What is WolframAlpha? WolframAlpha is a data mining engine. It is very useful for finding answers to specific questions (ie. 2+4?) or comparing data sets on particular topics (e.g. boiling point of copper vs boiling point of silver).

How does it work? WolframAlpha uses natural language recognition, rather than keyword searching (e.g. "what is the boiling point of copper?" instead of "Copper AND boiling point"). Unlike Google which indexes websites, WolframAlpha mines data directly from websites and databases. It displays the data in the way that will best answer the question (e.g. as a table or graph).

When should you use it? WolframAlpha works best if you are looking for quick statistical, chemical or mathematical information. It does not work well for questions relating to humanities or arts topics.