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Internet search engines math
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FORGET power searching. Don't worry about learning to do a search. All most people need to know is a little basic "search engine math" in order to improve their results. Come learn how to easily add, subtract and multiply your way into better searches at your favorite search engine. The information below works for nearly all of the major search engines.
Be Specific
Before learning math, it's a helpful reminder that the more specific your search is, the more likely you will find what you want. Don't be afraid to tell a search engine exactly what you are looking for.
For example, if you want information about Windows 98 bugs, search for "Windows 98 bugs," not "Windows."
Using The + Symbol to Add
Sometimes, you want to make sure that a search engine finds pages that have all the words you enter, not just some of them. The + symbol lets you do this.
For example, imagine you want to find pages that have references to both President Clinton and Kenneth Starr on the same page. You could search this way:
+clinton +starr
Only pages that contain both words would appear in your results.
Using The - Symbol to Subtract
Sometimes, you want a search engine to find pages that have one word on them but not another word. The - symbol lets you do this.
For example, imagine you want information about President Clinton but don't want to be overwhelmed by pages relating to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. You could search this way:
clinton -lewinsky
That tells the search engine to find pages that mention "clinton" and then to remove any of them that also mention "lewinsky."
Using Quotation Marks To Multiply
Now we can move on to multiplication. As in normal math, multiplying terms through a "phrase search" can be a much better way to get the answers you are looking for.
For example, We entered all the terms like this:
+windows +98 +bugs
That brings back pages that have all those words on them, but there's no guarantee that the words may necessarily be near each other. You could get a page that mentions windows in the opening paragraph but then later talks about bugs. All the words you added together would appear on this page, but it still might not be what you are looking for.
Doing a phrase search avoids this problem. This is where you tell a search engine to give you pages where the terms appear in exactly the order you specify. You do this by putting quotation marks around the phrase, like this:
"windows 98 bugs"
Now, only pages that have all the words and in the exact order shown above will be listed. The answers should be much more on target than with simple addition.
Combining Symbols
Once you've mastered adding, subtracting and multiplying, you can combine symbols to easily create targeted searches.
Practically all of the major search engines support Search Engine Math.
Increasingly, search engines are becoming "smart," meaning one doesn't have to use specialized commands to confine a search. A good example is the Canadian-designed, Mamma (www.mamma.com), nicknamed the mother of all search engines.
It is impossible to keep up with the changes and developments in search engines. The Internet has reached a point where the best way to learn about a new search engine is to search for it with one of the older search engines. It works!(SD-Agencies)
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