Recent comments in /f/explainlikeimfive
CFDietCoke t1_j2aef8z wrote
Reply to ELI5: How do loans and credit cards work by idkmybffdee
All credit cards are backed by a bank. Look at your credit card, it will say something like "Issued by XYZ bank" on the back somewhere. Banks have access to capital, both their own and capital reserves made available to them by the Fed system
So when you swipe your card, the bank transfers money from their accounts to the merchants accounts, then marks the debit on your account that you get when you get your statement.
furriosity t1_j2aeej6 wrote
It means an incident in a person's past. It's most often used in law enforcement as a short term for prior conviction or arrest
[deleted] t1_j2ae8eg wrote
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amazonfamily t1_j2ae21t wrote
Reply to ELI5: Why is it that, at some gas stations, it’s cheaper to pay with cash instead a credit card? by tgjj530
Credit card companies charge transaction fees. The gas station gives a discount for cash payers because they don’t have to cover a transaction fee when people pay in cash.
pickles55 t1_j2adzsy wrote
Reply to eli5: do animals have as many oral health problems as humans do? Do their teeth last the majority of their lifetime? by Chillay_90
They do, but not for the reason you're thinking. When their teeth wear down to much or get broken they can't get them fixed. If they can't eat enough food to maintain their health they will die. On the flip side sugar is relatively rare in nature, so they don't get cavities like we do. They can get them, but not like we would with our diets and no dental care. Pets that eat human food often have cavities just like us, not to mention all the other health problems that can cause.
sportsDude t1_j2adxtg wrote
Reply to ELI5: How does sperm donation work? Also, how do they give the female the sperm to become pregnant? by MisterDrSkittle
Very oversimplified and trying to keep it as simple as possible: A guy donates into a cup. The center freezes it until either used or expired. Recipient chooses their desired speed and at that point it’s either IVF or injected. The procedures and protocols vary but it’s basically this
Randomperson1362 t1_j2adwt7 wrote
Reply to ELI5: Why is it that, at some gas stations, it’s cheaper to pay with cash instead a credit card? by tgjj530
Credit cards have fees. If you pay cash, the merchant avoids these fees. A cash discount also requires you to enter the store (where they sell things like soda and candy, that have a much higher margin than gas)
Medium-Average9169 t1_j2adwqt wrote
Reply to ELI5: Why is it that, at some gas stations, it’s cheaper to pay with cash instead a credit card? by tgjj530
When you use your credit card anywhere from 1 to 3% of every purchase goes to the credit card company. So by paying cash they are giving you a break on those fees.
bostwickenator t1_j2adq2e wrote
Gravity is caused by mass so by definition yes. Also acceleration is governed by a=f/m acceleration equals force divided by mass. So it's relevant again there. Is there some other angle you mean here?
booksandteacv OP t1_j2adksp wrote
Reply to comment by theclash06013 in ELI5: How do venomous snakes avoid being poisoned by the venom they inject into their prey? Are they somehow immune? by booksandteacv
What happens if 2 snakes of the same species fight each other? Do they use the venom as a form of defence?
Lithuim t1_j2adeje wrote
The moon’s (or any object’s) gravity is directly proportional to its mass, so yes.
If the moon was a hollow paper mache sphere you wouldn’t get nearly as much tidal effect here on Earth.
The force between the two is G(m1 x m2)/r^2
The moon does exert tidal drag on the Earth, slowly sapping rotational energy and making days longer.
The much more massive Earth has done the same to the moon, dragging it so hard that it’s now permanently fixed with one side facing Earth.
Various_Succotash_79 t1_j2ac08l wrote
Reply to eli5: do animals have as many oral health problems as humans do? Do their teeth last the majority of their lifetime? by Chillay_90
I have a lot of cats.
They get a lot of (expensive) dental problems.
I assume wild animals just starve to death or get by with a painful mouth.
Although the carbs in commercial cat food probably means their teeth last longer in the wild.
Nyaos t1_j2abntf wrote
Reply to comment by ThePhoenixBird2022 in ELI5: Why does putting one foot out from under the blankets bring so much relief of heat while laying in bed? by SirDuke6
That’s interesting. I probably have under appreciated how much sandals can help keep you cool.
