ping898
12-12-2006, 03:26 PM
http://www.informit.com/articles/printerfriendly.asp?p=675528&rl=1
Google Is a Calculator
When you can’t be troubled to reach over and pick up the handheld calculator sitting on your desk, you can use Google as a high-tech web-based calculator. All you have to do is enter your equation or formula into the standard Google search box, and then click the Google Search button. The result of the calculation is displayed on the search results page; it’s that simple.
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And Google’s calculator isn’t limited to basic addition and multiplication. It can also handle more advanced calculations, trigonometric functions, inverse trigonometric functions, hyperbolic functions, and logarithmic functions. Just enter the proper formula into the search box, and wait for Google to display the answer.
Google Knows Mathematical Constants
In addition to performing calculations, Google also knows a variety of mathematical and scientific constants, such as pi, Avogadro’s Number, and Planck’s Constant. It also knows the radius of the Earth, the mass of the sun, the speed of light, the gravitational constant, and a lot more.
......
Google Converts Units of Measure
Another surprise is that Google’s calculator also handles conversions. It knows miles and meters, furlongs and light years, seconds and fortnights, and even angstroms and Smoots—and can convert from one unit of measurement to another.
The key to using the Google calculator as a converter is to express your query using the proper syntax. In essence, you want to start with the first measure, followed by the word "in," followed by the second unit of measure. A general query looks like this: x firstunits in secondunits.
For example, to find out how many feet equal a meter, enter the query 1 meter in feet. Not sure how many teaspoons are in a cup? Enter 1 cup in teaspoons. Want to convert 100 U.S. dollars into Euros? Then enter 100 usd in euros. And so on and so forth.
Google Is a Dictionary
Want to look up the definition of a particular word, but don’t want to bother pulling out the old hardcover dictionary? Not sure of a specific spelling? Then use Google as an online dictionary to look up any word you can think of. It’s easy—and there are two ways to do it.
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Google Is a Glossary
Even more definitions are available when you use the Google Glossary feature. Google Glossary is what Google calls it, anyway; really, it’s just another advanced search operator that produces some very specific results.
........
Google Lists All the Facts
When you’re looking for hard facts, Google might be able to help. Yes, Google always returns a list of sites that match your specific query, but if you phrase your query correctly—and are searching for a fact that Google has pre-identified—you can get the precise information you need at the top of the search results page.
What types of information are we talking about? Fact-based information, such as birthdates, birthplaces, population, and so on. All you have to do is enter a query that states the fact you want to know. For example:
To find the population of San Francisco, enter population san Francisco.
To find where Mark Twain was born, enter birthplace mark twain........
The answers to these questions are displayed at the top of your search results page. You get the precise answer to your question, according to the referenced website. Click the associated link to learn more from this source.
Google Displays Weather Reports
Did you know that Google can be used to find and display current weather conditions and forecasts? It’s a pretty easy search; all you have to do is enter the keyword weather, followed by the location. You can enter the location as a city name, city plus state, or Zip code. For example, to view the weather forecast for Minneapolis, enter weather minneapolis.
.......
Google Knows Current Airport Conditions
Weather information is important to travelers, as is information about flight and airport delays. Fortunately, you can use the main Google search page to search for this information, just as you did with weather forecasts.
To search for weather conditions and delays at a particular airport, all you have to do is enter the airport’s three-letter code, followed by the word airport.
......
Google Tracks Flight Status
Google also lets you track the status of any U.S. flight and many international flights. All you have to do is enter the flight number into the Google search box. For example, to find out the status of United Airlines flight 116, enter ua116.
.........
Google Tracks Packages
Airline flights aren’t the only things you can track with Google. Google also lets you track the status of package deliveries, from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS. All you have to do is enter the package’s tracking number into the Google search box, and Google will display a link to the service’s tracking page for that package.
Google Is a Giant Phone Directory
As part of its massive database of information, Google now includes listings for millions of U.S. households in what it calls the Google PhoneBook. You search the PhoneBook listings from the main Google search box, using specific query parameters.
.....
Google Knows Area Codes
It goes without saying that if Google knows phone numbers, it also knows area codes. If you have an area code and want to know which city it serves, just enter the area code; Google will return the city in which that area code resides.
Google Has Movie Information
Numbers aren’t the only types of information available via a Google lookup. You can also use the standard Google search box to look up movie reviews and showtimes. All you have to do is enter the word movies followed by the name of the movie. For example, to find out when Casino Royale is showing in your neighborhood, enter movies casino royale.
Google now displays a movie information section at the top of the search results page. From here you can click to view movie reviews, showtimes for a theater near you, and so on.
And if you can’t remember the name of a given movie, you can use Google to figure it out for you. Just enter the movie: operator, followed by whatever information you do know—an actor’s name, the movie’s director, a plot detail, or whatever. Google returns a list of movies that match your search criteria, along with reviews for each movie listed. Click the movie title to view more reviews for that movie.
Google Loves Music
And there’s more. Click the performer’s name and you see a visual listing of the artist’s albums. Click any album art or title and you see a listing of album tracks, a link to album reviews, and links to download tracks from the album from a variety of online music stores. Back on the main artist page, there are also links to websites devoted to the artist, news about the artist, photos of the artist, and mentions of the artists in Google Groups discussion forums.
Google Knows the Answer to the Ultimate Question
Let’s return to Google’s calculator for one final hidden feature. As you recall, the Google calculator has been hardwired to include the answers to some fairly complex—and fairly fanciful—calculations. For a bit of fun, try entering the query what is the answer to life the universe and everything. Google’s answer should delight long-time fans of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (It’s "42", in case you were wondering.)
