WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Boolean Operators?

The Web is HUGE!!

Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult to find things on the web since the number of websites increases exponentially.

Search Engines

Search engines allow you to look for information based on KEY WORDS you would provide.

Hits

Every time someone goes to a Web Page, it is called a HIT

Queries

A Query is like a question. It is a method of filtering data.

Boolean Logic

Search engines use Boolean Logic

Nineteenth century mathematician George Boole, invented Boolean logic

Boolean Operators

Boolean operators are based on a simple yes or no ranking system

The primary boolean operators are: AND OR NOT

But What Do They Do?

AND The AND operator instructs the Search Engine to

search for all documents containing all words you specify

NOT Sometimes it’s easier to narrow a search by specifying

what you are NOT looking for

Symbols Some search engines use the “+” sign as the operator,

which works the same way as the AND operator

Process

Searching is a process of trial and error

The first page of documents/sites should have what you are looking for

Re-define your search or go to a different search engine if you are not finding your data

Time

It’s better to spend a little time narrowing down your search than following every result you get

Case Sensitivity

Most search engines do not require key operators in all caps

Pre-set Operators & Quotation Marks

Pre-set Operators Some search engines such as “Google” have boolean

operators already setup

It’s a good idea to put quotation marks around groups of words you want to appear together ie “Pentium 4”

Doing this will limit your search, instead of getting anything with Pentium and anything with a 4 your would get sites with just the words Pentium 4

…the end

Can you find the end of the internet using Boolean Operators?