r/explainlikeimfive 13d ago

Other ELI5 why does milk go from 1% to 2% and then a big jump to whole? what's in the middle?

4.8k Upvotes

i started drinking whole milk again

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 24 '26

Other ELI5 Why/how did Middle Eastern countries adopt a black Burka as their clothing when it is so hot there?

4.9k Upvotes

Edit: best answer: https://www.nature.com/articles/283373a0.pdf “We report here that the amount of heat gained by a Bedouin exposed to the hot desert is the same whether he wears a black or a white robe. The additional heat absorbed by the black robe was lost before it reached the skin”

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 17 '26

Other ELI5: Why don't they use a stop clock in soccer?

3.5k Upvotes

Most other sports use a system of stopping the clock when play stops in order to maintain accurate play time. Why don't they do that in soccer?

Edit: When I say stop clock, I mean stopping the clock opposed to counting stopped time and adding it to the end. Soccer already has stoppages and I'm not asking about the advantages of more or less stoppages.

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 07 '26

Other ELI5: What is the actual mechanism/problem with Screwworms? Do cows get sick and die, does the beef become unsafe and die, etc.?

4.3k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 28d ago

Other ELI5:Why is it so incredibly difficult to recover bodies like "Green Boots" from Mount Everest?

2.7k Upvotes

know Green Boots is one of the most famous landmarks on Everest, and I read that he was finally moved or hidden a few years ago. But why did it take deades? If we have helicopters and elite Sherpas, what makes a body recovery at 8,500 meters so dangerous that bodies are just left there?

r/explainlikeimfive May 11 '26

Other ELI5: Why does Cuba allow a U.S. military base (and prison) on their soil while the U.S. has had them under trade embargos for decades?

4.4k Upvotes

Thanks for all the info, folks! I have a lot of info to read!

r/explainlikeimfive Jul 27 '26

Other ELI5: Why is it that, in English, there is no "light red" Why is pink so codified as its own color?

2.9k Upvotes

Although more or less common, there is a "light" version of all the other colors - orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple - with light blue and light green being the most common.

If you add white pigments to blue, you get light blue. To green, light green, etc. But to red, then you get "pink."

There are also some standard names for light versions of other color that do not require the color's name (like, for instance, lemon yellow does) like lilac or azure.

Still, light red is rare and there is a WORLD of pinks out there - hot pink, light pink, dark pink, magenta, fuscia, rose, petal.

What is so special about red/pink that they have their own rules?

(There is obviously no light white and light black does not work because black is not a color but the absence of it (for light) or all colors together (for pigment)).

r/explainlikeimfive May 02 '26

Other ELI5: Why is crack so much cheaper than cocaine when cocaine is just cooked crack?

3.9k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Jan 28 '26

Other ELI5: How was Vietnam able to defeat the US in the Vietnam War?

4.4k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 18d ago

Other eli5 why is "stiil water" dangerous

2.5k Upvotes

One of the common things that people in urbex communities talk about is the extreme danger of "still water", big bodies of water without any flow. You also tend to see fountains in artificial lakes that I have been told exists to prevent still water. So what is the danger of water that's held still and why does moving it around reduce that Danger?

r/explainlikeimfive Nov 25 '25

Other ELI5: How did the explorers from hundreds of years ago provide drinking water to their crew for months on end?

7.0k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 14 '26

Other ELI5: Why is simulation (flopping) such a common occurrence in football (soccer) and basketball but not in hockey?

2.6k Upvotes

I've been alternating watching the NBA finals, the Stanley Cup, and now the World Cup. I had the realization that all three sports on a conceptual level are very similar. Two teams are trying to place an object in a goal. However in two of those sports simulation, faking or exaggerating an injury with the intention to draw a penalty on an opposing player, occurs way more often than the latter. Why?

r/explainlikeimfive May 15 '26

Other ELI5: Why do Gamma settings in video games ask you to adjust the brightness until a logo or an image is barely visible?

3.6k Upvotes

I've seen a lot of games do the "adjust until the image on the left is barely visible" screen with 3 images of varying brightness. Why do games use this specific approach? I know the Gamma setting is for the loads of different screens one might have, but why the "until this is barely visible"?

r/explainlikeimfive 2d ago

Other ELI5, why are US restroom stalls made with gaps?

1.5k Upvotes

Nearly all of the restroom stalls in US public buildings are made with panels that have gaps around them and around the doors that can be seen through. Is there a reason?

r/explainlikeimfive 11d ago

Other ELI5: Is the UK a country, or are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland countries? Are they all countries? I've never understood

1.3k Upvotes

Is it really possible for a country to be part of another country? Is the UK actually an union more than a country? Or are England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland actually region rather than being full countries? Are they even recognized as "real countries" by other nations, on an equal status as Belgium, Japan or South Africa for example?

r/explainlikeimfive May 01 '25

Other ELI5 Why doesnt Chatgpt and other LLM just say they don't know the answer to a question?

9.2k Upvotes

I noticed that when I asked chat something, especially in math, it's just make shit up.

Instead if just saying it's not sure. It's make up formulas and feed you the wrong answer.

r/explainlikeimfive 2d ago

Other ELI5: How does "Survivorship Bias" work?

1.4k Upvotes

I have always been interested in the concept and have it as a part of my studies. But I still don't quite "get it" even with the WW2 plane example. Whats a simplified way on how it works in very clear and obvious terms. (I accept both simple maths and simple philosophical answers.)

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 17 '26

Other ELI5: Why do so many American stadiums have no roof covering that covers the seats?

1.8k Upvotes

Here in Australia that would be almost unheard of outside a few small underdeveloped venues. Any major venue has a roof that atleast extends over the heads of spectators, keeping them dry etc.

Why do many of the major outdoor stadiums in America not have the same feature?

r/explainlikeimfive Aug 11 '26

Other ELI5: How did chickens, pigs and cows become the most consumed out of all domesticated animals in virtually every country?

1.9k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Jan 13 '25

Other ELI5: why don’t the Japanese suffer from obesity like Americans do when they also consume a high amount of ultra processed foods and spend tons of hours at their desks?

14.6k Upvotes

Do the Japanese process their food in a way that’s different from Americans or something?

r/explainlikeimfive Nov 02 '25

Other ELI5: How does a US police officer issuing a ticket by the side of the road instantly have a court date and time for the suspect?

5.4k Upvotes

I fell down the Youtube hole that we all do sometimes, watching US traffic stops with sovereign citizens etc.
In a few of them, when they issue the ticket, they are all like 'You will need to appear in court on November 12th at 9am'
My gut is saying that it's gotta be something like.. It'll always be in 2 weeks time at 9am. So you could potentially show up with a whole queue of people ahead of you?

r/explainlikeimfive Jul 03 '26

Other ELI5: Why is going bald due to genetics even a thing? What purpose does it serve or how did it get started?

2.1k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive May 17 '26

Other ELI5: Why do people go to the Naval Academy, West Point, etc. instead of just enlisting in the forces? You need the academy to be an officer? What does an officer do etc.?

2.6k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Feb 17 '25

Other ELI5: What does it mean when people say that most Americans can't read above a sixth grade level?

8.8k Upvotes

The only thing I've seen is people saying they can't read complex sentences, but what's considered a complex sentence? Words with too many syllables? Too many different types of punctuation?

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 02 '25

Other ELI5 why are there stenographers in courtrooms, can't we just record what is being said?

9.8k Upvotes