Wolfram Alpha

“Today's WolframAlpha is the first step in an ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone. You enter your question or calculation, and WolframAlpha uses its built-in algorithms and growing collection of data to compute the answer. Based on a new kind of knowledge-based computing…”

This is more significant than just a new search engine; this is the first computation engine widely and freely available. You submit queries and computation requests and WolframAlpha returns an answer. Unlike search engines you may be used to WolframAlpha does not return web pages matching your keywords but instead offers discrete answers and supplementary data. You input "$250 + 15%" Wolfram anwsers $287.50. You ask Wolfram “How old was Queen Elizabeth II in 1974?" it simply tells you 47 years old.

For better or worse we are entering into a new phase of internet use.

Try the following queries in Wolfram for fun:
* Flux Capacitor
* How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
* How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
* What is the meaning of life?
Here are some more fun queries to try.

Main Site: http://www.wolframalpha.com/
See Also: Example Searches
See Also: Overview Video
See Also: Wikipedia Entry

Keep Searching,
Librarian Carl

PS – Keep your eye out for Google’s answer to WolframAlpha called Google Squared which should be launching by the end of the month.
See Also: Tech Crunch, What is Google Squared?
See Also: Wikipedia Entry