Beyond Web Search with Wolframalpha.com

WolframAlpha.com is more than a website; it is part of an ambitious project to provide accessible, calculable, interpretable data to everyone from noobies to the most sophisticated scientists. Traditional web searches like Google look for information on the Internet’s publicly available web pages. Wolframalpha.com elevates web searches to a new level by accessing its computational knowledge databases that run on clusters of modern computer processors.

What Is Wolframalpha.com?

Wolframalpha.com is the brainchild of Stephen Wolfram, the genius behind Mathematica and Wolfram Research.  Wolfram and his team want to offer all of the world’s systematic knowledge into computable and accessible formats by extending trillions of pieces of data into easy-to-find formats.

Despite its complexity, using Wolframalpha.com is surprisingly simple. For the best results, enter specific terms and search for objective facts. Helpful topic-based and visual examples will ease your learning curve, or watch the overview video that shows Wolframalpha.com at work.

When search results come back, they include various interpretations of your search question as well as a variety of answers that you can copy/paste, download or print. Original sources are always cited, and you can explore further by searching the Web or clicking on related links. Once you discover how to leverage the scientific power of the site, you’ll be amazed by its ordinary usefulness.

Getting Started

Wolframalpha.com’s home page is so simple it’s practically intimidating. To see how you can put the power of Wolframalpha.com to work for you, try some of these fun and foolproof search starters:

Handy home improvement: Retiling the kitchen floor? Enter “9 feet x 12 feet” to calculate square footage, diagonal lengths, perimeter and more so you can accurately order supplies.

Calorie counter: Tracking calories? By entering “running 30 min, 12 min/mi, 32yo male, 5’11”, 190 lb” you learn that you burned 392 calories and .11 lb fat during today’s 2.5 mile run.

Date data: Curious about what happened the day you were born? Enter your birth date to view major events, moon phases and your exact age in years, weeks and days.

Naming names: Choosing a name for a new baby or family pet? Enter any name for statistical data, trends, variations and meanings. Wolframalpha.com will compare data for two or more names in chart and graphic formats.

Homework help: Every student in kindergarten to advanced degree programs can get help with math problem, such as “x+y=10, x-y=4” or identify the “boiling point of ethers” or get properties of “carbon.” The possibilities are infinite. Be sure to request teacher approval and site the original sources.

Brainstorming beginners: Want to get your juices flowing before a brainstorming session? Enter a common word such as “water” to learn chemical names and formulas, see symbols, view structure diagrams and more.

Health test translation: Confused by physical exam results? Enter “blood pressure 120/70” to find out the meaning behind systolic and diastolic pressures and how your data compares to the general population.

Demographic data: Considering a move? Enter a city and state like “Dallas Texas” to find out population, crime rates, weather, cost of living, unemployment rate, the city’s nickname (Big D) and notable people born there (Meat Loaf, Vanilla Ice, Aaron Spelling and more).

Stacking up stocks: Invested in the market or watching for potential purchases? Research history, find latest trade values or compare shares by entering one or more stock symbols. For example “IBM AAPL”

Tantalizing trivia: Trying to impress friends and co-workers? Identify facts about historical figures (enter “Abraham Lincoln” to discover place of birth and death, and see a timeline of his life), sports teams (enter “Chicago Cubs” for team description, standings and record history), or movies (enter “Avatar” for names of cast members, awards and box office totals).

Take it with You

Can’t get enough of Wolframalpha.com on your Mac or PC? For a $1.99, you can download the app designed for the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad for on-the-go fact finding. Or, integrate it into almost any web browser, operating system or customizable web-based dashboard with free toolbars, add-ons or widgets.

Good to Know

Wolframalpha.com is free for personal, noncommercial use and it only offers publicly available, known data; so don’t expect to find futuristic forecasts or privately held information. Don’t be surprised if results offer data that is relevant to your physical location; the site identifies your computer’s IP address and will relate an answer accordingly (but your information is protected by their privacy policy).

Once in a while even a properly-worded query turns up short but don’t be discouraged. The Wolframalpha.com team constantly adds data, improves their databases, and welcomes feedback in their quest to incorporate all available data for every knowledge area.