa, because of the inherent high risks of businesses in the region, where there are rebels, etc.\n\nSo, China, with lots of cash, became the alternative. (African nations don't have that many choices).\n\n*Additionally, Chinese state owned companies invest a lot to obtain contracts in Africa, where again, Western companies avoid, because of high risks and low return.\n\nTechnically, China doesn't \"own\" much in Africa, other than long term contracts and options for mineral rights, etc. But it is a substantial amount of trade.\n\nChina buys up tons of sources from Africa, gold, aluminum, copper, etc. They ship them by boat loads to China. And China doesn't care who they buy from. They will buy from Governments and Rebels, cash ready, no questions asked.\n\nContrary to some published articles, China doesn't sell that much weapons to Africa. China's total sale of weapons account for only 8% of African weapon purchases. That said, many African nations are buying weapons using cash they get from selling resources to China.\n\nSome African writers and politicians have complained about China's buying up every thing in Africa, but 1 writer has written that that's primarily due to the fact that some resurgent African nations are now competing with China for resources, and finding China undercutting them on deals in neighboring African nations.\n\nIn sum, Chinese businesses tend to operate in Africa with extremely low profit margins, which is causing some fear and jealousy among Western and African competitors. But undoubtedly, China is vital to modern African economies and development, simply because the alternatives (the West) would be prohibitively expensive for African nations."
]
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||
42fcgd | how someone with little understanding or experience of stocks and commodities can invest money? | Is there a user friendly way to do this without dealing with investment bankers etc? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/42fcgd/eli5_how_someone_with_little_understanding_or/ | {
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"\nThink of the stock market like flying a plane (which is not actually that hard. The hard part isn't not crashing, it's knowing where you are, what conditions you're in, and being reliable enough to be more or less guaranteed to not crash, especially take off and landing)\n\nMost everyone can understand how to go faster, pull up, roll a little, etc. Just like most people can understand you should buy low and sell high, and buying pushes up cost and vice versa. But not everyone knows how to strategise, and handle many companies at once, and how one stock might interact with another, tell tale signs of a company going bust etc. Not everyone can do a barrel roll, pull out of a dive, etc.\n\nInvestment bankers are autopilot. You give them the money and they do the stuff for you. You get some input, but they do most of the work",
"I think you answered your own question: ask on ELI5.\n\nBut seriously, start with stocks. You can probably buy and sell through your bank. In order to know what to buy, you have to research what is small now but going to be great soon.\n\nThis means reading the news. The Economist is a good place to start for someone who doesn't want to be overwhelmed, but is still academically inclined. Then you can move on to the FT once you get a better grasp of things. Reddit is also a great resource: look for what is going to be \"big\". Does Apple's new iPhone get a lot of positive press and upvotes? Time to buy before it is released, then sell when the price soars (honestly though, Apple's shares are ridiculously expensive so it's not a good place to start).\n\nYou should look up reviews on comparison websites as to where is the best place to open a trading account. You will usually be charged for each purchase and sale, so look at where is the cheapest. Like I said, your bank probably provides a trading service but unless you get discounts for already being a customer you have no reason to go with them: any trading service will do.\n\nFinally, you should know that stocks (and commodities) are traded on different exchanges. This is important, since you will have to check which provider allows you to buy and sell on that exchange. Here in Europe, the main ones are the FTSE100 (UK) DAX (Germany) and (CAC40) France. In the US, one of the biggest ones is the NASDAQ exchange. These well-known ones usually carry the stocks of the biggest companies in the country (e.g. in the UK, the FTSE100 carries the stock of the top 100 companies; in France the CAC40 holds the top 40). So if you are mostly interested in buying UK-based shares, pick a trader that has access to the FTSE100 (although this is not the only UK exchange, just the biggest one)."
]
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47uunt | why do we abbreviate kilogram to kilo but not kilometer/kiloliter? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/47uunt/eli5_why_do_we_abbreviate_kilogram_to_kilo_but/ | {
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"It's rare for things to be measured in kiloliters outside of a scientific study, mainly because laymen just use liters or gallons. In science it is always best to use the official term.\n\nAnd kilometer is shortened to \"click\" so as not to be confused with a meter if you are communicating over a radio.\n\nKilograms are the only commonly used measurement with the \"kilo\" prefix that is used by the layman and didn't already have its own shortened variation."
]
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||
4kyz5i | why some of us like to watch videos that disgust us or make us cringe? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4kyz5i/eli5why_some_of_us_like_to_watch_videos_that/ | {
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"When you're young- simplistic emotions are easily rewarded. Being \"happy\" or having \"fun\" is the goal and children generally lack perspective past these examples. \n\nAdults, on the other hand, have experienced a wealth of emotional experiences that are much more complicated in nature. This is why some individuals treasure a movie that makes them feel \"sad\" or a gory horror movie because it makes them feel \"fear\". These simulated emotions carry no real risk- while still allowing people to experience something new or different. With much of life being mundane- anything different can be good. Be \nit strange or disgusting. \n"
]
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[]
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||
96bvap | why can we "see" sounds as flashes of light and color as we try to fall asleep? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/96bvap/eli5_why_can_we_see_sounds_as_flashes_of_light/ | {
"a_id": [
"e3zbii6"
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"text": [
"Uh... You can't? Unless you have synesthesia.."
]
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||
2yne0q | i drink one redbull a day. why is that considered bad for me, but one coffee a day is not? | I have one in the morning when I wake up. I feel it keeps me alert and productive for much longer than a strong coffee. Also, I mainly drink sugarfree, I'm not sure if sugarfree or sugar is worse. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2yne0q/eli5_i_drink_one_redbull_a_day_why_is_that/ | {
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"text": [
"Yeah, it's a bit of a double standard. That said, there are chemicals/additives, like taurine, in redbull that haven't been studied in any real depth as far as long-term usage go. ",
"It's not really bad for you, it's just more stuff in it that the average person doesn't understand, so it looks scary, and people assume they're bad because they don't know what they are.\n\nMeanwhile, Coffee is just coffee beans and water (and cream/sugar if you want it)"
]
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b6oihd | why is the area of a circle πr² ??? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b6oihd/eli5_why_is_the_area_of_a_circle_πr²/ | {
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"_URL_3_\n\nFirst, we determine that [a circle's circumference C is equal to pi times its diameter D or twice its radius R](_URL_0_). This can be done with string, a ruler, and a form. Draw the string into the shape of a circle, measure its radius or diameter, unravel the string, then measure its length. Alternatively, pull the string tight around a wheel, cut where the string overlaps itself, and measure the length of the string and the width of the wheel.\n\nNext, we approximate a circle as a series of concentric strips of tiny thickness, like onion layers. If [the circle were to be unraveled](_URL_2_), the outside layer of the onion would be as long as the circumference C of the circle, while the innermost layer would be something like a point. The resulting shape would be like [a triangle, with a very wide base that is C long, and a short height that is R tall](_URL_1_).\n\nEach intermediate layer would have a length corresponding to its position in the circle; the layer closest to the outside would have a length just a little shorter than C, while the second-innermost layer would have a length slightly greater than the point. Since we have already proven that the circumference C is equal to pi*D, we know that the length of each layer is directly proportional to its radius. Therefore, we know that the slope of the triangle is constant, making it a regular triangle.\n\nSince one corner, where the base and height of the triangle intersect, is a right angle, we can calculate the area of the triangle using the formula \nA = (1/2)\\*B\\*H\n\nThe base B of the triangle is equal to the circumference, C, which is equal to pi\\*D or 2\\*pi\\*R. The height H of the triangle is equal to R. Substituting these into the formula yields \nA = (1/2)\\*B\\*H = (1/2)\\*(2\\*pi\\*R)\\*(R) = (2/2)\\*pi\\*R^2 = pi\\*R^2",
"There are a few cool ways to see this in several levels of explanation, so I’ll just give a few neat ones:\n\nOne way to think about it is to divide the circle to a lot of small slices, like a pie. Every slice is almost like a tiny tiny narrow triangle. The surface of a triangle can be calculated by the height times the base divided by 2. In our case, the height is the radius, but how much is the base? We don’t know. We do know however that all of the bases of all of the tiny triangles together make the entire circumference of the circle and we know how much that is: it’s 2**pi**r. \nSo the area has to be 2**pi**r**r**1/2 which totals to pi**r^2.\n\nA different way to see it is using a function that describe a circle. y=Sqrt(R^2-x^2) is the upper half of a circle. We can calculate the surface under that using a definite integral and we get exatcly 1/2*pi**R^2. We double that to get the bottom half and get the area of the circle."
]
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"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumference#Circle",
"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Area_of_circle_and_triangle.svg",
"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/TriangleFromCircle.gif",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_of_a_circle#Triangle_proof"
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1avuvi | if we can turn matter into energy via fission or particle accelerators, can we turn energy back into matter? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1avuvi/eli5_if_we_can_turn_matter_into_energy_via/ | {
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"Sure, it's possible.\n\nElements can undergo fusion (in hydrogen bombs, or stars), and turn into heavier elements. If the element has a lower atomic number than iron, it will return energy to its surroundings; if the element is higher than iron, it'll take energy out of the system instead - that is, turning energy into matter.\n",
"What's kind of cool is that in a particle accelerator, we *are* turning energy into matter. The entire point of the extreme speed of the particles is that by smashing them together we (essentially) are able to convert some of that energy into matter, and see what happens.",
"Energy-to-mass conversion is the bread-and-butter of particle accelerators. Take two particles, protons say, accelerate them to 99.99999% of the speed of light, then crash them head-on into each other. They are no longer moving, so where did the kinetic energy go? Conservation of energy demands something gots to give. What gives is that you create a shower of particles: mass created out of energy. \n\n[Here's](_URL_0_) a nice vid on it.\n\nConjure something interesting in your Lilliputian Gomeznic experiment and your efforts may be rewarded with a Nobel prize. Or a [mug](_URL_1_). \n\n(Sure, a Nobel prize is nice, but can you drink out of it? No, you cannot.)"
