Recent comments in /f/explainlikeimfive

ThrowRA_N7 t1_iuinpuq wrote

Theres also not much evolutionary pressure for plants to develop the ability to do this themselves since nitrogen availability usually isn’t as much of a problem for wild plants that aren’t getting constantly harvested and replanted rather than dying and decomposing naturally allowing their nutrients to return to the soil (also evolving an entirely new metabolic pathway with new enzymes and everything would take at least several million years)

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Miliean t1_iuin9ez wrote

Say you have a population of 50 people that all live in the same town and all of them are in M/F couples (so 26 couples) and over a year every single one of them have a baby, so 26 babies.

Now you have a total town population of 76.

Now lets take that exact same town but there's 100 people living in it. Same deal, all of them are in couples, but this time only half of the couples have children (so 50 couples, 25 children) now there's a total population of 125 in the town.

The first town has a much higher birth rate, but the second town is more crowded.

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dimonium_anonimo t1_iuin6nd wrote

I just wonder why we can't do the opposite: tell the computer to accurately represent the actual voting community as closely as possible, mathematically as perfect as we can get (without eliminating the electoral college, which would be better, but old habits (and people with money and power) die hard.

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Phage0070 t1_iuimxap wrote

Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):

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If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the detailed rules first. If you believe this was removed erroneously, please use this form first. If you believe this was removed erroneously, please use this form and we will review your submission.

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jimthesquirrelking t1_iuimo8x wrote

States of matter are determined by the energy of the matter and how its bond conform inside the material. The human body holds a rigid shape and doesn't just puddle into whatever container it's in. How soft pliable or squishy something is doesn't matter, only how it does or doesn't hold itself together

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ThenaCykez t1_iuimg7j wrote

Is a grape a solid? Is it more or less solid than a raisin?

A raisin is 15% or less water, and a grape is about 75% water. The difference in size is purely based on the removed water.

People, like grapes, can have physical structures that store a lot of water while having a relatively solid outer surface.

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MeGrendel t1_iuim6nj wrote

Gerrymandering is the winning side's ability to redraw congressional districts to give themselves an advantage.

In simple terms: Say you have a minority group that votes 'X' surrounded on four sides that vote 'y'. In reality you have five groups, four Y and one X.

The people who control such things redraw the lines, so that the 'X' group is broken up and merged into the predominantly 'Y' groups. The end result would be five 'Y' groups. Basically the 'X' groups votes are watered down.

This is done by all parties, whoever is in power at the time. It is allowed because it is necessary to re-draw the districts over time.

It has no bearing on the Presidential or Senatorial races. Just the House of Representatives and local elections.

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cookerg t1_iuillon wrote

Gerrymandering can be a good or bad thing. Let's say an area can elect three representatives, and lets say a third of the population is a minority group which lives spread across two or three neighbourhoods and usually votes for party A, while the rest of the population usually votes for Party B.

If you encircle those minority neighbourhoods into one district, then the minority can essentially elect one of the three representatives. If you divide up the minority group so they are spread across all three districts, then their votes may not count.

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beardyramen t1_iuilg25 wrote

To add on this. You and a friend are astronauts in space, holding hands. We are a system. Our center of mass is between us. If you push on your friend, no EXTERNAL force acted on the system you + friend, so your center of mass shouldn't change its state of motion. For this to happen, a net force of 0 should happen between you two. Ergo, any force you apply will be reflected back to you.

But then wouldn't stuff never ever move? If forces were always equal to 0? The point is that the system you + friend experience 0 external forces, and no motion. But if you look at the system only friend he experienced an EXTERNAL force (you pushing) And if you look at the system only you, you experience an EXTERNAL force equal to your push reflected.

Each of you moves, but the overall system does not change.

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