rts||Geology||Animals & Plants|
|Electricity & Magnetism||Chemical Compounds||Solar System||Geodesy||Paleontology|
|Optics||Ions||Stars||Earthquakes||Genomics & Molecular Biology|
|Relativity||Chemical Solutions||Galaxies||Atmospheric Sciences|
|Nuclear Physics||Chemical Thermodynamics||Astrophysics|
|Quantum Physics||Chemical Formulas||Observatories|
|Particle Physics||3D Structure||Satellites|
Writing Mathematical Queries
Given that WolframAlpha is derived from the Mathematica computer program, it’s not surprising that the most sophistication and breadth of query capabilities are mathematical.
You’ve already seen some simple mathematical queries. Here are some more complex examples:
- Factor a polynomial: factor 2x^5 – 19x^4 + 58x^3 – 67x^2 + 56x – 48
- Compute the properties of a polyhedron: dodecahedron
- Calculate a derivative: derivative of x^4 sin x
- Compute a truth table: P && (Q || R)
- Compute an integral: integrate sin x dx from x=0 to pi
This visual representation of an integral should be a tremendous asset to calculus students. In addition to calculus, WolframAlpha supports algebra, geometry, number theory, discrete mathematics, applied mathematics, logic and set theory, mathematical functions, and advanced mathematics.
You can export WolframAlpha’s results as a Mathematica file or as a PDF by clicking links in the lower right of the search results.
Text results are rendered as images, so you can’t simply copy cell data and paste it into a Microsoft Office or OpenOffice spreadsheet or database. You can temporarily turn the images back into text – but if you do, they will lose their cell formatting.
Here’s how to get WolframAlpha data into a spreadsheet:
- Paste the text data into Microsoft Word or a similar word processor. Use Find and Replace All to convert the | characters into Tabs. Enter | in the find field and enter ^t in the replace field.
- Copy the edited text and paste it into the spreadsheet. It will automatically distribute itself into a series of cells. If you’re using a spreadsheet or database that doesn’t handle copy/paste well, import the tabbed text file.
According to PC World, the yet-to-be-released Wolfram Alpha Professional will have a direct Excel export feature for a small license fee. Another feature of the Professional edition will be the option to cross-reference your private data with knowledge engine results.
Finding the Easter Eggs (Ah, yes…)
Stephen Wolfram and his team built WolframAlpha with a sly chuckle. There are some whimsical “Easter eggs” (hidden responses in the computational engine’s database) that will put a grin on your face – if you catch the cultural references.
Here’s a fun one. Type What is the meaning of the universe? into the search box:
Any self-respecting geek will recognize this reference to Douglas Adams’ SF novel, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The supercomputer Deep Thought – specially built for the purpose of answering this Ultimate Question – computes and checks its answer for seven and a half million years. And yes, it turns out to be 42.
Unfortunately, The Ultimate Question itself is unknown.
Ben Parr at Mashable has collected 20 of the most popular WolframAlpha Easter eggs. For a good laugh (and, in some cases, a test of your cultural prowess), try these out:
What is your name?
What’s the speed of an unladen swallow?
How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?
How to cook a Welshman?
Where am I?
Why did the chicken cross the road?
What’s the answer to life?
P = NP
I can’t let you do that, Dave
(This is WolframAlpha’s response when there’s too much server traffic.)
How long is a piece of string?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?
What do men/women want?
Where did I put my keys?
Where the hell is Matt?
Are you a PC (or Mac)?
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
When is Judgment Day?
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
The API lets you build a mashup, interface with AJAX or Flash, or add application code in almost any programming or scripting language using a web service.
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