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[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why Operating Systems are architecture specific (ex. X86 , ARM) but applications are not." ]
Applications are architecture specific. It's just that you mostly use AMD64 (or x86_64) CPUs with fitting OS and then run x86 applications. Like the name suggests, x86_64 is just an extension of x86 and x86_64 is backwards compatible. You just can't mix both in one application. That's why your Windows has a System32 directory and SysWOW64 directory. The 32bit stuff is in the latter, the 64bit stuff in the former. (thanks /u/AdarTan) An ARM application simply wouldn't run on the x86 architecture. At least not a native applications which is why Java or .Net applications run on everything that has Java or .Net. The Application itself is not compiled (translation from source code that humans can read and write to 1s and 0s) for Windows or AMD64 but for the Java Virtual Machine (and whatever Microsoft calls their .Net stuff) which is a virtual machine that then runs your application with code for your platform (CPU architecture and OS).
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How did we discover math?" ]
Math is so pure and simple, facts are facts and concrete rules define all the relationships. Only Barbie thinks "Math is Hard", but her head is full of hair. Counting started before written history, systematic numbers were defined by the Sumerians, number place was invented by the Babylonians. More kinds of math were invented when the math we had couldn't do the problems we were studying. One of the last huge steps was Calculus. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz independently invented calculus in the mid-17th century. Even today we're looking for new ways to explain and teach math. A lot of discussion recently has examined the Common Core Math approach in comparison to the previous technique (which was called New Math back in the 1960s).
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is tap dancing so ubiquitous in old musicals?" ]
Movies were still close to their live theater roots at that time, a genre where microphones could not be used. To entertain a large theater, you spoke loudly, sang loudly, and when possible, danced loudly.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is growth so important to an economy?" ]
For one thing, the population is growing. If the economy can't keep up than the overall wealth creation will be going down relative to any one person. There is also new industry, new technology and so there's always new things to demand. If a country is not growing than new workers will not have jobs and new products will not be made in that country (and people will not have extra money to buy the extra things).
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do some people go blind after getting eye color change surgery?" ]
I'd say it's Darwins law punishing them for spending their time and money on unnecessary cosmetic eyeball surgery.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is deafness and blindness fairly common, yet we never hear of people with impaired smelling or taste?" ]
Impaired taste and smell is also fairly common. It however does not prevent you from doing most jobs, and does not hinder your social interactions so it being known publicly is not very important.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "why does the knock-off movie market exist? Who is their audience? How do they make money? Example: Transformers had a knock off called Transmorphers. The Day the Earth Stood Still had a knock off called The Day the Earth Stopped." ]
Grandparents and foreigners who vaguely remeber/understand the original title.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How come so many people believe that \"the _URL_0_\" is real?" ]
My guess is that its the same way telemarketers work, they ring heaps of people and maybe only 1% of people will buy, but that 1% is enough to become rich. Since this website is a $100 subscription, all you need is 100 gullible people to scam and you're already $10,000 richer.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Does weed being in your system have any mental effect on you when sober?" ]
THC has a half-life (the time your body need to remove half of the drug from your system) of 2 to 56 hr. It takes 5 half-lives to clear the drug from your system. So if you are a "slow metabolizer" (someone who takes the full 5*56hr to clear the drug), you may be "high" for a lot longer than you think (there may still be enough drug in your system to affect other brain functions but not enough to get you full on high).
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "don't drivers' weights mess with the overall stability / weight distribution of those expensive, high performance cars? how is this solved?" ]
The Mazda Mx5, as far as I'm aware (friend had one, was a car nerd too) is designed to be "perfectly balanced" on half tank of fuel, and a driver of a specific mass (I can't remember exact number, but it's about average). No passengers either. I have no idea how this is achieved, but the design does take into account that the driver sits to one side.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Explain to me why people would think Sandy Hook is a hoax." ]
There are a few conspiracy theories regarding the Sandy Hook shootings. These are the most prevalent ones: * The US government staged them in order to pass gun control laws/persecute gun activists. _URL_0_ * Adam Lanza was simply a patsy; the shootings were really conducted by Israeli special forces as revenge for US interference with Israeli affairs. _URL_1_ * The event was faked my the media or the government for some ulterior motive. Theorists source time-stamps on news articles concerning the shooting that did not correspond with the time of the shooting. _URL_2_
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "why does a cold bed feel awful but a cold pillow feel amazing?" ]
IMO a cold bet feels amazing... sliding into cool sheets is wonderful. I wouldn't want it to stay cool, but neither would I want my pillow to stay cool all night.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why are bidets and other water integrated toilet seats common in Europe and other countries but almost non-existent in the US?" ]
I come from a country in Europe where bidets are normal. The main use is to ~~earth~~ wash your feet and to place the dirty clothes while you shower. Babies use them as washbasin.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "the physiology of that \"butterflies in your stomach\" feeling." ]
From what I've heard before, that feeling comes from our Fight or Flight instinct. Your body senses that you're nervous (that's fear) for something coming up, and as a natural response from the fear, your body begins preparing itself for the potential of fighting/flight. It sends more blood to the more important areas of your body (eg muscles in your arms, abs, and legs) so that if you have to fight/flee, you can in a better way. The butterfly feeling is what happens when blood is rushed away from your stomach area, simply put.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How the hell does a 3D printer work?" ]
It works like a plotter, only it is oriented with the "pen" facing downward instead of parallel to the ground like on a traditional plotter. The robotics are controlled by computer software, and typical 3d printers use a plasticy resin. The resin is melted and pushed thru the "pen" to go down onto the base, dries and turns hard. The pen is on an arm that will move according to the computer's directions, leaving a trail of the resin behind it. Once one layer is printed, it will start on the next layer by "printing" directly on top of the prior layer. A 3d printed object is printed layer by layer in this fashion until it is finished. There are all sorts of cool things you can make with these things, and you can even print most of the parts that you need to build one of your own!
