# The Gaming Den

Welcome to the Gaming Den.

Skip to content

## New Search Engine - Wolfram|Alpha

Mundane & Pointless Stuff I Must Share: The Off Topic Forum

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply

- Print view

12 posts • Page 1 of 1

Maj
  Prince
  Posts: 4705
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
  Location: Shelton, Washington, USA

### New Search Engine - Wolfram|Alpha

- Quote

Post by Maj » Wed May 20, 2009 8:17 pm

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.
Last edited by Maj on Wed May 20, 2009 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top

zeruslord
  Knight-Baron
  Posts: 601
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

###

- Quote

Post by zeruslord » Wed May 20, 2009 8:48 pm

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

CatharzGodfoot
  King
  Posts: 5668
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
  Location: North Carolina

###

- Quote

Post by CatharzGodfoot » Wed May 20, 2009 10:27 pm

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.
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France
Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.
-Josh Kablack
Top

Heath Robinson
  Knight
  Posts: 393
  Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:26 am
  Location: Blighty

###

- Quote

Post by Heath Robinson » Wed May 20, 2009 10:59 pm

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.
Face it. Today will be as bad a day as any other.
Top

Maj
  Prince
  Posts: 4705
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
  Location: Shelton, Washington, USA

###

- Quote

Post by Maj » Wed May 20, 2009 11:29 pm

> Catharz wrote: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.

> Heath Robinson wrote: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.
Last edited by Maj on Wed May 20, 2009 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top

Lich-Loved
  Knight
  Posts: 314
  Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:50 pm

###

- Quote

Post by Lich-Loved » Thu May 21, 2009 1:10 am

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!
Last edited by Lich-Loved on Thu May 21, 2009 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
- LL
Top

shau
  Knight-Baron
  Posts: 599
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

###

- Quote

Post by shau » Thu May 21, 2009 2:06 am

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?
Top

erik
  King
  Posts: 5847
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

###

- Quote

Post by erik » Thu May 21, 2009 7:04 am

> shau wrote: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 (.)(.)
Top

Draco_Argentum
  Duke
  Posts: 2434
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

###

- Quote

Post by Draco_Argentum » Thu May 21, 2009 7:53 am

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.
Top

Crissa
  King
  Posts: 6720
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
  Location: Santa Cruz

###

- Quote

Post by Crissa » Fri May 22, 2009 10:23 pm

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
Top

josephbt
  Knight
  Posts: 325
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
  Location: Zagreb, Cro

###

- Quote

Post by josephbt » Sat May 23, 2009 6:09 pm

Can't calculate base attack bonus of a lvl12 ftr.
engi
Blood for the Blood God!
Top

CatharzGodfoot
  King
  Posts: 5668
  Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
  Location: North Carolina

###

- Quote

Post by CatharzGodfoot » Sat May 23, 2009 7:00 pm

It did give me the formula for permutations of n elements (allowing repeats) and length 2 after I put in the first few points.
Last edited by CatharzGodfoot on Sat May 23, 2009 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France
Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.
-Josh Kablack
Top
Post Reply

- Print view

Display:
Sort by:
Direction:

12 posts • Page 1 of 1

Return to “MPSIMS”

Jump to

- Main
- ↳ About the Gaming Den
- ↳ In My Humble Opinion...
- ↳ I Gave the Mouse a Cookie...
- ↳ In The Trenches
- ↳ It's My Own Invention...
- ↳ MPSIMS