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"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcyYNxq27Fs",
"http://www.zazzle.com/standard_model_higgs_boson_mugs-168216536408234688"
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cf5p9t | why doesn’t the severity of ptsd and anxiety attacks decrease after each episode?(like facing a fear) | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cf5p9t/eli5_why_doesnt_the_severity_of_ptsd_and_anxiety/ | {
"a_id": [
"eu7gk6h",
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"text": [
"Because the brain is complicated. It’s mental trauma. Some people never recover from physical trauma, same with mental.",
"Because the brain doesnt differentiate between experiencing trauma and remembering trauma, to the brain it's all the same thing.\n\nAlso, I'm not sure what you mean by dealing with it \"naturally\". Do you mean just white-knuckling it? Unfortunately, that's not a successful thing, look at the suicide rates of people in careers with high rates of PTSD and suicide."
]
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2r2ttb | how do intelligence services, such as the cia, overthrow governments? | How does the CIA manage to overthrow so many governments, with what looks like relative ease, and replace it with a pro-US government? And why aren't we seeing more intelligence services do the same thing or as frequently?
How can the US pretty much overthrow a country without ever going to war and invading it, which is the "traditional" way of doing it. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2r2ttb/eli5_how_do_intelligence_services_such_as_the_cia/ | {
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"Usually, in the past, they did so by instigating others to take action. Assisting them with information, maybe get some malcontents in contact with each other, get them necessary supplies or weapons, etc.\n\nThey did so particularly in the southern American countries, because of economical and political interests. They could do so with relative ease because they had the budget for it.\n\nI do not think it happens as often nowadays, or as easily nowadays, as the phrasing in your question would seem to suggest. US in the 21st century has seen a lot of soldiers in foreign combat."
]
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|
wxv9a | why do we not have 'intelligent' ai? | I mean obviously the AI we currently have are smart enough to make simple or even somewhat complex decisions, but they are still incredibly limited. If human thought is just the programming of our genes and past experiences, shouldn't we have made more progress towards this? What are the major problems holding us back? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/wxv9a/eli5_why_do_we_not_have_intelligent_ai/ | {
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"It's because we don't understand how humans think. For things like doing math, this isn't a big deal, because we know better ways to do it anyway. But to take a specific example, we don't know how humans do facial recognition, and all the ways we *do* know are slower and less accurate.",
"Artificial intelligence are things that humans do well and computers don't. Once computers get good, we lose interest don't consider it artificial intelligence anymore.\n\nTake chess. Ever since the 1960's, it was the holy grail of machine intelligence. So what happened? They got better than humans at chess, and we said, \"Oh, they are just taking a brute force approach of computing a couple billion moves...that doesn't count.\"\n",
"Here is the underlying misunderstanding that you have. We all know how smart computers are, and how they are so much smarter than people, right? Well...kind of, sort of, but not really.\n\nComputers are good at one thing: executing simple commands very fast, and repeatedly. That's about it. On the most basic level, all a computer knows is 'on' and 'off'. But that's not ELI5, so let's not go there. Point is, a computer itself is not smart. Through a lot of years of programming and hard work, a lot of smart people have made computers do really cool things...but contrary to what your grandmother tells you, computers don't just act randomly. They do EXACTLY what you tell them to do and nothing else.\n\nSo you want to figure out 10 billion digits of Pi? It would take a human a lifetime to do that, but a computer may be able to do it in minutes. Because it is one small thing done over and over, very quickly. So is the computer smarter than a person? Or just better at moving numbers around quickly?\n\nOn the other hand, try to have a computer recognize when someone is sad. Pretty hard to do because how do you define sadness? Is it a look, a tear, a tremble in a voice, the way someone is moving? Probably different in different situations. But an infant could do that..hell, even a dog could. In that sense, a computer doesn't have the intelligence of a 2 year old. \n\nTo sum things up, computers are completely awesome, but they do not have any intrinsic intelligence; they are just really good number crunchers. We are still a very long time away from self aware robots.",
"The cool thing about a mind like ours is that it is capable of learning how to solve new problems. Our minds grow. In a computer, we design each solution seperately and while it's possible to make such a solution learn more about the problem it is designed for, we can't then use that information for solving other problems. Each problem is seperate. \n\nFinding a way to make computer systems work like human systems will require either a complete overhaul of how we build and program computers or the availability of computers much, much more powerful than the ones we have now. ",
"I would recommend reading \"On intelligence by Jeff Hawkins\" for a more in-depth understanding.\n\nBut let look a a few reasons. One of the reasons is we are flawed at programming, sometimes we don't understand how we know ,we don't always think of all examples and we don't know what is important to program.\n\nYour brain is a pattern finder, it programs itself, imagine we programmed a robot arm to catch, we teach it projectile motion, the mathematics to move its arm, etc, now it can catch a ball very well.\nWe give it a new task, we blow up a balloon but don't tie the end and we let it go. The rules it's learnt for projectile motion will not work now it has another force acting on it. A human after a few attempts would find patterns and be able to catch it but the machine will never be able to catch it apart from luck. \n\n\n\n"
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3ykugv | if a black hole with the same mass as the sun replaced it and has about the same gravitational force, then would light be able to escape from it the way light is emitted from the sun? | I read somewhere on nasa's website that 1. blackholes can be infinitely small and 2. if a blackhole with the mass of the sun were in its place, earth would orbit it like normal.
Therefore the gravitational forces exerted from both the sun and the blackhole would be the same right? So wouldn't everything just act on the blackhole like things would be act on the sun? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ykugv/eli5_if_a_black_hole_with_the_same_mass_as_the/ | {
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"It would not. While a black hole the same mass as the sun and the sun would have equal gravity for anything outside the radius of the sun, the black hole would have a lot smaller radius. This allows it to have an event horizon, a distance where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape. If you were that close to the center of the sun, a lot of the suns mass would be behind you, pulling away from the center and reducing the gravitational pull. \n\nA black hole only acts like a black hole because its mass is so concentrated into a small area. Far away it pulls the same as anything of similar mass.",
"If it were a black hole, then no, light would by definition not be able to escape it, because that's a what a black hole is.\n\n > Therefore the gravitational forces exerted from both the sun and the blackhole would be the same right? So wouldn't everything just act on the blackhole like things would be act on the sun?\n\nThe overall gravitational force exerted would be the same, yes. But you have to consider that in the sun's case, the source of that gravity (i.e. the sun's mass) is is spread out over a very wide area (the area of the sun in other words). If you brought all of that mass together onto a small point, then all of that gravity is concentrated into a smaller spot. \n\nThink if it this way. The farther away from a mass you get, the less it's gravity acts on you, right? So imagine we split the earth along the equator, and you're standing on the north pole. The mass of the northern hemisphere is exerting more gravity on you than the southern hemisphere is because you're closer to it than you are to the southern hemisphere. Now imagine that you crushed the southern hemisphere into the same space occupied by the northern hemisphere (now you've got one hemisphere under your feet, but double the density), you're going to feel twice the gravity because you're closer to twice as much mass than you were before, even though that mass is still creating the same amount of gravity overall. The gravity is stronger for you because it's more tightly concentrated. Same goes for a star or a black hole. Once you get away from it, then the overall effect on the surrounding space is more or less the same. ",
"The other answers are correct, but to be totally clear: Light would not escape from the black hole itself, but light positioned *at the edge of where the sun would be* could escape, because that position would be well outside the black hole.\n\n\nThe reason it would be outside the black hole is because, since black holes are much denser than stars, a black hole with the same mass as a star must by definition occupy a much smaller space.\n\n\nNaturally, you cannot have a black hole with *both* the same mass and the same size as the sun, because that much mass in that much space simply isn't dense enough to form a black hole (or else our own sun would be one)."
]
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10crr3 | social security in america. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/10crr3/eli5_social_security_in_america/ | {
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"You get a paycheck for doing work, some of your money is automatically taken out (this is the FICA you see on your paycheck) and put into the Social Security program. It's around 7-8% and it only applies to the first $110,100 you earn. Your employer also pays an additional 7-8% directly to them.\n\nIt's designed so the money you're paying right now is going into the hands of the disabled and the elderly. The idea, then, is that if you become disabled or elderly then you'll be able to draw from the program (which will be funded by workers at that time)."
]
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[]
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||
cjwrli | why do some numbers call just to stay silent on the line/ during the message left? what’s the point? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cjwrli/eli5_why_do_some_numbers_call_just_to_stay_silent/ | {
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"text": [
"They check if number is active, also some of the numbers are premium and if you call back they will charge you a lot",
"* Some calls are made by mistake without the knowledge of the caller. \n* If such a call makes it to the recorded message part of a voicemail prompt, it is likely to continue until the voicemail recording session times out. \n* Sometimes toll numbers are called in a billing scam. The details are complex but the main idea is to keep the toll line on the call as long as possible to increase the fee the scammer phone company can collect."