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "why do modern rockets blast off with zero initial velocity (standing straight up)?" ]
The biggest difficulty in getting enough speed to get to orbital velocity is how the earth's atmosphere slows you down. It is most effective to blast straight up until the atnosphere becomes thinner and the drag caused by the air becomes very low, then level out and accelerate sideways towards an orbital speed. Also turning while in atmosphere is very difficult to do, again due to drag wanted to slow down any surfaces that aren't aerodynamic to the direction of travel.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "how does thought work without language? When I think, I formulate ideas in words. How did this work either prior to language or for people who have no concept of language?" ]
Most thought does not use language. When you see a scary spider you don't feel the scariness because of the word "spider." When you are hungry and know you want to eat, that didn't come from language. When you see a beautiful nature scene, it's not beautiful to you because of language. When you decide to put on your socks before your shoes, you didn't need language to take that action.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "how does dust settle on vertical surfaces like glass panes? Shouldn't it just fall off?" ]
It may be due to the irregularities in the surface, but it is more likely caused because the dust particle is statically charged, and it attracted to the vertical surface. Glass panes can be charged relatively easily.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Are there actual modern-day hitmen? How do people find them? How do they not get caught?" ]
"Local Man Asked For Hit Advice On Reddit Before Murdering His Wife, Police Say" - I can see it now...
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How do towing companies tow away cars when the car has its parking brake engaged?" ]
On most cars the parking break only locks the back tires. The towing company lifts the car by the rear end, because the front tires turn freely. Some models of cars only lock the front tires though, and they'll just reverse the procedure. When those aren't viable options the towing company will place a set of tires, connected by a brace, under the tires of the side of the car which is making contact with the ground. [Here is an example](_URL_0_).
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "So I wanted to understand how do authorities verify when a mountaineer has actually reached the peak of a mountain." ]
They don't and there are no authorities. Historically there were so few people climbing mountains for fun that they all pretty much knew each other and climbing a major mountain ( one worth talking about ) usually involved a large team of climbers and an even larger team of support staff that you really couldn't lie about it. TL;DR, Honor system.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "why does the American Military measure distance in meters? But the rest of America uses feet and yards?" ]
The last thing you want in the middle of a firefight where multiple countries might be involved is to have two different measurement systems being used. Example being Brits come under contact and U.S. is in the area to provide assistance and everyone is giving different measurements to pass information on enemy positions. Especially if requesting indirect fire support (artillery).
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "- Why is, what seems like rape so prevalent in the animal kingdom?" ]
Because most animals don't have morals. Humanity has gotten to a point of intelligence and society that we don't need to allow ourselves to just procreate willy-nilly. Cats, dogs, and other animals rape as part of procreation because they don't have the morals, the intelligence, the sense of caring for others, that says "maybe they don't want sex".
