ELI5 Explain Like I'm 5: Bite sized answers to stuff you should know about - in a mini podcast

How does the technology work to determine if a tennis ball is in or out? How accurate is it? Why is it difficult to replace all sports officials with systems like hawk eye?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: lo0rdAri, wanikuma, capnaspen, carlr818, k...

Why is tennis scored so oddly? Why do pro tennis players always take 3-4 balls and then discard some immediately before serving? Why do tennis ball cans have a soda lid on them? How does hawk-eye work?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: lo0rdAri, wan...

What is happening physically in us when we create a memory? Do our brains move memory in our brains when they transition from short term to long term memory? Why are different types of memories stored in different parts of the brain? What happens to memories when we are drunk?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users who...

Why is carbon fiber often used as a stick to hit objects in sporting goods? What's the difference between fiberglass, kevlar, and carbon fiber? What makes CFRP so strong?    ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: seneca_ivbc, robellicose, one_eyed_bear, ar...

What's the difference between the shiny and dull side of aluminum foil? Are you supposed to cook with one side rather than the other? Why is it called tin foil if it's made of aluminum? Why does tinfoil affect teeth nerves so much? Why is it alumiNUM in the US and aliuminIUM in the UK?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following...

What are hedge funds? Explain short selling like I'm five. What creates the phenomenon known as a short squeeze and how have people lost or made a ton of money because of it?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: humulous, imovedyourcheese, door_of_doom...

What makes a cough dry? What goes on in your body when you cough? Why does a drink of water help with a cough? Can people in a coma cough? Can you really fracture a rib just by coughing?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: a6zj6, hblovesmicro, medic_2...

Dentists recommend flossing all the time, but why don't they suggest the use of mouthwash as much? Can or can't you rebuild enamel with mouthwash or toothpaste products? Why does mouthwash cause a burning sensation in your mouth? Why was it named Listerine and what was the event that made it take off?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particula...

What mistake did Napoleon make when he considered building the Suez Canal? Explain the Suez Crisis and the six day war that closed the Suez Canal for eight years. Is that boat that got stuck called the Evergreen or EverGiven?    ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and also the r/askhistorians community this week, and in particular the following users whos...

Explain the "Tulip Mania" craze in the 1600s in Netherlands and why it was important? Why did people get into trouble with futures and options contracts? How much did a tulip cost at the height of the bubble (in multiples of a person's annual salary)?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and...

What is all the excitement about NFTs or Non Fungible Tokens? Why did someone pay nearly $70 million dollars for a piece of digital art? Why pay for something that you can simply copy and paste? Is something valuable if it is media that can be viewed all over the internet?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following use...

Why are too little inflation as well as too much inflation both bad? What is the gold standard? Why did almost all countries abandon it in the 20th century?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: yellowjacketcoder, bruceleefuckyeah, gradenko_20...

Are there ways we can slow the degradation of our smartphone batteries? Why does it seem like a wireless house phone battery can last for many more years than a smartphone battery? Why do traditional cars lack any decent ability to warn the driver that the battery is low or about to die? Why does hitting a flashlight when the batteries are low keep it working for a short time?   ... We explain lik...

Why does lightning travel in a zig-zag rather than a straight line? So why does it strike precise points such as the end of a pole? If the average lightning bolt contains up to 1 billion volts, how is it that humans can survive being struck? How many times does the Empire State Building get stuck by lightning every year?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive commun...

Why are men so much more likely to be colorblind? How do colourblind people know they’re colourblind? How are colourblind people able to recognize the colors when they put on those special glasses, when they have never seen those colors before? Do 3D glasses still work if you are colorblind?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particula...

Why is soccer not as popular in America, as compared to American Football? Where did the name soccer come from? Did you know that its official name is Association Football? How do soccer players bend a soccer ball?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this di...

Does the visible streak an airplane leaves behind depend on the type of plane? Why do some airplanes leave streaks and others don't? What conditions make for good contrails? Why don't jet engines have a grill in front of them to stop birds etc getting sucked in? What are chemtrails?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the fol...

How does an air fryer work? Isn't it just a fancy convection oven? Is it really more healthy? What does the air fryer have in common with the instant pot?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: rritaintme, jaksblacks, whythecynic, muffinpuff, e...

Why do we feel like throwing up after intense exercise? What is the significance of the Medulla Oblongata? Why are some people more prone to nausea? What are some practical tips for reducing exercise induced nausea?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this d...

What is it about grapefruit that makes it incompatible with so many prescription drugs? What is CYP3A4? What about other similar fruits? Why the name grapefruit if there's no relation to grapes?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: z-freak, s...

Why does cooked food sometimes offer more calories than its raw counterpart? If you eat a 2000 calorie meal, why can you still feel hungry after a few hours? Why is restaurant food vastly more calorie dense than preparing food at home? Why is it good to burn calories by raising your heart rate through aerobic exercise, but not through caffeine, stress, anxiety, etc?   ... We explain like i'm five!...

Why does blood not stick to human skin like a permanent marker, yet stains things like clothes really badly? How does circulation work after an amputation? How many blood types are there? What does A B & O mean? If blood in your veins looks blue, why do we never see blue blood when we get a cut?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in parti...

If an earthquake is the moving of a giant plate, why is the epicenter a single point and not the entire fault line? How do they make buildings earthquake proof? When did an earthquake shift an entire island?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussio...

Why aren't hot dogs sold at fast food places, while burgers are everywhere? How are hot dogs part of McDonald's founding story? How does Joey Chestnut's body deal with 70 hotdogs in 10 minutes? Where did the name hot dogs even come from?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments form...

Why do most pen caps have holes? When a pen quits half way through the word, why will it write on a fresh piece of paper but not over the letter it failed on? Why do some people call the ball point pen a biro pen?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community as always and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this dis...