]
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[],
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||
5txwvb | why is cooking at 400° in the oven not the same as cooking at 400° in a deep fryer? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5txwvb/eli5_why_is_cooking_at_400_in_the_oven_not_the/ | {
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"Oil has more heat energy in it per unit volume than air does. That means it has more heat to transfer than air, and does a better job of transferring it.\n\nIt is the same reason that room temperature feels fine, but a swim in room temperature water is very chilly.\n\n\n\n",
"Air doesn't heat objects as well as liquids. Think about being in the desert when it's 95°, then being in the deep south when it's 95°. The water in the air transmits heat more efficiently. Oil is just a liquid doesn't make things soggy. It will boil water out of food, making it crispy.",
"It has to do with the specific heat capacity of the medium. Specific heat capacity is a measurement of how much energy it take to raise 1 ml of a material by 1 degree Celsius. Different materials have different specific heat capacities. Generaly, the denser the object is, the higher it's specific heat capacity. A higher heat capacity means a material can transfer more energy than a material with a lower specific heat capacity.\n\nIn your example, the specific heat capacity of the oil is much higher than that of air. So, at the same temperature, the oil is transferring heat energy faster than the air in the oven. It also explains why the part of the food touching a metal baking sheet burns before the the rest of the that food that does is only exposed to the air."
]
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5xfsap | what happens if a boat drops an anchor and the anchor lands on a submarine? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5xfsap/eli5_what_happens_if_a_boat_drops_an_anchor_and/ | {
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"Ships anchor in shallow waters, so it would be near impossible for the submarine to pass underneath the ship with so little depth available. If, somehow, the sub manages to slip under the ship and gets hit with a falling anchor, I image there would be a lot of damage to the sub. A cargo ship's anchor is 4-5 tonnes of steel travelling at a free fall. Either way, the incident would be reported to all appropriate authorities and the Transportation Safety Bureau would investigate. Without doubt, there would be a lot of blame placed on the sub captain for putting his boat so close underneath a civilian vessel in an anchorage area without establishing communication. The ship's Captain might get in trouble for not verifying that the water was safe to drop the anchor, and for not double checking with the harbour master about possible vessel traffic in the area. The harbour would get in trouble for not properly managing the vessels under their control."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
byfpa9 | how does the moon control ocean currents? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/byfpa9/eli5_how_does_the_moon_control_ocean_currents/ | {
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"text": [
"Well the moon controls the tides. The ocean currents are largely caused by the changes in ocean temperatures and the shape of the contenants. So the moon pulls water where ever it goes and the water has to slosh around all those pesky land bits. \n\nYou can thank the moon for slowing down the Earth's rotation too."
]
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[]
] |
||
fc2ew1 | how does repeated exposure on an image work? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/fc2ew1/eli5_how_does_repeated_exposure_on_an_image_work/ | {
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"text": [
"It's just as the name suggests - it's easier to think of this in film terms. You expose the film to light multiple times. The chemical particles on the film effectively \"collect\" a certain amount light in the time they are exposed, up to a saturation point (which would develop as just white), but until a film is developed, this process will keep happening (hence why you need to keep it dark at all times).\n\nWhen you expose it twice, all you're doing is allowing the film to collect more light. If the film doesn't saturate, then you'll have both pictures on there, but of course any dark areas of the 'second' picture that align with 'light' areas of the first will not affect the final picture as much as light areas on dark.\n\nThe concept is the same digitally - except instead of re-exposing chemicals, you can sum the brightness values of each colour on each pixel."
]
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[]
] |
||
304ys0 | if posture is so important in order to prevent scoliosis (or a curved spine) why do we tend to roll up in a ball when we sleep? does that not make it worse? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/304ys0/eli5_if_posture_is_so_important_in_order_to/ | {
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"Sleeping positions are different because you are lying down. Gravity and weak muscles are the culprits. \n\n**Gravity does not pull the spine into a curve when lying down, only when you are standing or sitting.** \n\nIt requires no muscular strength to resist gravity when lying in bed. \nWhen you sit up or stand, you must either have support from furniture or your muscles and skeleton. \n\nSleeping actually *prevents* spinal problems in two ways: One is the restorative healing nature of sleep, two is the fact that your **spine actually expands & stretches slightly when resting.** \n\n*You can measure this effect with a tape measure and a level.*\n\nTo get **accurate height measurements,** you **must use a level** to insure the mark you make on the wall. Have someone make a mark on the wall while holding the level perfectly level at the exact center of your head.\n\nWhen you compare night-time and morning measurements, you will see that you have \"grown\" overnight! \n\nObviously, you did not really \"grow,\" but rather, you stretched into your greater height while in a supine position. \n\nStretching also helps prevent back problems; So does inversion therapy. Stretching strengthens muscles gently and safely.\n\nInversion stretches the spines gently by cooperating with gravity and letting gravity do the \"work.\" \n\nTogether, stretching and inversion can work wonders."
]
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||
27526y | (ish):what is a quick and concise way to explain how small we are compared to the entire universe? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/27526y/eli5ishwhat_is_a_quick_and_concise_way_to_explain/ | {
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"If you traveled at 10,000 times the speed of light, in a straight line towards the nearest galaxy. Your great-grandchildren would die before you got there.",
"Pale Blue Dot\n\n_URL_0_",
"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space. ~Douglas Adams",
"Just imagine your self as nothing.... that's about it."
]
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"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Pale_Blue_Dot.png"
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1q3k17 | why is it that when i look at bright lights, long slender spikes of light seem to radiate out of the light source? | For example, streetlights on the highway.
Something like [this](_URL_0_)
(sorry for the horrible drawing) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1q3k17/eli5_why_is_it_that_when_i_look_at_bright_lights/ | {
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"text": [
"(I am in no way an expert on the subject, but will try to answer to the best of my abilities)\n\nThis has to do with imperfections on the edge/rim of your pupils. The same effect can be obtained using a photo camera lens with a very small aperture (which basically acts as a pupil, too). Since an aperture is never perfectly round, light tends to everso slightly bend at the imperfections along its rim, resulting in a 'star burst' effect that you usually see in night scenes.\n\nAs for the physics of it: that would be too long to explain here, but you could try [this page](_URL_0_) that explains it in the context of photography. The same applies to your eyes as far as I know.\n\nAgain - I am not an expert so somebody correct me if I'm talking out of my *rse.",
"Nobody tell OP about chromatic aberration. Can't be unseen.",
"[Diffraction spikes](_URL_0_) caused by your eye lashes.\n\nIts a very well documented artifact in telescope imaging. This penomenon is specific to a particular type of telescope: the Newtonian or reflector telescope. The design of these kinds of telescopes require a secondary mirror suspended above the primary mirror. This secondary mirror is held in place by struts that occlude the incomming light. These struts diffract the incomming light and appear as diffraction spikes in an image.\n\nThe same thingh happens when you're eye lashes obstruct the light entering your pupil.",
"_URL_0_\n\nThe light refracts inside your eye due to the angle it is hitting at, and the pattern of light leaving your eye lens forms the flare effects.\n\n"
]
} | [] | [
"http://imgur.com/k4YvmpU"
] | [
[
"http://www.post1.net/biow/entry/diffractive_starburst_effects_on_sun_light_taken_with_nikon_d40_without_starburst_filter"
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[],
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"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction_spike"
],
[
"http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/lens-flare.htm"
]
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|
1s1gs0 | why are old bananas good for banana bread? | Asked above | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1s1gs0/eli5_why_are_old_bananas_good_for_banana_bread/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdsz1pu"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"They are sweeter and much easier to mash."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
27yh0m | how can those who are poor get fat? | Don't they not have money for food? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/27yh0m/eli5_how_can_those_who_are_poor_get_fat/ | {
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"text": [
"Try going to the supermarket sometime and looking at the nutritional information on food vs price. Food that's high in calories, saturated fat, carbohydrates, salts and sugars is cheaper than fresh produce and \"diet\" foods.",
"It's pretty simple, unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food. ",
"Google \"food desert\" to find out how many places don't have access to grocery stores to get fresh, healthy foods, and then check out how much more expensive healthy foods are in your supermarket. Double whammy.",
"Cheap food is incredibly unhealthy."