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What are the differences between ego and self respect?" ]
Well, they are both related to how we view ourselves but I would say the difference is self-respect is healthy, and ego isn't. Ego leads to thinking someone is superior to others, prevents one from admitting mistakes, or leads to not taking the experiences and feelings of others into account and only considering one's own feelings and experiences. Self-respect is more about one's relationship with themselves. It leads to treating one's self well, not accepting poor treatment from other people, and having confidence. It's also worth mentioning that ego is a term used in many different contexts in psychology and philosophy and doesn't always mean something bad. In general it's just describing someone's sense of self or individualism. That might be causing you some confusion as well. For example, the Egocentric Predicament is a concept in philosophy that states one can only.ever experience the world from.their own point of view. In that sense, we are all egocentric, but that's not necessarily a failing.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why exactly is it that when siblings (or closely related people) reproduce, there are problems?" ]
It's because lots of defective alleles (versions of genes) are recessive (you need two copies for them to cause a problem) and rare. So they almost never cause problems because it's very unlikely that both parents have the same defective allele. Even if you have a defective allele and pass it to your child, your mate will provide a functioning allele that can compensate. But now say that your mate is also your sister. There is a 50% chance that she has the same defective allele as you, and now there is a 25% chance that your child will have two defective copies and therefore have the defect. That's the basic principle. When your mate is closely related, there is a much higher chance of the children receiving two copies of any defective recessive allele.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why does the UN or the Hague not charge the Saudi royal family with humans rights violations for executing apostates?" ]
Saudi arabia is a rather stable country in the middle east with large oil reserves - the UN would like to keep it that way
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "the difference between Ethnicity and Race (i.e. hispanic)" ]
Because Hispanic isn't a race. There are Asian Hispanics, there are South American Hispanics, there are black Hispanics, and there are Spanish Hispanics. If you/your ancestors spoke Spanish, you put down Hispanic. For race, you put down what your race is. This could be white, black, southeast Asian, or any other type of human under on the planet.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "When a surface is sticking to another surface (like tape) what is actually happening?" ]
So there are a lot of [intermolecular forces](_URL_0_) adhesives like those found on tape are very good at forming interactions with themselves (so the glue on the tape sticks to itself) and other surfaces. They are technically highly viscous liquids just like sugary things like syrup you might spill on your table.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why does whipping cream make it fluffy?" ]
The whipping action forces air into the cream, where it gets trapped. The trapped air is what makes the cream light and fluffy.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do planes crash into each other when they have so much open sky and space to fly in? When I look up at the sky, it seems almost entirely clear of planes." ]
Almost all air accidents happen near takeoff/landing where all those planes are in a tight area. There is a very narrow path to use a runway. That said, air accidents are EXTREMELY UNCOMMON. You're safer on a plane than you are in your own car, by a huge margin.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Black holes. Ive watched lots of videos but still cant rap my head around them. Explain like I am dumb 5 year old." ]
Imagine standing on the surface of Sun. We have to pretend it has a solid surface and you don't burn immediately, unrealistic I know but just bare with me. If you weighed 200 pounds on Earth, you would weigh over 5000 pounds on the Sun! Now try and jump. It's not going to happen; the force of gravity is just too strong! In other words, you're stuck on the surface of the sun, and nothing you can do will get you out of it General Relativity says that gravity affects light, too. A black hole is a collection of so much mass that it's force of gravity is too much for even light to jump away from. Because light can't get out of a black hole, well, it's black.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why isn't Russia considered a part of Europe. Geographically, most of their citizens, and even their capital, are on the European side of the country." ]
Russia is a part of Europe. It's also a part of Asia. Or are you asking why Russia isn't in the EU? That's a whole separate question.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why are standardized tests considered to be racially biased?" ]
Heres a real Texas TAKS test question that is a good example of bias on a test. Some students wanted to make a model to show how the size of the moon compares with the size of Earth. They used an orange to represent the moon. Which of the following would best represent Earth? Answers: cantaloupe, grape, lime, or cherry You can argue a student should know what those fruits are, but the bottom line is the questions do not test only the knowledge of the size of the Earth and Moon, but what these fruits are. This can be hard for an English language learner, or poor students who likely do not eat as much fruit.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is your \"gut feeling\" and why is it usually right?" ]
Confirmation bias tricks you into believing your gut instinct is usually right. You often forget the times your first choice was wrong, but remember the times your gut was right all along because it is seemingly more noteworthy.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Can someone ELI5 why this water simulation works very well in a web browser, but is hardly used in video games?" ]
(I think this is the problem) Although this water simulation works awesome you have to be careful when using it on a larger project. The first thing to notice is the number of polygons or shapes used in this project. This whole project is simply a cube and ball. This makes the program use so little cpu because there are less polygon to render (In this project there are probably less then 500 polygons) Marcus from Gears of War was around 15,000 Polygons and with enemies there could be lot more. This would increase the processing power needed and make the game run slow.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is the deal with Dubai?" ]
Oil money. Then they leveraged that oil money for credit to build up Dubai, initiating a huge slew of construction projects (islands, manmade reefs, tallest building, giant indoor skiing mountain). Some of these building projects are so ostentatious and excessive that people took notice. They have been building a Las Vegas in the Middle East (although they'd compare themselves to Singapore -- they want to be the major trading port of the ME). However, with the recession that hit in 2007, they lost a ton of money and have been unable to sell a lot of what they built. They've had to take a huge ($60bil iirc) loan from their neighboring Emirate cities.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How were photographs edited prior to advances in editing software? i.e. those old photographs of Stalin where people were phased out" ]
