This is part nine of my Google Speed-Search series. In the last lesson, I gave examples of using Google’s site: syntax. In this lesson, we’re going to have some fun with some really useful search features.
Google as a calculator
Did you know you can use Google as a calculator? Using either math or plain English, just search with your query, and the Big G will give you the answer!
Examples:
Using Google to convert measurements
Google can also be used for measurement conversion. This is very handy for converting between imperial and metric, and is so much faster than searching for a dedicated website and using that.
Examples:
Google for currency conversion
If you live in Japan, you’re probably converting yen to dollars or pounds and back again quite regularly. You might even use a website like xe.com, but did you know you could do it all in Google?
Examples:
Using Google as a dictionary
When you’ve lived in Japan a long time, you’ll start to forget how to spell English words, and even forget the meaning of some of them! If you are like me, you’ll absolutely love Google’s define: syntax.
Examples:
Google as a know-it-all smarty pants!
Although Google as a search engine typically points you to websites that can answer your questions, it occasionally likes to show off and just tell you the answers without you needing to visit any websites at all! Try these:
- population of Japan
- temperature in Tokyo
- time in Calgary
- currency of Malaysia
- weather in Nagoya
- president of France
This is all just a little of what you can do with Google, and maybe I’ll come back and cover more search features another time. If you’re keen to learn more, you should take a look at Google Help : Search Features.