]
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[],
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|
1mktv9 | what is the difference between resonance and natural frequency? | Does resonance occur when a natural frequency builds up to a certain point? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1mktv9/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_resonance_and/ | {
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"text": [
"Resonance occurs when something is stimulated at its natural frequency. The natural frequency is merely the frequency at which a thing (or system) \"wants\" to resonate. It is possible for there to be more than one. \n \nIf you stimulate a thing/system with a range of frequencies, the non-resonant ones will simply tend to decay rapidly. But the resonant frequencies are where energy can go between two different modes efficiently, so they last a lot longer. For example, a swing on a swingset, or a pendulum. If you can continue to add just a bit of energy into the system at the resonant frequency, you can keep it resonating. "
]
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[]
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|
1n12f6 | why are games like cookie clicker and farmville so addictive? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1n12f6/eli5_why_are_games_like_cookie_clicker_and/ | {
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"There are lots of upgrades and achievements, so there's a lot of instant gratification involved. You do things and you get rewarded - like a dog getting treats or a woman buying things on impulse. Boring things like doing homework and laundry involve no instant gratification - they have no immediate reward. The instant gratification is tied to the neurotransmitter dopamine (a neurotransmitter is something your brain uses to send signals.)",
"Farmville and Cookie Clicker use psychological techniques used in many games prior, but before I explain the games themselves, I'd like to explain the factors surrounding them.\n\n1. Convenience\n\nFarmville ( I can't speak for Cookie Clicker as I have never played it) is found on Facebook and on mobile devices, both platforms that offer a great sense of convenience, and getting it up and ready only requires a few clicks. People will be more prone to engage for this reason.\n\n2. Inclusive\n\nFarmville is simple, and this is important in marketing, especially a scheme relying on word of mouth. The game can be explained in a few sentences, and does not fall into the 'hardcore' genre of games, so the general feeling one gets when hearing of its simplicity is that of it being inclusive, thus attracting exponentially more players. \n\n--- \n\nNow to the games themselves, which as I said before, utilize common techniques.\n\n1. Levels and Achievements \n\nThe human mind is very keen on working to achieve something, and levels give you a very simple and obvious goal to show you that you are making progress; you have obtained something. Achievements are similar, but have an additional factor, the factor of unpredictability. You are unaware of when you will receive an achievement, and as a result, you play more in the hopes that you will. MMOs utilize this in a different way: drops, more specifically rare items that drop from enemies. Studies have shown that animals do the same; if you have them perform an action, and at random give them a prize, they will continue to perform the action in hopes of such. \n\n2. Time-based Progress\n\nSo what happens after you plant things in Farmville? You wait for the plants to grow and then come back to harvest of course. In other words, you're going to leave and you are practically guaranteed to return, to progress in the game, going back to levels and achievements. If you want to progress, you have to keep leaving and coming back, eventually becoming an obvious habit, and of course they have items for sale using real money, but that's another topic. \n\n3. Variety\n\nAs I'm sure you know, there is a plethora of plants and tools in Farmville, even changing the size (another 'level' incentive) and shape, the productivity of your farm. People will spend time exploring these paths and opportunities, and the more they do so, the more they will grow to use the game almost as a drug, or rather, a catalyst for neurotransmitters. \n\n3. The Art\n\nThis is a bit subjective, but the art is simplistic and easy to understand. It has vibrant colors that make differentiation of objects easy, so your brain is less taxed on a small level, allowing you to spend longer sessions playing. \n\n--- \n\nThat's all I can give at this moment. I'm sorry I was brief with my explanations; I need to go to work, but I do hope I at least helped you to understand a bit. \n"
]
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[],
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zcvb9 | basque and eta in spain | I understand they are trying to form an independent socialist nation, but I don't understand why? Was there a lot of mistreatment of the basque people?
| explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zcvb9/eli5_basque_and_eta_in_spain/ | {
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"This is all off the top of my head, so hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can elaborate and/or correct...\n\nThe Basques are an ethnic group that have settled in the area now know as the Basque Country since Roman times (earlier???). There is evidence from Roman writings that they spoke a language different from the rest of the Roman Empire - historians consider this an early version of the current/existing/spoken Basque language. The Basque Country (Euskal Herria) nowadays straddles parts of southern France and northern Spain.\n\nHistorically, the Basques had, and enjoyed, a lot of autonomy - there is a lot of evidence from the Middle Ages onwards showing this.\n\nAnd then the French Revolution occurred, and some civil wars in Spain (not the Spanish Civil War from the 1930's), and things started to change significantly. The French stopped recognising them, as did the Spanish. It is around this time that a lot of people argue that the idea of Basque Nationalism really began.\n\nSince then, there has been a fairly constant argument for an independent Basque state.\n\nAs an aside, the Basques were horribly oppressed by Franco during and after the Spanish Civil War. Some would argue that they were treated as 2nd class citizens. What happened in the town/city of Guernica is an oft-quoted example of Franco's attitude towards Basques. (Picasso's painting of the same name is a homage to this particular event).\n\nETA comes in around the mid-20th century (1950s/60s). I think ETA may have been originally formed by a group of (Marxist, or other left-leaning) students at the time who thought the Basque Nationalist Party weren't doing enough to gain independence. Basically, ETA thought the BNP were too moderate. Frustrated with a peaceful attempt at gaining independence, ETA armed themselves, and so the modern armed conflict in the region began.\n\nPretty abysmal treatment of Basques in prisions - and ETA members in particular - as well as the general treatment of Basques by the Spanish government, all helped create an even more intense atmosphere: aiding in bolstering ETA ranks and general popularity.\n\nI think ETA have been on ceasefire for a couple of years now. Since the 60s though, there have been several ceasefires that have always ended. I'm not suggesting that this one won't continue though - just stating the facts.\n\nI know this explanation was all over the place (and perhaps not explained very well for a 5 year old), but I hope you get the gist."
]
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|
9z44gk | why does it take forever for that last bit of remaining snow on the side of the road to melt? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9z44gk/eli5_why_does_it_take_forever_for_that_last_bit/ | {
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"text": [
"_URL_0_\nNow that’s a snow melt!"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/news/national/how-montreal-is-dealing-with-winters-massive-snowfall/article37997780/"
]
] |
||
2heiza | how come we can not feel the heat of the inner earth if we are only 18 miles above it? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2heiza/eli5_how_come_we_can_not_feel_the_heat_of_the/ | {
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"text": [
"Earth's outter core is 1800 something miles down and you do feel its heat. Its just not much compared to the sun.",
"For the same reason we don't burn to death when a steel forge is fired up from a mile away. The asthenosphere's temperature is between 300 and 500 degrees Celsius. The earth's crust, from the surface to the asthenosphere, is 30 to 50 miles thick. What's more, the earth's crust has an extremely low thermal conductivity. No material exists that has a remotely sufficient specific heat capacity to transfer 500C of heat through 18 miles of (highly insulating) earth."
]
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[],
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||
6ab8zg | logic? | What is logic? What is a logical argument? How does one properly form a logical argument? Is there a way to misuse logic? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6ab8zg/eli5_logic/ | {
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" > What is logic? \n\nLogic is used to deduce and induce things. It's a system of rules that can be built up into bigger things. Little things like \"true\" and \"false\", \"and\" and \"or\", \"if this then that\". They build up into bigger things. Liiiike:\n\n If X is true when Y is false, and Y is true, then what can we say about X? \n\n....Logically? Nothing. \n\nThat might seem really super-obvious, but there's just the two variables and there's really only two clauses. But real-life examples can have dozens to hundreds of variables and a shmorgasboard of rules. [Einsteins Puzzle](_URL_0_) is a classic example of a logic puzzle. All the statements are more or less arbitrary, but.... statements like:\n\n The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.\n\nLets you deduce that whoever smokes Dunhill DOESN'T keep horses. That's logic. Because you can't live next to yourself. \n\n > What is a logical argument? \n\nIt's just one that doesn't violate any logical rules. If someone has an actual legitimate logical error in their argument they're probably bat-shit crazy. Most arguments don't have NEARLY the complexity of Einsteins puzzle. If you can't figure out a couple variables and statement, then you're well past the help of an academic like actual logic.\n\n > How does one properly form a logical argument? \n\nMake statements. Presume them to be true or false, or explain why they're true or false. Explain the logical reasoning for how one thing follows another. \n\n > Is there a way to misuse logic?\n\nSure, since 1+2=Potatoe, then we ought to kill all the gingers. Seems totally logical! \n\nAnd that would be a misuse of logic. \n\n\n\nOR, there are people that just use the term \"logic\" as the alternative to \"feelings\". Which is fucking bullshit. If an argument strays away from any actual statements that can be nailed down, then you're a politician dodging the issue and nothing but garbage is coming out of your mouth. Sadly, this is a skillset for people in politics now. If you never actually say anything, they can't nail you for lying about it. And most feelings about things are just a failure of proper introspection. I feel like murder is a bad idea and we shouldn't do it. Why? Because we've evolved as social creatures and that would tear down the social contract, diminish civilization, and the cops would throw me in jail. See? A perfectly logical basis for why you have those feelings. Lazy fuckers that go with their gut are just using shortcuts. Which are hella useful in a pinch, but if you've got enough time to talk about it, you've got time to think about it. ",
"Logic is mathematical rules applied to thinking.\n\nExamples:\n\nAll humans are mortals + all greek are humans = all greek are mortals.\n\nTake a look at what a [Syllogism](_URL_0_) is and the different kinds, because there are plenty. And there are very strict rules on how to apply and what conclusions can or cannot be drawn.\n\nOne common type of misuse:\n\nAll dogs are brown + All chocolate bars are brown = Dogs are chocolate bars\n\nSilly, right? It happens a lot more than you think.\n\nLet's see:\n\nAll NRA members carry guns + My cousins carry guns = My cousins are NRA members.\n\nAll nazis were German + Angela Merkel is German = Merkel is a nazi.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.davar.net/MATH/PROBLEMS/EINSTEIN.HTM"
],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllogism"
]
] |
|
48t5gu | why do a lot of guys like girls who are younger than them? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/48t5gu/eli5why_do_a_lot_of_guys_like_girls_who_are/ | {
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"Younger women/girls are more often used to portray the classical image of beauty in magazines, movies, marketing, etc. So men are somewhat programmed to believe that is the ideal for which they should search.",
"One reason is reproductive ability. At least historically, a woman's best childbearing years were in her late teens and early 20's; though it's moved into the late 20's and early 30's over the last couple centuries. Men, in contrast, experience increased virility into their 40's and 50's.",
"Women have a smaller window for fertility, so men are instinctively attracted to women who can provide them with offspring.\n\nMen have a wider window, so women are attracted to men who can care for offspring, which often means older men."