For that kind of thing, they literally used an actual airbrush -- which is why photo editing software has "airbrush" tools, and why we use the word "airbrushing" to mean both retouching of photos and the practice of excluding people or events from the history books. A skilled artist using a small airbrush would paint over the object that needed to be removed or manipulated. Usually it was small things like unsightly objects or skin blemishes (in fashion photography): the removal of entire human beings from photographs was rare and extreme, but as you say there are some famous examples of this during and after the Stalin era.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why are realistic CGI movies so expensive to produce?" ]
As with most things expensive; it's difficult, it takes time and it requires a lot of resources. For one scene of CGI it might be months of work behind it, with everything from motion capture actors (so you need to do everything you would need to actually film the scene but with even more things needed than normal), scrubbing of the motion capture data, creating all the 3D models, painting or creating textures and mattes, staging it over and over again until it's to everybody's liking, hours of rendering and then painstakingly handcrafted finishing polish to create the last touches.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why we sleep at night instead of during the daytime?" ]
There may be others out there who can explain this better than me, but I believe this is the general gist... Humans are weak in areas that allow many other species to excel during the night (night time vision, heightened sense of smell and hearing). Being awake and moving during the day allows us to more effectively forage for food, detect predators and recognize our surroundings. At nighttime, when our senses are less helpful, we find a safe place to rest.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is polygamy illegal and considered bad form?" ]
Stripping away any moral or religious aspects marriage is a wonderful thing two people do to get a host of legal benefits. Things like tax breaks, joint bank accounts, hospital visitation etc. If you had more than one spouse these legal benefits could get really confusing really fast, so legal polygamy remains illegal. That said you are free to, live with as many women / men as you want, have kids with them etc. Thats not illegal, but you only get one leal marriage.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "When the BBC show Sharks says that Tiger Sharks return to the same place on the same day every year, how would a shark know how long a year is? Do they perceive time like we do?" ]
How do you know a year has passed without looking at a calendar? I imagine they sense the temperature/climate changes like anything else.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is the difference between copyright and all rights reserved?" ]
Copyright is a legal concept. When something says "copyright" or has the (C) designation on it, the creator is claiming the work to be origingal and that they hold exclusive rights to its use. A claim of copyright is usually followed by a statement of what the copyright holder will or will not allow others to do with that copyrighted material and that they are prepared to defend it in court. The phrase "All rights reserved", is the most common of these statements because it is brief and unambiguous. It essentially means "We the copyright holder do not permit any unauthorized use (distribution, performance, creation of derivative works) of this material". It also implies that you can expect a call from a lawyer or two if you violate their copyright.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is the most likely way the universe will end?" ]
We don't know for sure, but the prevailing theory is [heat death](_URL_0_). Basically, every single particle of matter will eventually decay into thermal energy. Since thermal energy is only useful when there are differences in temperature, eventually the temperature will even out across the universe and it will not facilitate any interactions.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is a brainfreeze and how does it happen?" ]
It occurs when the roof of your mouth gets cold. It cools a nerve in that area which constricts blood vessels.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How do cows and buffalos build muscles while eating mostly grass?" ]
Grass actually does have a surprising amount of protein in it. But humans can't digest grass, it takes far longer to digest than it stays in our systems for. Enter ruminants, animals, like cows, that are able to digest grass due to their unique multi-stomach structure that allows them to get the nutritional content out of it.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Before someone invented scissors (no, it wasn't Leonardo DaVinci), how did people cut their hair and fingernails?" ]
With long nails, you can pare off slivers of nail with the edge of the knife (try to cut away from the finger.) When your nails are shorter, you can shave the nail by holding the blade perpendicular to the edge of the nail and dragging it along the length of the nail. This leaves fairly sharp edges that you can buff smooth by rubbing them against rough cloth, like denim. Nails don't necessarily need to be trimmed though - if you've ever just let them grow until you have 4-5mm of white, they start to wear down much faster. Hair can be cut by grasping a clump of it, and sawing through it with a knife; or you could just shave it off.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Would it be possible to create liquid wood in a vacuum?" ]
Not everything can melt. Many materials being to break down from heat before it ever reaches liquid phase; this process is called [pyrolysis](_URL_0_). Wood is one such example.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How do massive cold fronts, like the one being experienced in America right now, occur?" ]
The cold front that is being experienced by the United States and Canada right now is known as a polar vortex. Polar vortexes are strong winds found in the upper level of the atmosphere that normally stay over the north pole. On occasion the vortex can be distorted, causing cold air to spill to the south. [Source](_URL_0_)
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How is it possible for someone to survive riding in the wheel well of a jet at 36,000 feet for several hours?" ]
Like most of the stories going, he entered a staye of hibernation. This is possible. Ive heard stories of people being trapped underwater in subfreezing temps but what happens is the body keeps only the vitals alive. Ive heard of this with infants who fall into pools occasionally they survive with no damage. I wouldnt test this though.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What's a neckbeard? The person, not the beard. (I know what a beard on the neck looks like.)" ]
The general implication is that the person acts superior or overly-critical towards others, yet their poor personal hygiene shows that they don't apply the same standards for themselves. They may act like their STEM degree qualifies them as an authority on every subject under the sun, yet just by looking at them you can tell they are oblivious to certain topics.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What causes the itchy irritation on your butt from feces?" ]
You see, when poop gets a bit old, it becomes crusty. So if you don’t clean your ass after you shat, the poop that remains on your butt remains there and becomes crusty, kind of like blood. The reason it’s itchy would be because of friction. When. You walk the crust moves as well, tickling your butt as you move. Source: avid pooper for 20 years
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is practically everything made in China?" ]
