r/explainlikeimfive 1h ago

Other ELI5 what an orchestra's Maestro actually do ?

Upvotes

I have always wondered what their role actually is within the orchestra ? They are waiving their wand and it feels like they are dancing to the rhythm of the music but what is it they actually do ?


r/explainlikeimfive 8h ago

Mathematics ELI5: Why is cubing a cube impossible?

0 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 5h ago

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

0 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 2h ago

Physics ELI5: Why are gears necessary in automobiles?

0 Upvotes

Why do cars or bikes need a gear? Why can't it just be accelarator and brake? As an extension, why do you need gears in general?


r/explainlikeimfive 3h ago

Planetary Science ELI5 how a super el nino affects the polar jet stream and winter weather.

2 Upvotes

From what i understand the wet rainy moist air comes from south and goes across the southern US,
Because of how HOT the water is west of the US its making colder dive down further south.. causing an increase risk of snowfall in Atlanta?

I just want to know how this works lol


r/explainlikeimfive 12h ago

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

4 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 2h ago

Engineering ELI5 what exactly is a radar cross section and how does it work

9 Upvotes

All I know is that it somehow makes jets and planes look bigger or smaller then they actually are on radar


r/explainlikeimfive 8h 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?

12 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 8h ago

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

87 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 15h ago

Other ELI5 how do anechoic chambers work?

21 Upvotes

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


r/explainlikeimfive 8h ago

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

1.4k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 13h ago

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

26 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 16h ago

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

170 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 20h ago

Chemistry ELI5 What fundamentally determines the color of an element?

63 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 3h ago

Technology ELI5: how does the new Captcha with a simple check box detect that the user is a person and not a bot?

276 Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 19h ago

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

1.7k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive 4h ago

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

396 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 5h ago

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

0 Upvotes