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6x5wpr | how do we know that greek philosophers existed? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6x5wpr/eli5_how_do_we_know_that_greek_philosophers/ | {
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"They are in the historical records. You either trust the historical records or you believe everything you have not seen for yourself is fake. The latter is not any way to study history. \n\nWe know their story because it is in the historical record. Being a philosopher means that you were a historian, and many of them taught other historians. Their lives are well documented as a result. "
]
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||
5mjxu6 | why are even numbered houses on one side of the road and odd on the other? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5mjxu6/eli5_why_are_even_numbered_houses_on_one_side_of/ | {
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"Same in the US. \n \nOrganization and efficiency. \n \nThink of odd numbers as red and evens as green. Makes a lot more sense to have the reds on one side and the greens on the other. ",
"Convenience.\n\nYou start numbering from one *end* of the street, so people know how far down that street they will have to go to find the number.\n\nYou number the houses as you go. One on one side, the next on the other side, and so on. In a perfect world they would always line up so it would work out as being odds and evens anyway. However, sometimes they don't line up perfectly, but they keep odds on one side and evens on the other anyway since that tells you which side the number is on while you are driving.\n\nSo you know which side of the street to look for and how far down you need to go.",
"It's the french's fault (they started it)\n\nBut basically it's done that way just because it's done that way - it was originally done for the benefit of the postal service.\n\nI can't remember which side is which (google says odd left and even right) but it was originally based on which side was closest to the centre of town (the post office back then) so it was always possible to orient yourself. ",
"Where I live, Odd and Even correspond to cardinal directions. North sides of streets are odd, even is south; West sides of avenues are odd, even is east.\n\nAddresses are based on distance from the American border to the south and from the ocean to the west.\n\nIt's really easy to figure out where any given house is even without knowing cross streets or anything.",
"If you're walking down the street looking for a particular building, you already know which side you should start looking on.\n\nIf the house number is 123, I'd know right away to start looking on the odd side of the street.",
"It isn't always that way. \n\nI live at number 26. My direct neighbours are number 25 & 27. But I live off the road with a path directly outside with the road and parking at the end of the path."
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1kqgw0 | why it is easier to pull something like a wagon or dolly over an obstacle than push it. | So I spent a great deal of time this week carrying cases of wine on a hand-dolly through a door and over a small step. It is much, much easier to go through myself first and pull the cart instead of pushing the cart first. I can't figure out why- maybe angular force? Thanks! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1kqgw0/why_it_is_easier_to_pull_something_like_a_wagon/ | {
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"When you push it's at a downward angle \n\n./\n\nYou end up pushing down into the obstacle.\n\nWhen you pull it's at an upwards angle.\n\n.\\\n\nCausing it to pull over.\n\nThe only way this wouldn't be true is if the obstacle is at the same hight as the point you are pushing from, which would just be a wall.",
"It's not \"angular force,\" assuming that you mean torque.\n\nThere's a trick in physics and math called \"vector decomposition,\" which is what /u/briant1234 was talking about. Lots of things in physics are what we call *vectors*, which is a type of \"number\" that has both a direction and a magnitude (strength).\n\nVelocity, for example, is a vector. When you have a velocity, you have both a speed and a direction of travel (in physics, \"speed\" is just speed, whereas \"velocity\" has a direction as well).\n\nSo, let's say your velocity is 14 mph northeast. What we can do is \"decompose\" your velocity into north and east \"components.\" If you travel at 14 mph to the northeast, you're traveling 10 mph directly to the north and 10 mph directly to the east. This is what a decomposition is: it's breaking \"14 mph northeast\" into \"10 mph north and 10 mph east.\"\n\nWe can also apply decomposition to a force, which is what you're applying to the wagon to make it move. Specifically, we'll break it into a horizontal component and a vertical component.\n\nWhether you push or pull, the horizontal component of force is the same (assuming you can push just as hard as you can pull). It's always just forwards.\n\nHowever, if you pull, the *vertical* component of the force is generally upwards. In contrast, when you push, the vertical component is downwards. Since your goal is to clear an obstacle on the ground, you need to apply an upwards force to the wagon.\n\nThat's why pulling it is easier: you're helping the wagon clear the obstacle by pulling up as well as to the side. When you push, you're actually making it harder, because you're pushing it down into the obstruction."
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1gfsvs | how did plants appear on land when all life started in the ocean? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1gfsvs/eli5_how_did_plants_appear_on_land_when_all_life/ | {
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"text": [
"Just as with animals plants grew in shallower and shallower water... then at the edge of the water... then on the land. A gradual 'evolution' from aquatic to terrestrial."
]
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||
fopu3i | why do instant noodles have so much less calories than normal noodles? | Like a packet of instant noodles has ~76 kcal per 100 gram, prepared. But a packet of rice noodles has ~347 kcal per 100 grams | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/fopu3i/eli5_why_do_instant_noodles_have_so_much_less/ | {
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"The magical word is \"prepared\" that meant for the soup when you mix water and noodles and the rest of the stuff in the packet. \n\nThe values for rice noodles are for the product as it is in the packet. \n\nIf the energy is the same when dried and it contains 85g of dried noodles the weight of a serving is 347\\*85/76=388g. So you need to add 300g =3 dl (1 and a quarter cup) of water.\n\nSo if the packet s 85g and say to add 3 dl of water the energy density is identical in the two products.\n\nMy instant noodle has a listing of 410kcal for the packet so 482kcal per 100 grams and my rice noodles are at 375kcal per 100g. So instant noodles have higher energy density because they contain more fat 21g/100g vs 1.2g/100g."
]
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[]
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|
4ndvhz | what is the difference between opening a new business, and a "startup"? isn't the beginning of every new business a "startup"? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4ndvhz/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_opening_a_new/ | {
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"A startup usually refers to a company trying to grow quickly. A lot of small businesses don't mind being small.",
"The main difference is a startup is a business that doesn't have anything to sell yet:\n\n* Regular Restaurant - I just borrowed a quarter million dollars, rented space, hired staff, bought equipment and supplies, and now I am really to sell you a meal.\n* Startup Restaurant - I have a real cool idea for a restaurant, that will revolutionize the industry. I still have to do a lot of research and experimentation before I am ready to open, but I want you to invest in it anyway.\n\nObviously, startups are risky to invest in, because is no guarantee they will make money. But if they do have the new idea that revolutionizes the industry, they can be very lucrative. "
]
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[],
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||
2sitk1 | if the ingredient caramel color is known to cause cancer, why is it so widely used? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2sitk1/eli5_if_the_ingredient_caramel_color_is_known_to/ | {
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"**Some** types of this artificial coloring contain a **potentially** carcinogenic chemical called 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI). \n \nIn 2007, a federal government study concluded that 4-MeI caused cancer in mice and the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined the chemical to be **“possibly carcinogenic to humans”** in 2011. \n \nThere’s no federal limit for levels of 4-MeI in foods and beverages."
]
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||
92v9af | why do mountains have a gray, hazy appearance from a distance? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/92v9af/eli5_why_do_mountains_have_a_gray_hazy_appearance/ | {
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"Contrary to first appearance the air isn't perfectly transparant. Over large distances it starts to form a faint blue haze. Disturbances in the air or a heat current can further distort the view, which is why faint stars twinkle when viewed from earth. Their light gets slightly distorted as the athmosphere moves and flows. ",
"I teach a lesson to students about [atmospheric perspective](_URL_0_). \n\nThe way I explain it is in order to see something, light needs to bounce off that object and enter our eyes. The atmosphere around us messes with that light before it enters our eyes. The more atmosphere between you and the object you're viewing, the more the light is messed with. \n\nIt's good for showing space in artwork.",
"The atmosphere (the air) is in the way and scatters the light. This causes the haziness (which usually is slightly blue). \n\nPhotographers used to use a \"skylight filter\" on their cameras, which is a slightly \"warm\" filter, i.e. it reduces blue a little bit in the pictures (with digital camers, you can fix the blueish tint on your computer).\n\nInterestingly, this haze due to the atmosphere caught people out a bit when they saw the pictures from the moon landings - there is no atmosphere on the moon (edit: actually there is one, but barely), so there is also no haze when you look at distant mountains. This makes things which are several kilometers away look to our brain as if they are only a couple hundred meters away, because the haze is missing. For example, the mountains in the background of [this picture](_URL_0_) are several kilometers away (and several hundred meters high).\n",
"Nobody has mentioned the [Tyndall_effect](_URL_0_) or [Rayleigh scattering](_URL_1_) yet. One of which (probably Rayleigh) explains best why blue light is scattered more than the other colours. "
]
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],
[
"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndall_effect",
"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh_scattering"
]
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||
51cenr | why do people have a sort of 'stuttering inhalation' during and after a crying session? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/51cenr/eli5_why_do_people_have_a_sort_of_stuttering/ | {
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"Crying throws off your respiratory system, which throws off your oxygen levels in your body. In order to balance the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels the diaphragm has to work a little differently than it normally does (steady breaths) and gives you the mild hyperventilation. "
]
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||
3csx8l | if gravity propagates at the speed of light why can gravity escape a black hole but not light? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3csx8l/eli5_if_gravity_propagates_at_the_speed_of_light/ | {
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"Gravity propagates at speed of light but it's not a Thing. It's just a curvature in space-time. Light, even though it's Magic, is a Thing(Particle or Wave, depending on the mood).",
"Someone may have a more precise answer, but basically, gravity is not a force, it's a curvature of space-time. It doesn't \"radiate\" out from a massive object, it collapses the space-time around it and other objects in the space-time around it fall towards it. \nThus it's not that a black hole is sending out gravity to \"pull\" an object. The other object is being sort of pushed towards it because it's in the space-time that's collapsing in the black hole's direction. \n\nImagine you're in a pool and a hole instantly opened up at the bottom. The hole isn't pulling you into it, the water is taking you with it down the hole.\n\nSo I'm not exactly sure of the speed of gravity or whether it's faster than light, but it doesn't matter. The point is it doesn't need to be faster than light because it's not necessarily coming from the black hole, it's coming from behind the object accelerating towards it."
