Search Engines
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Search Engines

Search Engines on the Web

USING BOOLEAN OPERATORS: AND, OR, NOT

Searching the internet is easy when you know what you want by its name. When you have a notiion about your subject, you can still find it if you know it by synonyms or you know about its classification with related subjects. Meta-searches let you use several search engines at the same time. Advanced searches let you use related terms with Boolean Operators. The Boolean Operators are the words OR, AND, and NOT. These words are special when you type them into a search engine in upper case letters. The search engine recognizes the operators as program words that combine ideas.



The Boolean operator OR joins ideas and expands searches.



For instance If you want to learn about programs for senior citizens or elderly people, you might combine the terms senior citizens with elderly by entering, "senior OR elderly" into the search engine to get more hits for more relevant web sites.



The Boolean operator AND allows you to combine ideas to find common characteristics.



To find programs for the elderly. You should ask for the key words "programs AND elderly". The AND operator limits your search to the web sites that discuss both terms.



The Boolean operator NOT is for eliminating unwanted ideas.

If you look for programs for elderly people, you might find computer programs. If you do not want computer programs, use the statement "programs AND elderly NOT computer".