Playing with the Wolfram Alpha Answer Engine

So Wolfram Alpha is now publicly available, and I spent a few minutes asking it anything from the boring to the ridiculous. The results after the break.

Q: What is the square root of 2?
A: 1.414213562373095...

Q: Can I get an amen?
A: Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input.

Ugh, fine. I guess their team of poindexters didn't anticipate such 'fun' questions from this repository of useless witticism. I was wrong to imagine their scientists as the real-life equivalent of Fringe's Walter Bishop. Let's get W|A back on track, then try another zinger.

Q: What is the average IQ of American teenagers? (Now that I'm a grown-up, I loathe those darned kids at the mall with their baggy jeans and devil-may-care attitude)
A: Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input.
Ok, so W|A suggested another input to try: IQ of American, so I clicked the link, since I have been conditioned to accept links as possible reward mechanisms. The result? Movie info for the blockbusters I.Q. and American Wedding. Not quite what I expected.

I clicked the 'Tips for good results' link, and it turns out Wolfram|Alpha prefers succinct input over long, complete sentences. Okay, trying again.

Q: Tensile strength steel
A: A boatload of info, click the link for the full skinny.

Q: Winston Churchill
A: Full name, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death

So, can Wolfram|Alpha find info on less than famous people?

Q: CJ Preece
A: Wolfram|Alpha interpreted my input as a geometry question. I guess I'm not that famous. YET.

Q: Periodic Table of Elements
A: Interpreted as 'hydrogen | periodic table location.' I expected more a history of the table and its constituent elements, the date of discovery and by whom, etc. I then tried 'Periodic Table of Elements history' and got the same answer...

It looks like Wolfram Alpha still has some work to do, but keep in mind it's still young, and could become a useful tool for students and curious adults.

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