]
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4q9ll1 | if making flour white takes effort and it removes nutrition, why isn't everything whole-grain? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4q9ll1/eli5_if_making_flour_white_takes_effort_and_it/ | {
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"Originally flour was bleached (white stuff added) to help enable the gluten proliferation and allow it to be more doughey?? allowing less to be used to make more bread. People got used to that and we love carbs so for the most part you will find flour that isn't pure wheat flour but has different agents added. \n \n"
]
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||
4nezie | how do driverless cars handle intense weather like really heavy rain, snow, or hail? wouldn't the sensors be impaired? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4nezie/eli5_how_do_driverless_cars_handle_intense/ | {
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"First of all, today they don't. Google has said publicly that their driverless cars aren't ready to handle that kind of weather yet, and no other car claims to be able to handle it. That's one of many reasons why driverless cars aren't allowed on public roads without a licensed human driver at the wheel ready to take control at any moment.\n\nSomeday, they'll probably be able to handle it.\n\nRemember, our sensors are impaired too! Our sensors are our eyes and our ears, plus our perception of the movement of the car. In heavy weather we can't see as well or hear as well - so we need to drive more slowly to account for the increased difficulty.\n\nSomeday driverless cars will be able to handle it too. Yes, their sensors will be impaired, but they'll do the best they can because they'll be trained in those conditions and they'll know what speeds are safe. Remember, they don't have to drive perfectly to make sense, they just have to drive better than a human driver.\n\nConsidering how many accidents humans cause in those conditions, I don't think it will be that hard for machines to do better.\n",
"Part of the sensors role is to detect weather conditions like ice and snow. They can detect very accurately how much grip they have on the road and will slow down in hazardous conditions. However a very sudden change may be difficult, but that would also be the same for a normal driver.",
"Driverless cars are fairly new. The immediate presumption people have when faced with something new is to throw it out if it isn't perfect.\n\n > Wouldn't the sensors be impaired?\n\nWouldn't the designers and manufacturers plan for this? My 2007 Chevy can tell what direction I'm facing and the temperature and check conditions to warn about ice. It knows my tires' pressure and warns me when there are issues with the car. Why wouldn't cars a decade newer be able to do this and do it better?\n\nSimply put, sensors account for this as well. You already having things like ABS for such conditions, and the sensors would just be an extension of what's already in place.",
"As everyone has mentioned, today they don't. \n\nBut in the future, if say all cars are connected either to the Internet or another subnet, each should know each other's positions. ",
"Driverless cars are not to the point in development that we have answers for this. They are still in very early testing and methods for handling those conditions have not yet been developed yet alone implemented. ",
"I don't have a driverless car but I do have a car with sonar, used for parking, lane changing, and adaptive cruise control.\n\nIn heavy rain the sensors for all of those features worked just fine. However, in heavy snow, it was useless. Interestingly enough, the car knew this so it just gave a \"unavailable\" message instead of incorrect readings.",
"The idea that autonomous drivers simply need to be better than human drivers is nice... But if a single autonomous car kills a human it'll be a PR nightmare. I don't think humans can ideologically deal with any death by machine in a public forum. "
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47dzv5 | why when an object (i.e. a pencil) is dragged with considerable force and pressure across your skin, does the skin become irritated and begin to turn red? | Or even when someone slaps a large exposed area of your skin does it consequently turn red? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/47dzv5/eli5_why_when_an_object_ie_a_pencil_is_dragged/ | {
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"Enough force and pressure will actually damage the skin. The redness is the blood rushing to the area to deal with the irritation, give that area the necessary nutrients it needs to repair, sending more blood will make sure enough white-blood-cells are there to deal with/prevent any infection in case there was an actual break in the skin. "
]
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|
55148k | why is iron important in the human body | ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/55148k/eli5_why_is_iron_important_in_the_human_body/ | {
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"text": [
"It binds to haemoglobin (the stuff in your red blood cells) and makes it work, haemoglobins' job is to carry oxygen around your body, so if you have no iron, you have no oxygen carrying stuff which means you have no oxygen which means dead."
]
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|
49l0fh | why do republicans only require 1,237 delegates for a nomination while democrats require 2,383? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/49l0fh/eli5_why_do_republicans_only_require_1237/ | {
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"Because there are 2,475 delegates at the GOP convention and 4,766 at the Democratic convention. The number of delegates really isn't important -- what's important is the percentage of the total delegates they get, because both parties require a majority of the delegates to become a nominee.",
"Political parties are considered private organizations and get to set their own rules for how they nominate their candidate for president. The Democrats have decided that more candidates is important while the Republicans have decided that fewer works well enough for them.",
"Each party makes its own set of rules for picking the party's candidate, so there's no reason why the Democrats and Republicans would have identical systems. The Democrats assign more delegates to certain states and they have more unpledged delegates (so-called \"superdelegates), so more delegates come to their convention. With more delegates voting, the more votes are needed to reach a majority. "
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f9oepb | how does moisture from air/breath/saliva render surgical mask filters porous and thus ineffective? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/f9oepb/eli5_how_does_moisture_from_airbreathsaliva/ | {
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"The mask just soaks up the saliva which gives the bacteria or virus a medium to bypass the mask through that matches their ideal environment, warm and damp."
]
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||
f2yu9m | what does a beers gravity mean? | I’m having a hard time grasping what a beer’s gravity means. I’ve searched and see terms like Original Gravity and Final Gravity. Then somehow ABV is found out through this process. Need helping understanding the whole gravity thing. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/f2yu9m/eli5_what_does_a_beers_gravity_mean/ | {
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"In fermentation of alcoholic beverages gravity refers to the relative density of the wort or must compared to water. \n\n & #x200B;\n\nThe density of a wort mostly depends on the sugar content of the wort. During fermentation yeast converts sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The decline in the sugar content and the presence of ethanol (which is appreciably less dense than water) lower the density of the wort. The percentage of alcohol can be calculated from the difference between the original gravity (abbreviated OG) of the wort and the current specific gravity (abbreviated SG) of wort. \n\nBy monitoring the decline in SG over time you learn about the health and progress of the ferment and you know it's done when gravity stops declining. If the fermentation is finished, the specific gravity is called the final gravity (FG). If you're making beer, your OG could be 1.050 and FG could be 1.010.",
"Specific Gravity is the ratio between a substance's density and the density of a reference substance, usually water.\n\nFor the purpose of calculating ABV, you use the Original Gravity and Final Gravity (the specific gravity before and after adding priming sugar at bottling, respectively).",
"The term is \"specific gravity\", it's a measure of density relative to water (which has an SG of 1.000). The initial wort might have a SG of 1.050, other tools might read out Plato units (12˚P) for the same wort, this is the same brix scale used for wine grapes.\n\nWhat you hope is that fermentation will turn some of this sugar into alcohol. By measuring the SG at the end, you can computer how much alcohol was added into the beer.",
"Gravity is the measure of a liquid's density relative to water at a specified temperature. When brewing the difference in density is a result of dissolved, fermentable sugars. \n\nSince alcohol is the result of those sugars fermenting, we can figure out the final result based on how much \"fuel\" is left.\n\nIf I say, \"I have eggs, how many fried eggs can you make?\" You can't know. But if I say \"I have a dozen eggs, how many fried eggs can you make?\" You know it takes 1 egg to make a fried egg, so you can make a dozen.",
"I brew mead, which is basically wine/cider made from honey and water.\n\nWater has a gravity of 1.0\n\nI mix in honey (I personally use the ratio 7 liters of water : 2 liters or 3kg Honey). I assume that my honey has a gravity of around 1.5, as it's much heavier than water and 2 liters weights about 3kg.\n\nI use a hydrometer to measure the gravity of the mixture. This usually gives me a gravity of around 1.1 (**Original Gravity**)\n\nI add in some yeast, which turns the sugar in the honey into alcohol and carbon dioxide (bubbles that escape).\n\nOnce the fermentation is done in about 2 weeks, I measure the **Specific Gravity** at that time. My last batch measured 1.004. This number can change based on many variables during the fermenting process (temperature, nutrients, type of honey, type of yeast, quality of water, etc).\n\nI take the OG - SG and times it by 131.25 to get my alcohol percentage.\n\n(1.100 - 1.004) \\* 131.25 = 12.6\n\nMy mead is approximately 12.6% alcohol."
]
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9zhlre | why are the lagrange points so interesting? | I've noticed quite a bit of emphasis on these points in space when it comes to astronomy. But I don't get why they are so fascinating. Or if they are exclusive to Earth? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9zhlre/eli5_why_are_the_lagrange_points_so_interesting/ | {
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"They're not fascinating, they're useful parking spots\n\nLagrange points are where the gravity between two objects are equal. They occur between any two bodies in space\n\nWe like putting satellites like Kepler and JWST at Lagrange points because it let's them observe an area for longer. If they orbit Earth then they're whipping around Earth which puts them in the sun occasionally. The L2 point is always in Earth's shadow so it keeps the satellite out of direct sunlight so their sensitive equipment says cool and can spot dim planets",
"They exist on any 2 orbiting bodies. They are just points where the gravity pull from both bodies plus the centrifuge force (of your orbit) cancel each others.\n\nThat makes it quite easy to stay at those spots.",
"They're interesting quirks of gravity that are present for any two bodies in space. Some of them will hold an object in position at the Lagrange point even as the two bodies move, which is neat. We're going to send the James Webb space telescope to a Lagrange point one of these days, if we can ever get the damn thing built and launched."