China has lower average wages, no unions, and much lower environmental standards so it's significantly cheaper to manufacture goods there.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why aren't Discover/American Express accepted every where cards are? Don't they all work in the same way?" ]
Every time a credit card is used, the business has to pay the credit card company for the convenience of the service. For the merchants, it's a complex matter; they ideally don't want to accept credit cards at all, but many customers wouldn't shop there because the customer's card isn't accepted. Each merchant has to decide which credit cards to accept, based on how much each company charges and how many customers they would potentially lose by *not* accepting a certain type of card.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is the word \"no\" so similar across languages around the world, but \"yes\" so different?" ]
Well, two answers for you. 1. A solid third of the world has the same root language, what we call Proto-Indo-European or PIE. The people spread out into Europe, much of the Middle East and the Indus River Valley and China. Though these became linguistically distinct regions over time they began many thousands of years ago with the same-ish tongue so it would make sense if there remains a few passing similarities still between them. 2. That not withstanding, your premise is demonstrably false. Yes there are some languages with a similar "no", mostly those who share a Latin or Germanic origin. But they are easily the minority. [Have a look at the diverse ways people say "no" across the world.](_URL_0_)
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Can I identify a body's sex by examining its bare skeleton?" ]
Yes. One notable difference is that the female pelvis is a lot wider than the male by proportion since it has to support pregnancy.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Fuels? What does it take to create gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc and how do they differ?" ]
Basically they all start from the oil we pump out of the ground.All of these things are inside that oil. We then heat the oil in a large tube that has many different levels. As the oil heats up all the different parts become a gas at different temperatures and they settle in the level where the temperature is cool enough for them to become a liquid again.Heres a picture _URL_0_ they differ by the the amount of heat(energy) produced when they are burnt
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "The top used Internet Browsers and how they're different." ]
Please don't shoot me, but I'd say Wikipedia's [article](_URL_0_) is fairly informative for this topic.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is it that prevents Xbox games from being played on a PlayStation but yet allows people to play music CDs on either?" ]
Games are a series of instructions for the device to follow. A Playstation can read the instructions from an Xbox disc just fine, but it doesn't understand them. A music CD just contains data. A program already on the console (written so that the console understands it) contains the instructions on how to interpret that data.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do creators keep their upcoming projects/products secret until release?" ]
One of the aspects that you may not have considered is that a huge number of projects that people work on *never get released*. They turn out not to be as interesting as the creator hoped, or there's no enough of a budget, or there are creative differences with other people involved, etc. And it's not good practice to announce something that you're working on if it might never actually happen, so a lot of creators will wait until it's almost finished and the release is a sure thing.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "The bitcoin crash going on right now." ]
The Bitcoin is only worth as much as people *think* it's worth. The Chinese shut down Bitcoin trade in their country, which makes the Bitcoin inherently less valuable (why would you use a currency that can't be traded everywhere?) The crash happened because Bitcoin is a volatile currency. There isn't a lot of it out there, and people who have bought Bitcoin tend to follow the news very closely. When the bad news came out, lots of people started selling their Bitcoins, and the price consequently went down rapidly. It's worth noting that the value of a Bitcoin is down to where it was last month - while this seems like a dramatic drop, it's par for the course. This is a good example of why Bitcoin is a risky investment.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why are Xeon processors better suited for server applications than mainstream CPUs?" ]
Xeon processors allow you to use ECC (Error-correcting code) memory. This is crucial in servers because it allows the memory to self correct data corruption in most instances. It also provides more virtualization functionality which is common in servers today. On top of these two major differences they also allow for multiple CPUs in the same workstation and generally come in higher core counts which is beneficial to a server doing many tasks.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is it okay for Girls to Wear Guys' Clothes, but When Guys Wear Girls' Clothes, Its Weird?" ]
It's just a social thing. There's not really logic behind it - there was a time when women wearing men's clothes was just as odd as a man wearing woman's is today.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do companies release update products at least every year? even when they don't change much from last year'd models." ]
Because people generally think newer things are better. So even if they *aren't*, you've got to release new things, or your competitors can get your market share by selling a new model.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Monkeys reacting to Magic tricks, are they really understanding what is happening? Or does it only look that way?" ]
If they see ball "go inside" a palm and then disappear I bet they understand it well. But have them pick a card, memorize it, put it back into the deck and shuffle thoroughly and then find the same card inside their wallet and I bet they didn't understand what had happened.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What would happen in the minutes, hours, and days following a nuclear attack?" ]
[Get a copy of Threads](_URL_0_) (which is also on youtube, although possibly not legally so I won't link it) There have been countless studies into the effects post strike around the world. The most comprehensive British study was used to create the movie Threads, which is kinda the gold standard ELI5 for this (but takes 1:50 to watch so I won't repeat it here) It's pretty fucking depressing. The ELI2 is that nuclear attacks are A Bad Thing and to be avoided
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What is the reason for tasting pennies when you become winded?" ]
It could be that the exertion results in some minor amount of blood leakage (which is not likely to be harmful), say through tissues dried in your upper respiratory tract by the extra hard inhaling you're doing. Blood can result in a metallic taste because it contains iron. This can be similar to the taste you would perceive from a penny, even though the metals differ.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "if it was 1926...loan question" ]
When Pretty Boy Floyd use to rob banks one of the things he took was peoples mortgages so the banks would have no record of them.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How are weather balloons deployed so that they do not pose a risk to commercial air traffic?" ]
