Recent comments in /f/explainlikeimfive

CautiousCold8392 t1_jeg9tsm wrote

Reply to comment by Chromotron in ELI5-What is the fibonacci sequence? by amsdys

Even though it may be true that no physical process directly favors them, saying there aren't any in the natural world is inaccurate. Although they might not have been the only factors in the creation of some naturally occurring spirals, the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence can be seen in some of them. A nice illustration of the pattern is how seeds are distributed in sunflowers.

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BOS_George t1_jeg9psg wrote

Reply to Eli5 What does it mean to ‘balance the books’? by QuestionKing123

Most of these comments are far from ELI5 answers.

At it’s heart this term just means keeping accurate and complete financial records. Typically this term would be used by a “bookkeeper”, or accountant, to describe the process of producing financial statements for a business at the end of any reporting period, e.g. a month or a year, and checking to ensure they’re correct.

In essence, they want to make sure all of the transactions for a period are recorded. When people used paper checks to make payments they would call this “balancing” a checkbook, making sure that a ledger, or list, of all the checks they’ve written corresponds to the balance in their account, or “book”.

The bank would not keep a detailed record of your transactions, e.g. who you’re paying with each check. A bank statement would only include a list of checks by check number, or numerical identifier. People would manually keep a record of all the checks they’ve written (who they paid and how much) and check it against their bank statement. That process, the verification, was referred to as “balancing”.

Accountants keep many lists, lists of sales made, lists of expenses, lists of payments made, lists of payments received, etc. They “balance” (verify) many “books” (accounts).

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explainlikeimfive-ModTeam t1_jeg9l7c wrote

Reply to ELI5: The seemingly huge increase in Ticketmaster fee's and why there aren't competitors trying to cash in on the public backlash by undercutting them? by FIuff

Please read this entire message

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

  • Rule #2 - Questions must seek objective explanations

  • ELI5 is not for subjective or speculative replies - only objective explanations are permitted here; your question is asking for subjective or speculative replies. (Rule 2).

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

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FIuff OP t1_jeg8fje wrote

Reply to comment by BurnOutBrighter6 in ELI5: The seemingly huge increase in Ticketmaster fee's and why there aren't competitors trying to cash in on the public backlash by undercutting them? by FIuff

Fuck... lol I feel like the solution to a lot of modern problems would be solved if we, as a race, could just act in complete unison, i.e everyone agree on a solution and implement it. Am I just describing the motivations for socialism?

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photog_in_nc t1_jeg85fh wrote

Reply to eli5: Why do seemingly all battery powered electronics need at least 2 batteries? by OneGuyJeff

This is really only a thing with devices that take low voltage consumer batters (AA, AAA and the like) for reasons already described. There’s tons of devices with a single battery, sometimes an embedded one and sometimes removable. My camera, for instance, takes a proprietary battery and has its own charger. My phone and laptop have an integrated battery. I have a lot of devices that take a single small button cell batteries that are used in watches. I have tools from an electric screwdriver to a leaf blower that all take single proprietary batteries.

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mmmmmmBacon12345 t1_jeg7yca wrote

Reply to ELI5: How do large ships parked themselves at docks before invention of tug boats? by crenshawcrane

Tugging on ropes just without the diesel engines

A small maneuverable boat pulling a slow unwieldy ship goes back a long ways

Age of sail ships used their ships boats for fine maneuvering. They'd drop the boats over the side, tie a rope to them, then some poor schmucks would have go to out and row and slowly pull the ship out of the harbor or back into its specific dock. Age of sail ships were slowwww anyway so if they could only do 1 knot being pulled by 4 dudes rowing that wasn't bad considering HMS Victory was fast with an 11 knot top speed

Another option was called [warping or kedging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warping_(sailing)). Schmucks in the ships boat again but this time they're carrying the anchor out, dropping it, and the guys on the ship are pulling the line tight which pulls the ship to the anchor and then raising the anchor so the boat can take it out again.

Once you're near the dock you throw lines to dudes on the ground who have to pull them tight to pull the ship up tight against the dock

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BurnOutBrighter6 t1_jeg7po4 wrote

Reply to Eli5 if the universe is expanding, then why isn’t the earth, and everything in it (us) getting measurably bigger too? by Far-Contribution-632

For small scale objects (where "small-scale" means like planets), gravity is enough to hold matter together and keep it the same size .The expansion of space is extremely minute and weak at distances as small as planets. It's distant outer empty space that is expanding, space that is empty on a size scale billions of times bigger than planets.

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Ericrobertson1978 t1_jeg7elp wrote

Reply to comment by RLDSXD in ELI5: If benzodiazepines are CNS depressants, why is it so hard to die from a overdose of them alone? by psychrolute

I had to stop taking benzodiazapines altogether after getting C-LAM. That shit is bad decision making incarnate.

I would always start with the very best intentions, but then it would kick in and I'd inevitably black out and wake up in jail or the hospital a few days later.

I wish I could take benzodiazapines to sleep, but instead of going down, I wanna go on some idiotic adventure. I become a mindless automaton and shell of my former self.

Now I don't use them at all, if only to avoid prison and death.

They are certainly terrifying. Lol

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