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.
You can use the standard algebraic operators to construct your
calculations—+, -, x, and / for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division, accordingly. For example, to add 2 plus 3, enter 2 +
3 and press Enter. To divide 10 by 2, enter 10 / 2,
and so on.
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.
For example, if you’re not sure what the value of pi is, just enter
pi into the Search box and press Enter; Google returns
3.14159265, as it should. How about the speed of light? Enter speed of
light, and Google returns 299,792,458 m/s. It’s amazing what
Google knows.
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.
The first approach to looking up definitions is to use a ´All you have
to do is enter the keywords what is in your query, followed by
the word in question. (No question mark is necessary.) For example, to look up
the definition of the word "defenestrate," enter what is
defenestrate.
When you use a "what is" search, Google returns a standard search
results page (typically with several useful definition links in the list), as
well as a definition section at the top of the page. This section includes a
short definition of the word and two useful links. The first link, disguised as
the result title, is actually a link to other definitions of the word on the
web. The second link, Definition in Context, displays an example of the word
used in a sentence.
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.
The operator in question is define:. Use this operator
before the word you want defined, with no spaces between. So, for example, if
you want to define the word "defenestrate," enter the query
define:defenestrate.
When your query includes the define: operator, Google
displays a special definitions page. This page includes all the definitions for
the word that Google found on the web; click a link to view the full definition.
And here’s something else to know. If you want to define a phrase, use
the define: operator but put the phrase in quotation marks. For
example, to define the phrase "peer to peer", enter the query
define:"peer to peer".
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.
- To find when President Bill Clinton was born, enter birthday bill
clinton.
- To find when Raymond Chandler died, enter die raymond
chandler.
- To find who is the president of Germany, enter president
germany.
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 displays current weather conditions and a four-day forecast at the top
of the search results page. And, while this is a good summary report, you may
want to click through to the more detailed forecasts offered in the standard
search results listings below the four-day forecast.
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. For example, to view conditions at the Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport (with the code MSP), enter msp
airport. This displays a link to conditions at the chosen airport;
click this link for detailed information.
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 now displays links to three sites that let you track the flight
status—Travelocity, Expedia, and fboweb. Click one of these links to view
real-time flight status—including maps of where the plane is in its
route.
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.
All you have to do is enter some combination of the following parameters:
first name (or initial), last name, city, state, or Zip code. For example, to
search for John Smith in Minneapolis, enter john smith minneapolis
mn. As you might suspect, the more details you provide, the more
targeted your results will be.
When you enter your query using one of these methods, Google returns a search
result page with a PhoneBook Results item at the top of the results list. The
two or three names listed here aren’t the only matches in the Google
PhoneBook, however. To see the other matching names, click the PhoneBook Results
link; this displays a full page of PhoneBook listings.
And here’s something even more cool—Google lets you perform
reverse phone number lookups. Just enter the full phone number, including area
code, into the standard Google search box. You can enter all 10 numbers in a
row, without hyphens (like this: 1234567890), or use the
standard hyphenated form (like this: 123-456-7890); Google
accepts either method. When you click the search button, Google displays a
single matching PhoneBook result.
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
Google not only lets you search for movie information, it also is a great
search engine for music. Google knows the names of tens of thousands of popular
performers; all you have to do is enter the performer’s name in the search
box, and Google returns specific information about that performer.
For example, when you search for norah jones, Google
displays a Norah Jones section at the top of the search results page.
This section includes a brief listing of the artist’s most recent (or most
well-known) albums and songs.
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.)
Jax Beach Technology Services