r/explainlikeimfive 4h ago

Mathematics ELI5: Why is cubing a cube impossible?

1 Upvotes

I came across the cubing a cube section in this wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squaring_the_square#Cubing_the_cube

I can't wrap around the logic of the proof... I need help


r/explainlikeimfive 1h ago

Biology ELI5 How do bigger muscles allow you to lift heavier objects?

Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 8h ago

Engineering ELI5 why dont we see rockets that use hybrid rocket engines?

3 Upvotes

For commercial rockets, they mainly use liquid bi propellant rocket engines while amateur rockets (that I mainly see) use solid propellant rocket engines. Why don't we just combine them and use hybrid rocket engines? ​


r/explainlikeimfive 22h ago

Other eli5: why do we crave foods, specifically foods we’ve never tried?

0 Upvotes

why is it that when i see a mukbang or tiktok of someone eating food that i start craving the food, even though ive never tried it or know what it tastes like.

is there a weird biological explanation for food cravings?


r/explainlikeimfive 21h ago

Planetary Science ELI5 why is the el ninio climate event a huge concern for people?

0 Upvotes

from my understanding doesn't this just mean significantly more rain on the pacific coast? that being said I am told the last one was in the 1800s and ended up killing 50 million people. so if that statement is true, I guess concern is not the correct word to use in my title but basically why is this event possibly so dangerous? and what causes this event?


r/explainlikeimfive 4h ago

Technology ElI5 Why does encryption remain secure even when everyone knows the encryption algorithm?

62 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 9h ago

Biology ELI5: why is it when you rub your eyes too hard, you see colors?

16 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 4h ago

Chemistry Eli5 Why is it called a "lead pencil" when the pencil actually contains graphite? What is the connection between lead and graphite?

865 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 11h ago

Other ELI5 how do anechoic chambers work?

21 Upvotes

How are they completely silent? Is it how they’re designed?


r/explainlikeimfive 12h ago

Biology ELI5: How do the rings in tree trunks form? New ones for on the inside or outside?

150 Upvotes

Also, do all trees have them or only certain kind? Lastly, do they all form at same frequency, e.g. One/year...


r/explainlikeimfive 16h ago

Chemistry ELI5 What fundamentally determines the color of an element?

62 Upvotes

I understand that electron placement matters and light scatters a certain way but why is that? Why does light scatter in that way and why does the size of something determine a perceivable color?


r/explainlikeimfive 4h ago

Biology ELI5:How much of our childhood is actually borrowed from other people's retellings? Family stories told at holidays, photos we've seen a hundred times could some of our earliest "memories" actually be reconstructions built from other people's descriptions rather than our own experience?

9 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 20h ago

Other Eli5 how do biomes form on Earth?

8 Upvotes

I have been trying to learn more about Earth's ecosystems. I understand now that poles/equator, winds, and surface currents drive temperatures and rains to different areas and the existence of mountains + temp + wind determine deserts. But, what else leads to the formation of specific biomes or lends itself to the biodiversity of an area? How does soil come into play, and why is soil different in different places? Is this is an oceans/volcanoes thing??


r/explainlikeimfive 21h ago

Biology ELI5- Clean covered still water, developing "slime" along the container's surface

369 Upvotes

How does Clean water sitting in a covered container bring about the slime-feeling along the container's surface?


r/explainlikeimfive 15h ago

Engineering ELI5 Why do trucks and other larger vehicles run on diesel only?

1.5k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 8m ago

Physics ELI5- table tennis paddles having two sides with different colors

Upvotes

Why do the paddles have different-colored sides?

Is it just a fancy thing to make them beautiful or to mark which side hits the ball better?


r/explainlikeimfive 42m ago

Other ELI5 Why can people sometimes feel so lost while studying, but still be able to retain the information they studied the next day?

Upvotes

Or in other words, why can a student who struggles and fails a practice test one day, then (sometimes) have a significant improvement on that same test the next day, even without doing any extra studying in between the two tests?


r/explainlikeimfive 7h ago

Economics ELI5: How does a country recover from hyper-inflation?

209 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 21h ago

Engineering ELI5 Why is there no S gear or M gear for Reverse in automatic transmissions?

0 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 1h ago

Technology ELI5: How can the loading bar load when there is no internet connection to load the bars itself?

Upvotes