A_Garbage_Truck t1_j2ab8ab wrote
Reply to eli5: do animals have as many oral health problems as humans do? Do their teeth last the majority of their lifetime? by Chillay_90
they do but the thing is that animals that experience these sort of problems end up starving or die by sickness, so in effect their teeth last their whole life. :V
the other major difference is that their diets in the wild are majorly different than human diets, the main reason we need ot take care of our teeth asm uchas we do is because ourdiets evolved ot have way too much sugars, which while a major source of energy are also weffectively "toxic" to the existence of Teeth.
Charming_Miss t1_j2ab2s6 wrote
Reply to comment by DjHalk45 in eli5: why does hot coffee erupt when add brown sugar? by DjHalk45
Still doesn't explain why your coffee explodes.
Normal coffee has nothing inside that could create that.
RealLonestarTX t1_j2aasw2 wrote
Reply to comment by FRidgard in ELI5 How can cells (Neuron) have another cell (Schwann's cells) inside them by Original-Cookie4385
The Schwann cell is a separate cell in the periphery nervous system. In the CNS oligodendrocytes do the same job. These cells wrap part of their plasma membrane around the axon of the neuron to aid conduction and we call that part left there the myelin sheath. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27954/
D3V1LS_L3TTUC3 t1_j2aaofk wrote
Reply to comment by grumblingduke in ELI5: What do the words "left" and "right" in world politics? by UltimateGamingTechie
So your critique against leftism is the same critique that could be applied to literally any sort of political ideology.. “if you don’t have the support of the population you have to force things and that ends with corruption”
za6_9420 OP t1_j2aafn7 wrote
Reply to comment by Aussie_Mo_Bro in Eli5 why do birds jump and hop around but parrots walk by za6_9420
Thanks that’s why my budgies terrible at flying and always fly into walls but my other bird can fly pretty good and quick and can fly through places that barely fit her body
exponentials t1_j2aacgm wrote
In criminal cases, the hung jury rate is 8% to 10%. In closed jury room discussions, some are willing to compromise, but jurors will often succumb to peer pressure and reach a unanimous verdict rather than risking a mistrial by not coming to a collective decision. There's an immense pressure on jurors to conform to the majority decision which places a reliance on the presumption that the other jurors know better than the individual. Sucks, but a reality.
nrron t1_j2a9ktp wrote
Reply to ELI5: How do loans and credit cards work by idkmybffdee
Banks incentivize people with money to bank with them and then use that money to loan to others and make money on the interest.
Credit card companies make money by charging a fee to the business that accept their cards and they make money on interest when people don’t pay their balance in full each month
Original-Cookie4385 OP t1_j2a9kdm wrote
Reply to comment by FRidgard in ELI5 How can cells (Neuron) have another cell (Schwann's cells) inside them by Original-Cookie4385
Oligodendroctyes?
But why does it have Myelin sheath and Schwann cells?
FRidgard t1_j2a94uv wrote
Reply to ELI5 How can cells (Neuron) have another cell (Schwann's cells) inside them by Original-Cookie4385
Schwann cell is wrapped around neuron, that counts for neuronal cells outside central nervous system. Myelin sheeth is inside central nervous system by oligodendrocytes
DjHalk45 OP t1_j2a931e wrote
Reply to comment by Charming_Miss in eli5: why does hot coffee erupt when add brown sugar? by DjHalk45
Very hot
cthulhu944 t1_j2a8kps wrote
Reply to comment by FearlessFaa in ELI5 How do calculators get the square root of random numbers? by Mikinak77
Maybe I should clarify my point then. Taylor series is the way pretty much every system (calculator, computer, cell phone, etc) computes a square root. You can look into the c stadard library and find the the sqrt funtion is implemented with a taylor series. This is because it is computationally efficient and provides a predictable level of accuracy. The estimation algorithm that every other person on this thread has mentioned is really only used by people wanting to do a manual computation, or as an exercise in an introductory computer science class.
biggsteve81 t1_j2aegop wrote
Reply to comment by amazonfamily in ELI5: Why is it that, at some gas stations, it’s cheaper to pay with cash instead a credit card? by tgjj530
The tradeoff is that having significant amounts of cash makes you a target for robbers, and you have to count the money and take it to a bank for deposit.