Google Is a Calculator
When you can’t be troubled to reach over and pick up the handheld calculator sitting on your desk, you can use Google as a high-tech web-based calculator. All you have to do is enter your equation or formula into the standard Google search box, and then click the Google Search button. The result of the calculation is displayed on the search results page; it’s that simple.
....
And Google’s calculator isn’t limited to basic addition and multiplication. It can also handle more advanced calculations, trigonometric functions, inverse trigonometric functions, hyperbolic functions, and logarithmic functions. Just enter the proper formula into the search box, and wait for Google to display the answer.
Google Knows Mathematical Constants
In addition to performing calculations, Google also knows a variety of mathematical and scientific constants, such as pi, Avogadro’s Number, and Planck’s Constant. It also knows the radius of the Earth, the mass of the sun, the speed of light, the gravitational constant, and a lot more.
......
Google Converts Units of Measure
Another surprise is that Google’s calculator also handles conversions. It knows miles and meters, furlongs and light years, seconds and fortnights, and even angstroms and Smoots—and can convert from one unit of measurement to another.
The key to using the Google calculator as a converter is to express your query using the proper syntax. In essence, you want to start with the first measure, followed by the word "in," followed by the second unit of measure. A general query looks like this: x firstunits in secondunits.
For example, to find out how many feet equal a meter, enter the query 1 meter in feet. Not sure how many teaspoons are in a cup? Enter 1 cup in teaspoons. Want to convert 100 U.S. dollars into Euros? Then enter 100 usd in euros. And so on and so forth.
Google Is a Dictionary
Want to look up the definition of a particular word, but don’t want to bother pulling out the old hardcover dictionary? Not sure of a specific spelling? Then use Google as an online dictionary to look up any word you can think of. It’s easy—and there are two ways to do it.
.........
Google Is a Glossary
Even more definitions are available when you use the Google Glossary feature. Google Glossary is what Google calls it, anyway; really, it’s just another advanced search operator that produces some very specific results.
........
Google Lists All the Facts
When you’re looking for hard facts, Google might be able to help. Yes, Google always returns a list of sites that match your specific query, but if you phrase your query correctly—and are searching for a fact that Google has pre-identified—you can get the precise information you need at the top of the search results page.
What types of information are we talking about? Fact-based information, such as birthdates, birthplaces, population, and so on. All you have to do is enter a query that states the fact you want to know. For example:
To find the population of San Francisco, enter population san Francisco.
To find where Mark Twain was born, enter birthplace mark twain........
The answers to these questions are displayed at the top of your search results page. You get the precise answer to your question, according to the referenced website. Click the associated link to learn more from this source.
Google Displays Weather Reports
Did you know that Google can be used to find and display current weather conditions and forecasts? It’s a pretty easy search; all you have to do is enter the keyword weather, followed by the location. You can enter the location as a city name, city plus state, or Zip code. For example, to view the weather forecast for Minneapolis, enter weather minneapolis.
.......
Google Knows Current Airport Conditions
Weather information is important to travelers, as is information about flight and airport delays. Fortunately, you can use the main Google search page to search for this information, just as you did with weather forecasts.
To search for weather conditions and delays at a particular airport, all you have to do is enter the airport’s three-letter code, followed by the word airport.
......
Google Tracks Flight Status
Google also lets you track the status of any U.S. flight and many international flights. All you have to do is enter the flight number into the Google search box. For example, to find out the status of United Airlines flight 116, enter ua116.
.........
Google Tracks Packages
Airline flights aren’t the only things you can track with Google. Google also lets you track the status of package deliveries, from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS. All you have to do is enter the package’s tracking number into the Google search box, and Google will display a link to the service’s tracking page for that package.
Google Is a Giant Phone Directory
As part of its massive database of information, Google now includes listings for millions of U.S. households in what it calls the Google PhoneBook. You search the PhoneBook listings from the main Google search box, using specific query parameters.
.....
Google Knows Area Codes
It goes without saying that if Google knows phone numbers, it also knows area codes. If you have an area code and want to know which city it serves, just enter the area code; Google will return the city in which that area code resides.
Google Has Movie Information
Numbers aren’t the only types of information available via a Google lookup. You can also use the standard Google search box to look up movie reviews and showtimes. All you have to do is enter the word movies followed by the name of the movie. For example, to find out when Casino Royale is showing in your neighborhood, enter movies casino royale.
Google now displays a movie information section at the top of the search results page. From here you can click to view movie reviews, showtimes for a theater near you, and so on.
And if you can’t remember the name of a given movie, you can use Google to figure it out for you. Just enter the movie: operator, followed by whatever information you do know—an actor’s name, the movie’s director, a plot detail, or whatever. Google returns a list of movies that match your search criteria, along with reviews for each movie listed. Click the movie title to view more reviews for that movie.
Google Loves Music
And there’s more. Click the performer’s name and you see a visual listing of the artist’s albums. Click any album art or title and you see a listing of album tracks, a link to album reviews, and links to download tracks from the album from a variety of online music stores. Back on the main artist page, there are also links to websites devoted to the artist, news about the artist, photos of the artist, and mentions of the artists in Google Groups discussion forums.
Google Knows the Answer to the Ultimate Question
Let’s return to Google’s calculator for one final hidden feature. As you recall, the Google calculator has been hardwired to include the answers to some fairly complex—and fairly fanciful—calculations. For a bit of fun, try entering the query what is the answer to life the universe and everything. Google’s answer should delight long-time fans of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (It’s "42", in case you were wondering.)