Discover Wolfram Alpha - "Oh My!

In summary, the conversation discusses the website Wolfram Alpha and its features. One person expresses their surprise at just discovering the website, while another person shares their experience using it and finding it difficult to get accurate information. The conversation also mentions a famous science fiction story that mentions Wolfram Alpha.
  • #1
Monocerotis
Gold Member
55
0
Wolfram Alpha - oh...my...

Am I the last person on this planet to find out about this website ?

It's freaking amazing !

check it out if you've never heard about it.

http://www.wolframalpha.com
 
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  • #2


Yeah, its pretty cool!
 
  • #3


Yes, you ARE the last person to find this.

It's been around for 4 months and 26.29 days.

(Just type in "How Old are you?" in Wolfram Alpha.


Awesome.)
 
  • #4


Oh that was fun, almost got lost there, so much stuff to look up. Thanks.
 
  • #5


it didn't understand how to answer any of my questions. i got bored and never went back.
 
  • #6


I typed in "is there a god?" and my computer froze.
 
  • #7


Dwar Ev ceremoniously soldered the final connection with gold. The eyes of a dozen television cameras watched him and the subether bore throughout the universe a dozen pictures of what he was doing.

He straightened and nodded to Dwar Reyn, then moved to a position beside the switch that would complete the contact when he threw it. The switch that would connect, all at once, all of the monster computing machines of all the populated planets in the universe – ninety-six billion planets – into the supercircuit that would connect them all into one supercalculator, one cybernetics machine that would combine all the knowledge of all the galaxies.

Dwar reyn spoke briefly to the watching and listening trillions. Then after a moment’s silence he said, “Now, Dwar Ev.”

Dwar Ev threw the switch. There was a mighty hum, the surge of power from ninety-six billion planets. Lights flashed and quieted along the miles-long panel.

Dwar Ev stepped back and drew a deep breath. “The honour of asking the first questions is yours, Dwar Reyn.”

“Thank you,” said Dwar Reyn. “It shall be a question which no single cybernetics machine has been able to answer.”

He turned to face the machine. “Is there a God ?”

The mighty voice answered without hesitation, without the clicking of a single relay.

“Yes, now there is a god.”

Sudden fear flashed on the face of Dwar Ev. He leaped to grab the switch. A bolt of lightning from the cloudless sky struck him down and fused the switch shut.

‘Wolfram Alpha’ by Fredric Brown.
©1954, Angels and Spaceships

Edit: on the second thought, I could remembered the title wrong.
 
  • #8


Apparently there is an expected number of 74688 people alive today that are named Monique :smile:
 
  • #9


Monique said:
Apparently there is an expected number of 74688 people alive today that are named Monique :smile:

Hah, there are approximately 49.3 Bobs in the world for every Monique! And the average age of the Bobs you meet is 63 years old (as opposed to an average age of 30 for Moniques).

Somehow this post sounds a little too Brave New Worldish.
 
  • #10


I find it more difficult to get good information out of than say, a normal google search. Some of the stuff is cool, but it is limited by what is in its database.
 
  • #11


In my opinion it is more of a science 'search' (computational) engine than anything else.
 
  • #12
Last edited by a moderator:

What is Wolfram Alpha?

Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine that uses a vast collection of algorithms and data to answer questions and provide insights on a wide range of topics.

How is Wolfram Alpha different from other search engines?

Unlike traditional search engines, Wolfram Alpha does not simply provide links to websites. Instead, it computes and synthesizes knowledge from various sources to give a direct answer to a specific question.

What kind of information can I find on Wolfram Alpha?

Wolfram Alpha can provide information on a wide range of topics including math, science, finance, nutrition, and more. It also has data on current events and historical data.

Can I use Wolfram Alpha for academic or research purposes?

Yes, Wolfram Alpha can be a valuable tool for research and academic purposes. It can provide accurate and reliable data that can be used in scholarly work.

Is Wolfram Alpha free to use?

Wolfram Alpha offers both free and paid versions. The free version allows access to basic features, while the paid version offers more advanced features and data.

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