You may not be aware
but Microsoft's search engine (MSN) has a wealth of information
available and can find facts and information just as well as Google
can!
One of the key features of the MSN advanced search engine is the
abilty to return results from its' "Encarta" database.
Called "Direct Answers" it is a new MSN Search technology that looks
in real time for patterns in queries to determine if the customer is
asking a specific question that can be answered with a factual
answer instead of just links to other pages.
The technology recognizes the syntax for questions for which Encarta
has factual answers. The matching of questions to answers for MSN
Search has been kept strict so that when an answer is provided there
is a very high confidence that the answer relates to a factual
question. At times, when a limited set of words is provided in a
question being asked, methods are implemented that make assumptions
about the
query in an attempt to appropriately answer.
Below are some limited examples of "Direct Answers" from Encarta to
help demonstrate the top level categories and breadth of abilities
provided by the technology:
# Dictionary:
define fast
definition of spanakopita
What does emu mean?
# Calculator:
Basic math operators (numerical and language)
8 * 8
seven times twenty
5+3/2-(6*2-4)
# Exponents and roots:
3^4
four cubed
10 to the 3rd
sqrt 9
4th root of 37
How many inches in a mile?
centimeters in 2 feet
micrometers in 10 miles
What is a micrometer?
Weight
10 pounds in grams
How many kilograms in 170 pounds?
What is a picogram?
Time
Seconds in a day
How many days in a fortnight?
What is a millisecond?
Volume
How many pints in 18 quarts?
cups in a liter
Temperature
What is 63 degrees F in C?
100 deg Celsius in Kelvin
What is 500 Kelvin in Fahrenheit?
# Facts Lookup:
Geographical locations
What is the population of Europe?
Population density of California
Brazilian GDP
Height of Mount Everest
Population of Chicago
Depth of Atlantic ocean
What is the capital of Kansas?
Historical figures
Who was George Washington?
What is Michelangelo known for?
Who killed Abraham Lincoln?
Animals
What is the lifespan of a dolphin
Size of a bear
Ant facts
What are alligator feeding habits?
# Sorting queries
Largest city population in the world
What country has the 2nd largest population?
Second tallest mountain height in the world
What is the 3rd longest river length?
# Date-based queries
What was the population of France in 1980?
U.S. unemployment rate in 1995
Seattle population in 1990
What was the US population in 1950?
# Assumed indicator queries
How tall is Mount Fuji?
How high is the Washington Monument?
How big is Lake Erie?
How long is the Columbia River?
How big is China?
How large is California?
With Direct Answers from Encarta, customers will begin to see for
themselves the true potential of an Internet search. No longer do
they need to be satisfied with sifting through pages and pages of
results; now they receive the benefit of seeing real answers, from a
trusted source prominently displayed inline with the other, broad
data resources returned as a result of their question.
Marc Liron -
Bio
Microsoft Digital Media MVP
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The views on this website are my own and
NOT that of Microsoft!
I am not responsible for the content of any sites linked to.
ALL Trademarks are freely acknowledged
ALL information is provided "As
Is"
