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In addition to being a powerful, general-purpose search engine, Google has also been designed to provide quick access to specific types of information.  You will find links to these search tools at http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html.  Three that I will highlight in this article are the calculator, definitions, and stock quotes.

Calculator

If you need to perform a calculation and do not have ready access to a calculator, let Google do the work for you.  Google has been designed to handle a wide variety of calculations ranging from simple arithmetic such as 1 + 1 to more the more advanced such as discrete math, trigonometry, Roman numeral conversions, and unit conversions.  Google also recognizes various mathematical and physical constants include e, pi, and even the gravitational constant.

 

Definitions

A number of free dictionaries are available on the Internet.  My favorite is The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, which includes detailed information about word etymologies.  However, if your needs are simple, you cannot find an unusual word or phrase elsewhere, and/or you haven’t memorized the URL of your favorite online dictionary, you can try searching with Google.  By entering a phrase such as define backhoe fade, you can quickly find the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase.

 

Stock Quotes

For those of you keeping tabs on your investments, Google also offers a stock and fund quote search.  Just enter the ticker symbol you are interested in and you will quickly find the latest data as well as a line graph displaying activity from the last day’s trading.