If you thought “google” simply
meant to bowl a
googly in the game of
cricket, then you’re way behind the times!
But if you thought Google was only a way for finding websites,
then think again! There are many uses for the Google search
engine that you may have never imagined. Below are just a few
that I found particularly interesting. Others can be found by
visiting the Google Help Center at
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html .
Happy Googling!
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To use
Google's built-in calculator function, simply enter the
calculation you'd like done into the search box and hit
the Enter key or click on the Google Search button. The
calculator can solve math problems involving basic
arithmetic, more complicated math, units of measure and
conversions, and physical constants. Try one of the
sample expressions below, or refer to our
complete instructions for help in
building your own. |
These sample queries demonstrate
the utility and power of this new feature:
To see a definition for a word or
phrase, simply type the word "define," then a space, and then
the word(s) you want defined. If Google has seen a definition
for the word or phrase on the Web, it will retrieve that
information and display it at the top of your search results.
You can also
get a list of definitions by including the special operator
"define:" with no space between it and the term you want
defined. For example, the search [define:World
Wide Web] will show you a list of definitions
for "World Wide Web" gathered from various online sources.
The word "site" followed by a
colon enables you to restrict your search to a specific site. To
do this, use the
site:sampledomain.com syntax in the Google search
box. For example, to find admission information on Stanford's
site, enter:
Some words, when followed by a
colon, have special meanings to Google. One such word for Google
is the link:
operator. The query
link:siteURL shows you pages that point to that
URL. For example, link:www.google.com will show you pages that
point to Google's home page. You cannot combine a link: search
with a regular keyword search.
This
message is brought to you by:
James Smith
and your friendly, neighborhood Faculty Technology Mentors. For
more technology tips, visit
http://www.columbiastate.edu/fitt/FTM_Tips/FTMTips.htm .