Google Tricks

Published: January 29, 2010

These are not sites to help you “study”.  As mentioned before in a previous post, the Internet is potentially a huge distraction.  But if you insist on having your browser open, just have www.google.com open.  These next few Google tricks can be huge time savers.  None of them require you to leave the google homepage (or search results page), which means less distractions and more work done!

Note: everything in quotation marks is an example of what you would type into the google search box.

* Word definitions (no need to waste time finding a dictionary)

Even defines some foreign language words for you

“Define: laconic”

“Define: caliente”

 * Historical persons lookup (who is this Winston Churchill my textbook keeps mentioning?)

“Define: Sitting Bull”

“Define: Ronald Reagan”

“Define: Charlemagne”

 * Quick calculations (no need to find that calculator, which probably has dead batteries)

“sqrt(5)”

“pi*8”

“e/7”

“i^2”

 * Unit conversions (when you’re doing those pesky chemistry problems)

Weights, lengths, volumes: you name it, Google can convert it.

“85 psi in atm”

“62 kg in mg”

“5 liters in cm^3”

 * Movietimes lookup (when you’ve finished studying and want to meet up with friends)

Simply type into the Google search box a movie title and your zip code.  Try it!

“Avatar 90210”