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1klyjv | how does evolution work in regards to things we learn? | I got into a debate with someone yesterday about genes and evolution. My question was, if males today have higher and higher hand eye coordination than females does that mean males in the future will continue to have higher hand eye than females? How does evolution "decide" what should become more advanced and what shouldn't? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1klyjv/how_does_evolution_work_in_regards_to_things_we/ | {
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"text": [
"Evolution does not mean it will be good for the specie or the specific gene. All it means is, if it gives an advantage to passing on the gene, it is likely to prevail in subsequent generations. \n\nIf a mutation showed up that gave males really super good hand eye coordination, and for some reason females found it attractive and preferred to mate with then over those who don't, this will be favoured. \n\nHope this makes sense...\n\n"
]
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[]
] |
|
6e8tdv | why is it always recommended to take vitamins/supplements in the morning? | Anytime I'm on any kind of supplement, or vitamin, it's always suggested to be taken in the morning. Why does that matter? Will it not have the same potency if I take them in the afternoon or evening? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6e8tdv/eli5_why_is_it_always_recommended_to_take/ | {
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"text": [
"I don't think when you take them matters.\n\nIt is recommended to take them in the morning because most people have a consistent and straight forward routine that doesn't really change each day.\n\nIf you decide to take your vitamins every morning after you brush your teeth. Brushing your teeth is your routine and is a queue to take your vitamins, versus defining a time and having to worry about hitting the mark each day or worrying about logistics of where your vitamins are at lets say 4PM where you could be doing a number of different things at that time."
]
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|
dci0vw | why do few animal species have female-dominant hierarchies? | The only one I can think are elephants. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dci0vw/eli5_why_do_few_animal_species_have/ | {
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"Female bear the young (in general see seahorses) which means they have to devote a significant amount of resources to breeding, leaving the males to grow larger and stronger all they have to do is out compete the other males, the biggest and strongest animal in a group normally determines who is boss.",
"Orcas, bonobos, honeybees, ants, lemurs, spotted hyenas, mole rats, and meerkats are also dominated by females.",
"If you look at insects tat live in colonies like ants or bees they are the queen and sterile female female workers. They have a few fertile male drones that mates with new queens. So the are female dominant and almost female exclusive species.\n\nCloser to use you have Bonobos that was known in the past as pygmy chimpanzee that are lead by females. \nFemale Spotted Hyenas are larger then the males and dominate the groups. \nMeerkats, Mole Rats and Killer Whales are other examples.\n\nSo it is not that few but in most case it is like the other post say that the males is larger and more dominant. \nMost species of animal do not live in hierarchies or live alone so you do not have a dominant sex.",
"Depends on what you mean by dominant. Bees and ants have queens, and they are very important to the hives but are they dominant? Yes, maybe? \n\nWolf packs don't have an alpha male as much as they have an alpha pair. \n\nFemale cats are more territorial than the males. Male cats may make more of a ruckus between them, but maybe that's because no cat in their right mind will mess with a female grumpy cat who wants them off her lawn.\n\nIf you talk about visible and easily recognizable displays of dominance like fighting, it's probably because females in their best years spend a significant part of their time being pregnant or caring for the young ones. TLDR: Fighting while pregnant is a bad idea. \n\nHowever, dominance isn't necessarily about chest thumping and fighting, either."
]
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[],
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|
3kc3ge | if i need to be rescued (from forest, sea, war, etc), who pays for it? | Here are a couple scenarios. If I crash my private plane in the mountains or if my sailboat capsizes and the coast guard has to come get me, or if I get captured by ISIS and the SEALs have to come kick down the door, do they send me a bill? What does something like this cost? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3kc3ge/eli5_if_i_need_to_be_rescued_from_forest_sea_war/ | {
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"If you are on public lands (parks, nature preserves…) the taxpayers pay for it, and as long as you were not doing something illegal, you'll not have to pay a dime. If you *were* doing something illegal you can be fined for reckless behaviors. ",
"It depends on whether you are negligent or not. If you are doing something dumb you will get some bills, but even these would be a fraction of the cost. If it's purely you in a bad situation, tax payers. You wouldn't be billed for an international matter...that's money that you (most likely) couldn't afford and there is no point in recuping .001% from you. ",
"A friend and I were exploring some local islands in kayaks when it got ridiculously windy, wasn't in the forecast at all. Beautiful summer day went for shit in no time flat. Members of the amazing local marine rescue were out helping people get off the water in their Cyclone Zodiacs. They saw us sitting on some rocks just waiting things out. Came over and directed us to come down and speak to them. Made sure we were okay then offered us a ride, boats and all, back to where we had launched. 40 knot winds might come up instantly but the effects last a while so we said sure, better than waiting who knows how long. They asked if we had cell phones, of course we did, they asked us to call dispatch and tell them we were pinned down and worried and needed rescue. At our look of confusion they said if they had a recorded request for help they could cross reference that to the conditions and nothing would come of it. If they simply just gave us a lift because we were scared or exhausted then the directors would mail us bills for the rescue, roughly $300 split between the two of us. Made no sense at all but eager to get out of the storm we did as told. We looked into it after and apparently they must rescue anyone who flags them down, no questions asked, but unless you're in the water or otherwise in immediate danger they will follow up and try to get paid. Having us requesting rescue means that wouldn't happen. They had our names and got our plate number off the car once they dropped us off. We were never contacted. I've since heard of people who were simply being stupid and losing track of time then panicking and calling for help only to receive bills at a future time. I'm not sure I understand the reason unless it's to deter abuse of the system. ",
"This varies depending on where you are. Some parts of the world you'll probably be left on your own for some while, even if you took out insurance before you set out. When governments issue passports they sometimes provide guidance on what to expect, along with recommendations to check for updates and take suitable precautions.\n\nWhere I am in the UK, we have lots of different volunteer organisations that do mountain rescue, cave rescue, sea rescue. Some are local and others are national. They're all proud of their traditions and work hard at fund-raising. People who've been rescued often make a donation afterwards, as a sign of appreciation. Usually these groups are run by experienced people with good networks of reliable contacts, who have the best equipment and know how to handle themselves in tough conditions; but it also means they can easily get over-stretched if two or more incidents need acting on at the same time - which is why it's always a good idea to know your own capabilities before embarking on risky adventure activities.\n\nA few years back my brother died in a road traffic accident. My dad had to pay an ambulance bill for them going out and collecting his corpse. Apparently the bill was *necessary* for two reasons: the RTA happened outside his county of residence; and some crap about an emergency vehicle being inappropriate when the person had already expired (I joke not!)"
]
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2sh1ra | what, are teeth not important in our overall health? why are dental braces so expensive, and why are they not covered by majority of dental insurance? | And if that is not good enough the dental insurance have a Max annual benefit amount of what $1000-$1500. Mean (from what i understand) that is the max they will pay overall annually for any and/or/all procedures per person. Plus, can you guys please tell me a good dental insurance tool.
| explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2sh1ra/eli5what_are_teeth_not_important_in_our_overall/ | {
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"My experience with dental insurance is that it usually sucks anyway, and that a lot of dental services are very costly. However, I think that braces are often be considered cosmetic adjustments. Yeah, janky teeth can suck, but generally they won't kill you. Now, my personal belief is that braces are worth so much more than you pay for them, but not everyone agrees. \nThe max benefits are an insurance's way of contributing to something, but not guaranteeing coverage for something that doesn't always cost the same, depending on what needs to be done. \n\nIf you need these services and they're not covered or you don't have insurance, Care Credit is usually available. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
1obltt | do gifs move after you've scrolled past them? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1obltt/do_gifs_move_after_youve_scrolled_past_them/ | {
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"That is kind of a philosophical question, isn't it?\n\nIf the web browser is using cpu cycles to figure out what a part of a web page that it isn't displaying looks like, it is wasting those cpu cycles. Looking at chrome cpu usage on my computer, it seems that when I scroll an animated gif off screen, the cpu usage drops.\n\nSo, no.",
"In your browser, no, in less optimised software it might do, you'll notice though that it still *progresses* when it's off screen, at that point it's not rendering each frame, which in computer terms means reading the image out and colouring in the pixels for each frame, it's just counting the time since it started and when you scroll back to it it picks up where it would be had you never scrolled past it.\n\nOptimisations like this are why browsers and such are able to have so many gifs playing on a pong scrolling page like tumblr or reddit with RES installed, otherwise so many cpu cycles would have to be used for rendering every frame of every image on the page that it would freeze up past a few pages of scrolling.",
"Undefined. Implementation dependent.",
"How do you know the internet is there at all after youve scrolled past?",
"\"Hey, guys, he's gonne! We can stop moving! Oh, shit! He's coming back!\"",
"No. \n\nIn software user interface, there is this thing called \"view recycling\". The idea is to make the software perform as efficiently as possible, in terms of both memory and CPU usage. \n\nWhen you scroll down a page, you're really only looking at a particular segment of the page. From a computer's perspective, it only needs to spend its resources on that particular segment of the page. \n\nThe rest of the page is said to be thrown away for it to grab later when you scroll up. If the algorithm is implemented correctly, this will optimize the browser's runtime resource usage. ",
"If a tree falls but no one's around to hear it, does it make a noise? ",
"old versions of internet explorer kept track of the image index on all open windows, I no that for a fact.\n\n\nnew browsers like chrome do as well, if the gif is on the same page as you are and you scroll past it, then browser keeps counting, as if you were looking at it. but it does not render the frame.\n\n\nhowever it doesn't keep counting if it's on a different tab, like it pauses.",
"If a gif moves in the forrest and nobody sees it move does it still move? "
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||
r66hm | for the people that answer eli5 questions: a challenge! | I found out that there is a contest that the answerers of ELI5 might find interesting to enter - [The Flame Challenge](_URL_0_), which is a challenge from Alan Alda to explain what a flame is to an 11 year old, in language they can understand and relate to. Seems perfect for you guys, since you're used to working with 5 year olds!