There is a suggestion that the local air traffic controllers be notified of the intended launch of a high altitude balloon so its presence is known, but the more relevant regulations regard the content of the payload. There are limits on the total weight and density of the payload, as well as the separation force of the payload from the balloon. The intent of those regulations is that on the exceedingly low chance that such a balloon would be struck by an aircraft it wouldn't cause any significant damage. Remember that the sky is very large and there aren't really that many aircraft in flight. Hitting a weather balloon by accident is just an incredibly remote chance; far more likely is hitting a bird of which there are quite a few. If the payload is roughly the size and weight of a crow then a commercial jet engine would deal with it in much the same way it would the crow, namely going "Nom nom nom!" and not really caring.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do we clench our teeth or yell etc when we are lifting something heavy or pushing our bodies to the limit?" ]
Clenching your teeth helps stabilise your head, neck and upper back by tightening them all up
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do police officers not always wear kevlar as an occupational precaution?" ]
> Seems like there would be no downside Spoken like someone who's never worn kevlar. Vests suck. They are uncomfortable, stiff, and sweaty. While most departments require them for patrol officers, officers who can get away with not wearing them sometimes don't. Simply because they judge the inconvenience of the vest to be not worth it. In many positions the likelihood of ever being shot at is as near to zero as it can be.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How is ambient music in video games being looped seamlessly?" ]
it's designed to do so. the end fades into the beginning, either directly, or with a small bit of silence
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why isn't internet content offered \"pay as you go\"? Why is everything either ad-supported or subscription-based?" ]
This is called "Micropayments", and it has been suggested as a method to finance websites for at *least* a decade. However, methods of implementing it were not really widely available. If you had to set up your micropayment account with every website you visited, that'd pretty much leave you in the same situation as you have now. Or maybe you set up one or two (or three, or four), but when you get linked to yet another site you'd probably go "Screw this, I'll wait for it to show up somewhere else" or just ignore it. There were attempts to set up micropayment websites, but those did not take off. You'd need to license it, and everyone would have to agree on what kind of cut they get, etc. **That said**, you know how many sites have a PayPal "Donate" button? That's pretty much exactly what you're talking about, except it's voluntary.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "why are some very cheap items on Amazon are priced as thousands of pounds?" ]
There is no way of knowing for sure, especially with specific instances, but the culprit is probably an errant or misconfigured bot. [For example](_URL_0_) competing bots once drove the price of some book up to 23.6 million dollars.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why are oats \"Steel Cut\" Why not aluminum or titanium cut? Or hand cut?" ]
"Steel-cut" is more about result than the process. When you cut oats with steel blades rather than crushing them (i.e. "rolled oats", or when crushed really flat, "instant oats"), you're separating them into specific sharp-edged chunks rather than smashing them into flour. The result is a different texture that takes longer to cook, and when cooked has a different consistency. It's more chewy and less porridgey, and so goes great in muffins and other baked goods. As to why "steel" rather than other metals or processes, steel is the most economical and efficient blade to do it with. And it SOUNDS cool too. :)
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Are colas as bad for your teeth as people say?" ]
Yes, sodas really are that bad. Not just the sugar, but the highly acidic environment it creates in the mouth.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why did Facebook's IPO fail so badly?" ]
Whether or not it was a failure is arguable. Generally speaking, the issue is that the value of the stock was greatly over-estimated and over-hyped. Facebook had been such a huge media giant for so long and was so inaccessible to investors that people were REALLY excited to buy stock when it was first available. So it was sold for WAY more money than it was probably worth. The stock's value has subsequently been dropping, back down to what it's actually worth- some people are interpreting this as being a devaluing, when in reality, it's more of a return to it's proper value.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "how can those car re-map boxes improve both power AND fuel efficiency at the same time?" ]
Increasing the pressure in the cylinders will lead to a general increase in fuel efficiency. The theoretical fuel efficiency is 1-1/e^(k -1) k is ~ 1.4 for air, and e is the compression ratio. So the higher the pressure the better the efficiency. More pressure means more power as well. So theoreticall it is possible. The problem is that increased pressure means increased stress for the parts. This means an increased pressure will affect the engine life.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "why is it now code to install outlets upside down?" ]
If a conductive object falls accidentally across the main two prongs of a "right side up" (😮) plug that isn't completely flush against the outlet, it will close the circuit. If it's your finger you get shocked. If it's metal there could be a spark. If there's a spark there could be a fire. Building codes are designed to prevent things like accidental fires. By installing the outlet "upside-down", you put the ground prong on top of any plug that has one. The ground prong can't create a spark all by itself, so it's safer to touch accidentally.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why are click-bait, buzzfeedy titles so effective?" ]
Much the same as any other marketing. Clever people study what works, and hone it until it works better. In a way it's like evolution - click-bait sites that don't have the knack of attracting visitors die out, those that succeed - grow.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why does inflation have to be a thing? Why can't we all just agree to keep the value of currency the same regardless of how much we have?" ]
> Why can't we all just agree to keep the value of currency the same regardless of how much we have? Because that's just not how prices work. They are set by supply and demand, not collective agreements. > Why does inflation have to be a thing? First, let's review the purpose of money. Money is meant to be an easy way to move wealth around an economy and allow people to exchange goods and services. Part of the recipe for economic success is to move wealth to places where it can be used most efficiently to create more wealth. This is called "investment". Inflation encourages people to invest. If the value of money stays the same or increases, that encourages people to sit on piles of cash instead of investing it. This makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow money in order to grow and ultimately leads to more wealth.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why am I able to set the date on my phone back to 1970?" ]
Linux kernels (as other UNIX-like systems) [count dates from 1 January 1970.](_URL_0_) Android is running a Linux kernel.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is it that a part of your body getting hurt enough (like getting kicked in the shin) will sometimes give you a taste of blood in your mouth?" ]
I've never heard of this phenomenon but perhaps you're hurt so bad without realizing it you're biting your lip or inner cheeks or what have you and draw blood?
