To help in research - 5 Very Simple Google Search/Function Tips

[Divine Discontent]

Most google-savvy folks use many of these, hope this helps a few people search for things quicker.


1. Quote It!
The most simple way for me to find info.
I have often used this in the past 10 years when I remember some words spoken by a politician, and I quote them to find the story.
If you had a sentence from a song going through your head but didn't know who it was, type it with quotes into google like this,
"if you stop take a look at me", and you'll be shown it's "Unchain" by Whiteheart, but without quotes it brings up Phil Collins, "Against All Odds" and hundreds of other results.


2. Define It!
Just type define: and your word/s to use google as a dictionary/encyclopedia. define:democraticunderground


3. Site Search!
Say you want to find specific information from only one website on a topic. If you typed divine discontent into google, it'd bring up songs and info about Ralph Waldo Emerson. site:democraticunderground.com divine discontent


4. Calculate It!
Say you sold 8 baskets for $45, instead of counting all the bills, you can use google search as a calculator 45*8


5. Not That!
Say you want info on the Cheney family name, but you don't want anything with Dick in it, just type this into google
cheney ancestry -dick


You can also get the clock time for somewhere just by typing the city name and time like this- time provo
Also info on area codes or zip codes, just type it and hit enter for a map or name.
Okay, so 8 tips altogether. I just thought I'd help even one or two people, as I'm often asked for help in finding things on the net by my friends.

Good luck in your searches, DD

[Sara Bradi]

1. great tips except #4

I can do 45*8 in my head faster than I can type it.

Also, @ 45 bucks a pop those had better be Longabergers :-)

[Make7]

3. Perhaps a better example:

 
http://www.google.com/search?q=arctangent(34 degrees)
 
 
I'd rather type that one than figure it out in my head.
 

[Divine Discontent]

4. lol... agreed! I can do the simple math also, but many cannot. But I'm not even sure WHAT

that arctangent is for! LOL

[Make7]

8. Inverse trigonometric functions can be used to calculate angles in triangles.

I'll use the following triangle to illustrate:



If we know the lengths of side a and side b, we can calculate angle A.

The Tangent of our unknown angle is equal to the length of the side opposite to the angle divided by the length of the adjacent side. In our case we will say side a equals 3.4641 inches and side b equals 2 inches. So the Tangent is 3.4641 / 2 = 1.73205.

Using an Arctangent function will give us the unknown angle. Arctangent (1.73205) = 60 degrees.

http://www.google.com/search?q=arctangent(1.73205) in degrees


So, as their most basic functions the Tangent is used to calculate the length of the sides if the angle is known and the Arctangent can be used to determine the angle if the lengths of the sides are known.

Of course, if you are on a computer with a Microsoft OS, you can just use their Calculator.
 

[Divine Discontent]

14. I got a B+ in geometry. that's as far as I went... lol

thanks for the refresher course, teach!

[Sara Bradi]

16. linux geek friend says

My linux geek friend feels it is silly to have to use a calculator on a Microsoft OS.

(I am quoting here)

from the command line type

bc -l

a(1.73205) * 180 / 3.14159

whatever that was, wish I had never mentioned this post...

Instead of the gays in the military, I need a policy of - DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL.

[Make7]

21. Damn Apple for popularizing the Graphical User Interface. Can I get a command prompt powered iPhone?

[PSzymeczek]

11. I have a key on my keyboard

that will open the Windows calculator.

[Make7]

20. I have it pinned to my START menu. Apparently I don't use it as much as you do... ( n/t )

[pnorman]

12. Interesting discussion on Pi and Fibonacci Numbers at that link:

http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibpi.html

[Make7]

19. That was interesting - I don't think I've ever heard of Lucas Numbers before.

Thanks for the link. I especially liked this diagram:



Brilliantly simple.

[Make7]

2. What is "Google"? Do you have a link?

Actually the site: function is the Google search advanced feature I find most useful.

The advanced search page (http://www.google.com/advanced_search) is useful to those that forget the text shortcuts.
 

[Divine Discontent]

5. thank you for the input!

[guyton]

6. and when you are asked a really silly question ...

You can respond with a "lmgtfy" URL

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=Worst+President+Ever

It's the modern equivalent of RTFM

[Divine Discontent]

7. thank you!

[glitch]

9. Lol! thanks for that. nt

[IDemo]

10. Convert it

You can find the value for different units with a simple "in" statement:

http://www.google.com/search?q=28C+in+f&ie=UTF-8">28C in F (28 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit, for example)

[begin_within]

13. When I typed in define:democraticunderground, I got

[Canuckistanian]

15. It's great for conversions, too

Like "45 degrees Fahrenheit in celsius"

or

"2456 in hexadecimal"

or

"45 inches in meters"

The answer automagically appears on the top of the page.

[Divine Discontent]

17. thank you for writing it out

one final kick for daytime DUers.

[ima_sinnic]

18. as a copy editor for an editing service website, I often use quotes to find plagiarism

amazing the number of non-native English writers who think nobody will notice when, in the midst of incoherent paragraphs, fluent, complex, grammatically perfect sentences mysteriously appear.

[wolfgangmo]

22. The best way to learn how to use google is to use the advanced search

And then pay attention to how google writes your search terms.

Great list.