Google Adds Calculator Function

That wacky Google. Now they're rolling out the calculators. As you can see from the explanation at http://www.google.com/help/features.html#calculator, you can turn an incredibly powerful search engine into a four-function calculator! Whoopee!

All right, I'm getting a little sarcastic. Not to mention inaccurate; Google's new calculator function is actually pretty powerful and can go way beyond four-function. There's not a separate query box for the calculator functions; just enter them in the regular search box.

Let's start with easy stuff. Entering

five times five

gives you the result twenty-five and the option to search for the word string five times five. Searching for

eight to the third power

gives 512 (and 8 to the 3rd works just as well as a query and gets the same results.) Searching for

(googol divided by six hundred eleven) times three

brought up 4.90998363 × 10(to the 97th). I'll take Google's word for it. And you can go further, getting answers to things like the speed of light times the speed of sound at sea level. (A more philosophical question, "Speed of light times the speed of sound at a little bistro in the Alps, reflecting on the glory that could have been its own had the flames of ambition flared but a little higher," was not answered.)

But wait, that's not all! Google's also got a conversion utility now, just like AlltheWeb! Enter troy ounces in ten tons and Google will tell you how many troy ounces are in ten tons. Enter decimeters in 16.924 feet and Google will tell you.

I sincerely doubt that I'll ever get very esoteric with my calculator searches on Google, but I'm sure that the ability to have a quick calculator courtesy Opera's Google search box will be very handy. Neato.

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