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How did the jews seem to recover so well from the Holocaust while blacks didnt recover from slavery?" ]
The Holocaust was an event exclusive to Europe, instituted by a single regime (Nazi Germany) and their subordinate regimes. When the Nazis fell, the Holocaust ended. The oppression of black people in the United States was the result of hundreds of years of systemic hatred and discrimination from others. Stopping slavery wouldn't suddenly change the attitudes about black people from racists any more than stopping the Holocaust suddenly made Nazis stop being anti-Semites. The difference was we did a good job of rounding up all the Nazis and killing them, or sending them into hiding. Slavery was a symptom of racism, not the cause. Of course, Jews were also the victim of oppression from various countries from time to time.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "I saw a post earlier on r/gifs of a multi-car pile up on a snowy highway. Does insurance cover damage like this, and how would they determine whose insurance to use/whose more at fault?" ]
Yes insurance does cover stuff like that, and it's usually a huge mess. Generally (if you have full coverage) you pay the guy you hit, the guy who hits you pays you, and so on and so on. It turns into a pile of insurance companies trying to hash out with each other who owes what after all the claims are paid.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What permits do you have to get to drive a police car or dress as a police officer for a 'prank' video?" ]
_URL_0_ > Dressing up as a police officer in costume, or pretending to be a police officer for the purpose of play or a harmless prank toward an acquaintance is generally not considered a crime, provided that those involved recognize the imposter is not a real police officer, and the imposter is not trying to deceive those involved into thinking he/she is. Edit: As far as doing something like in that video then I'm fairly certain you would have to get into contact with that localities PD, so they know a film shoot is going on. That prank is not really cheap though unless you know some cops personally. Funny stuff though.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why does TV make a crackling sound while turned off?" ]
I would guess thermal expansion for the led tv. It takes a while for things to cool down. Also add in the fact it is usually cooler at night. As it cools, the plastic will shift a little.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "When did time start being recorded? Why does it start with Jesus' birth day?" ]
It doesn't. There are, and have been, many different calendars. Many are older than the calendar which starts at year 1 (AD or CE) with the birth of Jesus. Human civilisations that had calendars date back thousands of years before the birth of Jesus. There are calendars in use in today's world that don't use that event.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What's the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web?" ]
The internet is a series of interconnected computer networks. The world wide web is where webpages and documents reside and can be accessed. You can have internet without the WWW but you can't have the WWW without the internet.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Rush-hour traffic jams" ]
First of all, there are always choke-points. Maybe a place where three lanes turn to two lanes. Maybe a bunch of on-ramps where a lot of cars are pouring in. When roads aren't busy it's not a big deal, but when there are *tons* more cars on there, that'll be a problem. Also, even if people *can* go at the same, consistent speed, not all people do. If one car slows down a bit, it causes a chain-reaction that will be felt for miles backward in heavy traffic. Remember, these are people, not self-driving robot cars. We can't account for everything, and we can't adjust to what traffic is doing miles ahead. Yet.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why do the LHC need to be so big? Would we get better \"results\" if it were the size of Australia?" ]
As well as accelerating the beam up to really high speeds, it needs to bend the beam around into a circle. The tighter the circle, the more energy it takes to steer the beam. A bigger circle lets us control a more powerful beam with the available magnets, and produce higher-energy collisions than if we had a smaller circle and the same magnets. So yes, a collider the size of Australia could be more powerful than the LHC.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "How are Chinese companies on eBay/Amazon able to sell cables and such for 1.50 shipped to the USA?" ]
ManiacalShen may be on to something, but it's not all a marketing gimmick by any means. It is actually quite logical, if only you have all the pieces that is. First of all, as you pointed out, the quality of the cables are usually "garbage" - it doesn't cost much to make crappy products. Secondly, the exchange rate between the USD to Yuan (Chinese currency) works out to about 1 USD = 6.13 Yuan. The average technology and computer industry worker makes an average of $550 a month - very low wages make for inexpensive products. Another factor is shipping. Not only is it extremely cheap to manufacture products in China, but it is also very inexpensive to ship products from China - The Chinese government subsidizes shipping, and the USPS has lowered the rate themselves. That's why most consumer goods are, for the most part, manufactured there. Furthermore, eBay and USPS have an ePacket agreement with China Post that offers the country bulk shipping rates.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Are dogs aware of differences in their breeds?" ]
