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What is Boolean and how does it relate to Boolify?
Using Boolify
More Depth of Boolean and Boolify
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What Is Boolean?

Boolean logic is a mathematics-based system for performing logical operations. It is part of an algebraic system developed in the mid 1800s by George Boole, a British mathematician and philosopher. Boolean algebra and Boolean logic are binary (base two) systems, meaning that all elements contain only two possible values (0 or 1, true or false, etc). Boole demonstrated that powerful complex mathematical operations could be performed by using simple binary terms connected by the operators And, Or, or Not. After Boole's death it was discovered that electrical signals could easily and reliably be separated into two (binary) states, low current or high current, allowing complex Boolean algebraic operations to be performed electronically. Thus, Boolean logic became the foundation of computer science and the bases of the digital hardware and software technologies we have today, including Internet search engines.

While almost all modern search engines are based on Boolean logic, and use the Boolean operators And, Or and Not, few of them adhere strictly to Boolean rules.

The goal of Boolify is to help users better understand and perform Internet searches. Boolify utilizes the Google search engine, and therefore it is designed to illustrate Goolgle's search methodology, which varies in some ways from strict Boolean logic.

Using Boolify

To begin: Drag a green keyword piece from the puzzle menu to the puzzle board.

Entering a word will add a keyword to the search Entering several words will add a keyphrase to the search

And is used to link keywords. It narrows search results to only those that contain all the linked terms. Example: cat AND mouse AND cheese gives results that contain all three terms, not just one or two.

NOT is used to indicate which results you DON'T want in your search. You must use NOT next to each keyword you don't want included. Example: Dolphins NOT fish NOT marine NOT mammal gives results that contain Dolphins, except those that ALSO contain fish or mammal or marine.

OR is used to indicate several potential keyword combinations you want You must use OR next to each keyword combination you want Example: dog OR cat gives you results that contain either term.

Note:

The order in which you use operators (AND, OR, NOT) makes a difference. OR should usually be used before AND Example: dog OR cat AND nutrition gives you results about nutrition for dogs or cats. While: nutrition AND dog OR cat gives you results about nutrition for dogs as well as results about cats (not just nutrition).

Drag and drop items from the board to the trashcan to remove them from your search

Refine your search by dragging AND, OR or NOT pieces to the puzzle. You can completely clear the search by clicking on the "X" on the right side of the board, or delete specific pieces by dragging them to the bucket icon.

Search for web results, news results or image results by selecting the appropraite icon from the puzzle menu.

Boolean: And, If, Or, Keywords and Phrases

Normally, keyword searches on the web return very broad results. For instance, a search for "Dolphins" retrieves web pages about the American football team, as well as the marine mammal. Search experts use Boolean operators help limit search results.

 

• The Dolphins are a football team in the United States. Dolphins are also marine mammals. A search for "Dolphins" returns web pages about the football team and about fish. Keywords without used without limitation return all results that contain that word, regardless of topic.
• Searching for “Dolphins NOT Football” returns results more closely related to the marine mammal. Using NOT can help you limit your results to one topic.
• Searching for “Dolphins AND Football” returns results more closely related to the American football team. Using AND can also help you return results more relevant to your topic.
• Searching for “Dolphins OR Football” returns results related to either the Fish, the Football team, OR Football (American or European). Using OR can help you widen your search to related subjects.
• Searching for the phrase “Dolphins Football” finds only webpages that literally contain the text “Dolphins Football”. Using a phrase search can help you find exact references to your subject.

More about Boolean

You can view information about George Boole, the inventor of Boolean, on Wikipeidia, or read his book at Project Gutenburg.