New Search Engine - Wolfram|Alpha

[Maj]

I was recently introduced to a whole new kind of search engine called Wolfram|Alpha {WS, Knowledge, Math}. I thought the highly net savvy and technical people who post here might have a bit of fun with it - and maybe even use it for something practical. There's an overview video (about 15 minutes) that shows off how it works, and a lot of what the engine can do.

[zeruslord]

It does die probabilities. Playing around a bit, it looks pretty savvy.

[CatharzGodfoot]

I searched for Candida Albicans; it found nothing. I searched for Candida; it suggested that I search Candida Albicans for more specific information; I stopped using it.

[Heath Robinson]

binomial distribution 3 1/3 - failed
binomial distribution 3 0.333333333 - success

A search frontend for (at least) Mathematica that doesn't support common computer textual expressions for fractions as parameters is inexcusable.

[Maj]

I searched for Candida Albicans; it found nothing. I searched for Candida; it suggested that I search Candida Albicans for more specific information; I stopped using it.

I'm sure that there are quite a few things that aren't in its database yet. I searched for some gemstones and the more common ones (ruby, peridot, etc) pulled up responses. Tanzanite pulled up a company name, though, and to get the specifics on garnet, you have to look up pyrope.

But I sent them some feedback, and it's a great tool for math, and finding and comparing statistics. Really, though, this engine is about processing information, not looking something up like "daisy." There's not much to process there (though it does give you a cool taxonimical chart), so you're better off searching wikipedia.

binomial distribution 3 1/3 - failed
binomial distribution 3 0.333333333 - success

A search frontend for (at least) Mathematica that doesn't support common computer textual expressions for fractions as parameters is inexcusable.

You need two spaces between the 3 and the 1/3. It works fine.

[Lich-Loved]

sweet:

d/dx(2x^2) returned 4x

Nice. It also provided a solution for an ordinary linear first order differential equation:

f'(x) = 21-6x

returned

f(x) = c-3x^2 + 21x

and plotted the individual and curve-family solutions.

Ok, so now I decided to give it a better test, something that pushes the hand-calculation department:
0 = (4x^2)(dy/dx)' + (8x)(dy/dx) + y

Which is a homogeneous second order linear differential equation. While not unsolvable if the coefficients are properly selected (mine were), it is a task to do it by hand. The result is too complex to print here, but is again correct.

What a friggin' awesome tool!

[shau]

I don't know, if I type in breasts I am not immediately rewarded with naked pictures. What kind of a search engine is that?

[erik]

I don't know, if I type in breasts I am not immediately rewarded with naked pictures. What kind of a search engine is that?

you have to type (.)(.)

[Draco_Argentum]

The interpreter needs work IMO. "median wage of Ohio" generates a "Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input." despite "median wage of Ohio fireman" being an example and working. Alternately it needs real feedback if the data isn't in their database.

Cool idea, not there yet though.

[Crissa]

Same for 'number chromosomes human' and 'number chromosomes fly'

It's just not really good at disambiguation, and it doesn't check spelling. Two things I rely upon Google to do.

-Crissa

[josephbt]

Can't calculate base attack bonus of a lvl12 ftr.

[CatharzGodfoot]

It did give me the formula for permutations of n elements (allowing repeats) and length 2 after I put in the first few points.