I don't think they do. It's kind of like if we lived in a non judgemental non racist world. Dogs don't care if one is overweight or a purebred. They will try to play, sniff, and lick them either way. On a small note, I believe they do act differently around dogs that are older. Every time I see an old dog walk around or if they are in a dog park around playful dogs, the playful dogs seem to chill out and relax around old dogs, I guess knowing they won't play. I've seen it countless times. Funny how it's the same with humans if you think about it. :)
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why is putting your hands up and showing your palms the universal sign of \"I surrender\", and why is it instinctual?" ]
It shows empty hands; no weapons, no tricks. I'm vulnerable and harmless, don't hurt me. Military salutes, handshakes, etc. all supposedly originate from the same concept.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "After the initial sleepiness feeling, why do we suddenly feel more alert after a few hours pass your normal sleeping time before you suddenly feel lethargic and sleepy again?" ]
A certain sleep writer suggests it's because there is a metabolitic release timed to coincide with the early part of sleep intended to for the heavy lifting your lymphatic and endocrine systems will do in the early part of sleep. Apparently this is the "second wind" we feel at approximately 10pm, and being asleep at this point results in higher quality sleep. This is the only thing I've come up with on the topic so far. It seams reasonable that one's body would benefit from a release of energy for homonal/repair/immune function that does happen during sleep; however, I traced the reference chain back finally back to an Ayurvedic medicine writer, and haven't found any peer-reviewed empirical research on the topic (yet), so I think the jury is still out on this one.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "What percentage of my money goes to the Japanese economy when buying a Japanese brand car in America?" ]
Quite a complicated question. The parts that go into new cars are vastly outsourced these days. You will find that BMW, Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda etc all have Altenators made by Bosch, Transmissions made by Getrag. axles made by Dana Spicer etc. Parts from all over the world and different manufacturers make parts for many different Auto brands. I made that statement as an example. Not factually correct but close enough. American Honda's are all assembled in the States too. They have plants all over the world: _URL_0_ Still, some profit has to go to the Japanese owned company. But is is all pretty much global at this point.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "The meaning behind the popular philosophical phrase, \"I think, therefore I am.\"" ]
You are thinking. If you did not exist in some manner or fashion, you could not think. Therefore, regardless of the truth or falseness of your sensory input, the action of thinking necessarily proves that *you* specifically, *exist* as a thinking being.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Your immune system causes symptoms like fever, swelling, etc, when fighting an infection. I usually get more mild symptoms than my wife when we both get sick. Does this mean my immune system is weaker or stronger?" ]
Great question, but it's complicated, because different infections trigger the immune system to different amounts. Sometimes, what kills a person isn't the infection itself, but the immune response to that infection. In those cases, it's better to have a slightly weaker immune response; the response will still be strong enough to fight the infection, but not so strong as to cause you harm. Another thing that will make a difference is how severe the infection gets. A minor infection will trigger a lesser response, but if those bacteria or viruses grow out of control, this will trigger a big response, with worse symptoms. You could be experiencing milder symptoms because you're controlling the infection at an earlier stage...or because your body is taking a more measured, less aggressive response to controlling the infection. It's hard for me to say without samples.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Bigger muscles v. Stronger muscles" ]
There are three types of muscle fibers in humans. 1. Fast Glycolytic: These are built up in weight lifting. They are fast and strong, but they get tired very fast. 2. Fast Oxidative: These are fast and strong, but not as fast and strong as the glycolytic muscles. They are built up in endurance events such as long distance running. 3. Slow Oxidative: These are not very strong or fast muscles, but they don't get tired for a very long time. They are used in postural muscles (like when you stand in place.) Muscle cells cannot divide and reproduce in humans. They can only increase in size. More reps and less weight might develop more fast oxidative fibers, and more weight and less reps might develop more fast glycolytic fibers, but for the most part strength and size go hand in hand.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "Why don't gas pumps take cash?" ]
I've seen a few gas stations that do have a cash-accepting machine. It's for models where the individual pumps don't accept money, you have to go to a central automated kiosk to pay. That being said, there's very little incentive for gas stations to want to make the pumps accept cash. Not only would that require someone to go and empty the cash from the pumps on a regular basis, which is just asking for someone to rob them, but you are still going to need a person working the store, so you don't save money on staffing. Likewise, you want people to go into the store to pay, so they'll be more likely to also buy an overpriced drink or snack while they're there. And also, the expense of having pumps installed which also take money would be a factor. Especially since gasoline is one of those necessities that they know people will buy no matter how inconvenient it may seem.
[ "Provided a user question, retrieve the highest voted answers on Reddit ELI5 forum", "what the brick on a power cord is / does." ]
its converts the 120v AC current to DC at the voltage that your delicate electronics crave.