Entering is easy and is explained on the website. Good luck! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/r66hm/for_the_people_that_answer_eli5_questions_a/ | {
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"text": [
"[link](_URL_0_) for the lazy - and i'll give it a try.\n",
"This has been done on ELI5 a hundred times already, use the search function",
"[Feynman has definitely already won this forever](_URL_0_)"
]
} | [] | [
"http://flamechallenge.org"
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[
"http://www.flamechallenge.org/"
],
[],
[
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITpDrdtGAmo"
]
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|
33h4ix | why do some people get the sudden urge to pee while hiding? | Like when you played hide and seek as a kid. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/33h4ix/eli5_why_do_some_people_get_the_sudden_urge_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"cqkt6wi"
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"text": [
"Fight or flight response. Basically in order to conserve energy for the eventual flight or fight the body shuts down non-essential activities. It requires muscle control to keep urine in so that gets shut down and suddenly you get the urge to pee. Other responses can include vomiting or pooping your pants but there are degrees of control that you lose."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2wczof | whether or not trans-women have a competitive advantage over cis women at sports? | _URL_0_
Read this article. Read stuff Joe Rogan and others have said. Poked and prodded around and can't really figure out. Both sides have information that seems to logically support them, but I'm having a hard time verifying any of it.
I hear men are born with thousands of more muscle fibers than women, and that their skulls, jaws and fists are bigger/denser. But I also know the process of reassigning your gender is super harrowing, so it's not as simple as "you were a man once so you are always as strong as you were then." Granted, everywhere I got the information from seemed to have more of an agenda than necessarily wanting to get real solid facts out there.
So, I turn to ELI5, a seemingly impartial moderator, to ask for some sort of guidance on this topic! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2wczof/eli5_whether_or_not_transwomen_have_a_competitive/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Male muscle mass is lost on hormone treatments, that much is not really up for debate. In fact, a typical post-op trans woman actually has *less* testosterone than her cis counterparts, so she'll have even less hormonally-based muscle mass.\n\nBone structure, for someone who transitions post-puberty, does not change. The question is whether thicker bones unsupported by stronger muscles provide a competitive advantage, and at the moment I do not think there is compelling evidence to suggest that they do. So far as I know there is no study on this subject specifically.\n\nWhat I can say is that the Olympics [has permitted trans athletes](_URL_0_) since 2004, and there's been a distinct lack of trans women curbstomping cis women in the decade since. If there were a considerable advantage, one would expect to see it there - if trans women were even proportionally represented, there should be a couple in each Olympic Games. But to date, so far as I know, not a single trans woman has ever even qualified.\n\nFallon Fox in particular is a weak example - she's only fought six bouts, and all of her bouts were against opponents with already-poor records. Although I have to admit I'm a little annoyed to see her blowing off legitimate questions as \"misogynistic\"."
]
} | [] | [
"http://grantland.com/features/grantland-qa-fallon-fox/"
] | [
[
"http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/05/17/olympics.transsexual/"
]
] |
|
2n64tq | why does the government permit lethal habits like alcoholism and sometimes drug addiction? | I see these kinds of habits being under "addiction" category and its "your responsibility", but the amount of 'accidents' and unfortunate events that follow in spite of these legalities confuses me as to reasons why these things that cause lethal consequences are even conceivable. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2n64tq/eli5_why_does_the_government_permit_lethal_habits/ | {
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"text": [
"I'm sure it has nothing to do with the huge amount of tax charged on tobacco and alcohol goods.\n\nPlus the likes of prohibition didn't work as well as was hoped last time. I think humans have to take some responsibility for their actions - in the same way that most of us choose not to throw ourselves in front of traffic most days. ",
"The government has no power to prevent alcoholism or drug addiction. They can make these things illegal, but anti-alcohol/drug laws have been shown to be ineffective. Prohibition didn't work and created a great deal of violent well-funded gangs and corruption.\n\nToday lots of drugs are illegal, but people still use illegal drugs if they choose to."
]
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[],
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|
2uiubc | why do americans still use cheques in the 21st century? | European guy here. It just seems like such an outdated system to me... A check is just a piece of paper, you run the risk of losing it or destroying it at any moment. If you're given a check, you have to physically go to the bank in order to have it deposited in your account.
Don't you people have online banking? In Europe, your employer transfers the money directly to your bank account via the internet. We practically don't have to go to the bank ever... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2uiubc/eli5_why_do_americans_still_use_cheques_in_the/ | {
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"text": [
"Checks are very rarely used in the US, but since they are still allowed, there are a few oddballs that still use them, typically older people from a couple of generations back.",
"It is outdated. Losing or destroying it isn't that big a deal; we still have \"paper\" money and that isn't impossible to keep track of. You don't necessarily need to go to the bank to make a deposit, you can often just send in a photo of the check and have it processed that way. Most people do use direct deposit for their paycheck.\n\nIf you have the impression most people in the US are regularly writing checks you are wrong. Old people and occasional use is more the norm.",
"Well except for France of course, where a lot of people still pay with the bloody things (or get paid with them).\n\nThey're used less and less, but we've still got quite a few people using them.",
"Banker dude here. The short answer is, in large part, Americans do not use checks anymore. The percentage of people under the age of 40 who use checks regularly is a very small percentage. (Since I opened my last checking account in 2009, I've probably used less than 5 checks in total). \n \nMost money is transferred electronically these days. In fact, for many businesses, if you hand/send them a check, they'll take the account/routing information off the bottom of the check and turn it into a preauthorized ACH debit instead. Physical paper checks are almost never sent between banks anymore, since the advent of the Check 21 Act about a decade ago, nearly all banks will just send electronic images of the checks between them. \n \nCheck usage in the United States peaked in the late 1990's, and has been declining ever since, currently at a rate of about 9% a year. For tons more information about it, check out the [2013 Federal Reserve Payments Study](_URL_0_) (conducted once every 3 years)."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://www.frbservices.org/files/communications/pdf/research/2013_payments_study_summary.pdf"
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|
1sot31 | in a black hole's event horizon, you see things that have been sucked in a black hole, right? does that mean someone would see everything that have ever gone into that black hole if you were to look at its event horizon? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1sot31/eli5_in_a_black_holes_event_horizon_you_see/ | {
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"text": [
"Not exactly. The way the time dilation works, the object seems to be perpetually falling, but it also dims exponentially. It would be unobservable very quickly to an outside observer just for lack of light/radiation."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
3bdhb6 | why don't news shows have to censor brands but tv shows do? | Like a lot of time shirts with brands are censored on sitcoms but while reporting news they don't have to censor things like that. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3bdhb6/eli5_why_dont_news_shows_have_to_censor_brands/ | {
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"text": [
"News companies don't have to censor anything by law.\n\nThey self censor, hencr why they can show gore and advertising",
"Usually the brands are censored on TV shows because the producers of the show either asked for the brand to pay for an endorsement op and they said no, or they don't want to piss off any brands that did endorse the show by putting another brand on for free.\n\nPlus there's always a risk that the brand owners may not want their product endorsed on your show and would sue because of it. (This happened on Heroes when they used an Insinkerator branded disposal to chop Claire's hand to pieces)\n\nLocal and national news get a pass because they are just showing clips of real life locations that happen to contain advertising. ",
"It's already been answered correctly, TV shows don't have to censor, they just choose to sometimes.\n\n But fun fact: Seinfeld featured several well known brands as punchlines, but never took any sponsorship money. They just thought it was funny."
]
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|
21msfw | where did dogecoin's value come from? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/21msfw/eli5_where_did_dogecoins_value_come_from/ | {
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"text": [
"The only thing that gives it value is demand. You can create your own crypto currency if you want. ",
"Supply and demand. \n\nYou can create any crypto-currency you like. Hell, I'll sell you 100 EpermanCoins for $10. You won't find that good of a bargain anywhere else. ",
"It has value because people give it value. Been mining them for months just incase something comes out of it. Had to research the value behind it myself because it made no sense. Now the world just looks greedy as all hell to me. ",
" > Did somebody front a load of money initially?\n\nNo, but someone did spend money on making computers do math, and the end calculations are what dogecoins are made of. The coins are given value by the people willing to trade products or work for them.\n\nBecause it takes so much math to make dogecoin it's expensive to make more. That means there can only be so many dogecoin in the economy. This limited supply helps give dogecoin value.\n\n > If not, what's stopping me from creating my own crypto-currency to mine\n\nNothing, but there need to be a lot of people willing to trade things for it, or it doesn't have value.\n\n > and trade for btc\n\nThe reason you can trade dogecoin for bitcoin is that people want dogecoin. People want dogecoin because they know other people will trade products for it. If you make your own cryptocurrency you'll need to either be willing to trade products for it yourself or have a lot of other people who want the currency. If no real products can be traded for it people won't give you bitcoin for it."
]
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