A Brief Introduction to WolframAlpha (Computational Knowledge Engine)

• What is WolframAlpha? (watch their 1:20 introductory video)
  WolframAlpha is a long-term project—its goal is to take as much of the world's knowledge as possible and make it computable
• WolframAlpha uses the Wolfram Knowledgebase, which is curated (selected, organized):
  • derived from primary sources usually not available on the web
  • all data can be used for computation using the Wolfram Language (13 minute video, if interested)
• Search engines and WolframAlpha usually give very different results:
  • compare Google and WolframAlpha by typing in ‘Carol, Ray, Bethany, Joshua’
  • compare Bing and WolframAlpha by putting in ‘weather Sahuarita’ (scroll down and look at weather history charts)
• WolframAlpha knows where you are, and uses this information.
  Type in: ‘Green Valley’
  WolframAlpha knows from geoIP—from the internet address it sees for me—which one I probably want.
• WolframAlpha can give very detailed information.
  Type in: weather in New Jersey on August 28, 1958
  Type in: weather in Tucson when President Obama was born
• If you enter several entries of the same type, WolframAlpha gives a comparison.
  Type in: ‘Google, Bing, Yahoo’   or   ‘My Little Pony, Star Wars’   or   ‘Catholic, Mormon’   or   ‘cats dogs rats’
• WolframAlpha often gives data you might not expect.
  Type in: ‘Joseph Smith’ (select the ‘religious’ entry); scroll down to Wikipedia page hit history
• Of course, WolframAlpha has its limits.
  Type in: Is God real?
• The bible is in the database (but not the Book of Mormon).
  Type in (say): Genesis 35:10
• WolframAlpha can be helpful if you're on a diet.
  Type in: 1 cup chamomile tea, 1 bowl bran cereal, 1 banana (click ‘total nutrition facts’)
• You can have fun for hours! (The ‘over 9000’ is for you, Joshua!)
  Type in: 9001 words
  Type in: 9001 miles
  Type in: 9001 lbs
  Type in: 9001 calories
  Type in: 9001 mph
  
• WolframAlpha has information about medicine:
  Type in: CIDP
  Type in: life expectancy female age 56 United States
  Type in: 5'6" 130 lbs
• Music:
  Type in: D# minor (play both the scale and the chord)
• Need help with career information?
  Type in: wages: computer programmer, veterinarian, math teacher, fast food worker
• Crossword puzzle or word game help?
  Type in: _ E _ _ A _ Y
• Card game help?
  Type in: full house (select ‘poker hand’)
• Here are some fun ones:
  Type in: US population pyramid
  Type in: $100 1958 vs 2014
  Type in: life expectancy map
  Type in: Where am I?
• Tips for using WolframAlpha:
  • WolframAlpha answers specific questions rather than explaining general topics:
    Enter ‘2 cups of sugar’, not ‘nutrition information’
  • You can only get answers about objective facts:
    Try ‘highest mountain’, not ‘most beautiful painting’
  • Only what is known is known to WolframAlpha is available:
    Ask ‘how many men in the United States’, not ‘how many monsters in Loch Ness’
  • Only public information is available:
    Request ‘home prices in Tucson’, not ‘home phone of President Obama’
• WolframAlpha displays graphical information where appropriate.
  Type in: federal deficit during Obama administration
  (replace Obama by Bush; Bill Clinton)
• WolframAlpha makes necessary assumptions, which you can then change.
  Type in: mortgage 4.5%
• Of course, WolframAlpha is fantastic at mathematics!
  • type in:   $2 + 2$
  • WolframAlpha strives to understand any reasonable entry: try   2 times 3   or   2*3   or   2(3)   or   2x3
  • type in: 794/23;   click ‘step-by-step solution’ (requires PRO)
  • Type in some random equation in two variables. (You can cut-and-paste the samples below into WolframAlpha, if desired.)
    x mod y = 1
    x^2sin(xy) - 3 = 4 + 2sin(y)tan(x)
    plot3d[sin[x+y],{x,-3,3},{y,-5,5}]
• More thorough introductions to WolframAlpha:
  Part I
  Part II