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WolframAlpha

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WolframAlpha
Type of site
Answer engine
OwnerWolframAlpha LLC
Created byWolfram Research
URLwww.wolframalpha.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedMay 18, 2009;15 years ago(2009-05-18)[1](official launch)
May 15, 2009(2009-05-15)[2](public launch)
Current statusActive
Written inWolfram Language

WolframAlpha(/ˈwʊlf.rəm-/WUULf-rəm-) is ananswer enginedeveloped byWolfram Research.[3]It is offered as anonline servicethat answers factual queries by computing answers from externally sourced data.[4][5]

WolframAlpha was released on May 18, 2009, and is based on Wolfram's earlier productWolfram Mathematica,a technical computing platform.[1]WolframAlpha gathers data from academic and commercial websites such as theCIA'sThe World Factbook,theUnited States Geological Survey,a Cornell University Library publication calledAll About Birds,Chambers Biographical Dictionary,Dow Jones,theCatalogue of Life,[3]CrunchBase,[6]Best Buy,[7]and theFAAto answer queries.[8]A Spanish language version was launched in 2022.[9]

Technology

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Overview

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Users submit queries and computation requests via a text field. WolframAlpha then computes answers and relevant visualizations from aknowledge baseofcurated,structured datathat come from other sites and books. It can respond to particularly phrasednatural languagefact-based questions. It displays its "Input interpretation" of such a question, using standardized phrases. It can also parse mathematical symbolism and respond with numerical and statistical results.[citation needed]

Development

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WolframAlpha is written in theWolfram Language,ageneral[clarification needed]multi-paradigm programming language, and implemented inMathematica.Wolfram language is proprietary and is not commonly used by developers.[10]

Usage

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WolframAlpha was used to power some searches in theMicrosoftBingandDuckDuckGosearch engines but is no longer used to provide search results.[11][12]For factualquestion answering,WolframAlpha was used by Apple'sSiriin October 2011 andAmazon Alexain December 2018 for math and science queries.[13][14]Users would notice that the Wolfram Integration for Siri was changed in June 2013 to use Bing to query certain results on IOS 7.[15]Starting IOS 17, several users would report that Wolfram for Siri would no longer answer mathematical equations, instead fully defaulting on web search queries with no notable explanation.[16][17]WolframAlphadata types[clarification needed],sets of curated information and formulas that assist in creating, categorization, and filling of spreadsheet information. became available in July 2020 withinMicrosoft Excel.[18]The Microsoft-Wolfram partnership ended nearly two years later, in 2022, in favor of MicrosoftPower Querydata types.[19]WolframAlpha functionality inMicrosoft Excelended in June 2023.[20][21]

History

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Launch preparations for WolframAlpha began on May 15, 2009, at 7 p.m.CDTand were broadcast live onJustin.tv.The plan was to publicly launch the service a few hours later. However, there were issues due to extreme load. The service officially launched on May 18, 2009,[22]receiving mixed reviews.[23][24]In 2009, WolframAlpha advocates pointed to itspotential[vague],some stating that how it determines results is more important than current usefulness.[23]WolframAlpha was free at launch, but later Wolfram Research attempted to monetize the service by launching aniOS applicationwith a cost of $50, while the website itself was free.[25]That plan was abandoned after criticism.[25]

On February 8, 2012, WolframAlpha Pro was released,[26]offering users additional features for a monthly subscription fee.[26][27]

Some high-school and college students use WolframAlpha to cheat on math homework, though Wolfram Research says the service helps students understand math with its problem-solving capabilities.[28]

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InfoWorldpublished an article warning readers of the potential implications of giving an automated website proprietary rights to the data it generates.[29]Free softwareadvocateRichard Stallmanalso opposes recognizing the site as a copyright holder and suspects that Wolfram Research would not be able to make this case under existing copyright law.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abThe Wolfram|Alpha Launch Team (May 8, 2009)."So Much for A Quiet Launch".Wolfram|Alpha Blog.Wolfram Alpha.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^The Wolfram|Alpha Launch Team (May 12, 2009)."Going Live—and Webcasting It".Wolfram|Alpha Blog.Wolfram Alpha.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^abBobbie Johnson (May 21, 2009)."Where does Wolfram Alpha get its information?".The Guardian.RetrievedMarch 8,2013.
  4. ^"About Wolfram|Alpha: Making the World's Knowledge Computable".wolframalpha.com.RetrievedNovember 25,2015.
  5. ^Johnson, Bobbie (March 9, 2009)."British search engine 'could rival Google'".The Guardian.UK: Guardian News and Media.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  6. ^Dillet, Romain (September 7, 2012)."Wolfram Alpha Makes CrunchBase Data Computable Just In Time For Disrupt SF".TechCrunch.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  7. ^Golson, Jordan (December 16, 2011)."Wolfram Delivers Siri-Enabled Shopping Results From Best Buy".MacRumors.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  8. ^Barylick, Chris (November 19, 2011)."Wolfram Alpha search engine now tracks flight paths, trajectory information".Engadget.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  9. ^"Wolfram Alpha Spanish Announcement".Wolfram Alpha.Wolfram Research. July 22, 2022.RetrievedJuly 22,2022.
  10. ^"TIOBE Index".TIOBE.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  11. ^Krazit, Tom (August 21, 2009)."Bing strikes licensing deal with Wolfram Alpha".CNET. Archived fromthe originalon October 23, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  12. ^The Wolfram|Alpha Team (April 18, 2011)."Wolfram|Alpha and DuckDuckGo Partner on API Binding and Search Integration".Wolfram|Alpha Blog.Wolfram Alpha.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^"Siri brings nearly 25 percent of Wolfram Alpha traffic".CNET.RetrievedJune 12,2024.
  14. ^Iribarren, Maddie (December 27, 2018)."Wolfram Alpha Makes Alexa Smarter".Voicebot.ai.RetrievedJune 12,2024.
  15. ^"Siri getting" dumber "(Wolfram|Alpha integration removed in iOS 7?)".MacRumors Forums.June 16, 2013.RetrievedJune 12,2024.
  16. ^I-g_n-i_s (November 24, 2023)."Why does Siri no longer do math from Wolfram Alpha as of iOS 17.1.1?".r/Siri.RetrievedJune 12,2024.
  17. ^"Why does Siri no longer display Wolfgrama… - Apple Community".discussions.apple.com.RetrievedJune 12,2024.
  18. ^"Wolfram Data Intelligence: New in Microsoft".Wolfram.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
  19. ^"Excel Data Types with Wolfram End of Support FAQ".support.microsoft.com.RetrievedAugust 15,2022.
  20. ^"Microsoft is killing Money in Excel along with Wolfram Alpha data types".XDA.May 31, 2022.RetrievedAugust 15,2022.
  21. ^"Three Microsoft 365 features have disappeared".July 13, 2023.RetrievedOctober 26,2023.
  22. ^"Wolfram 'search engine' goes live".BBC News. May 18, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  23. ^abSpivack, Nova (March 7, 2009)."Wolfram Alpha is Coming – and It Could be as Important as Google".Nova Spivack – Minding the Planet.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  24. ^Singel, Ryan (May 18, 2009)."Wolfram|Alpha Fails the Cool Test".Wired.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  25. ^ab"Nice Try, Wolfram Alpha. Still Not Paying $50 For Your App".TechCrunch.December 3, 2009.RetrievedAugust 15,2022.
  26. ^abWolfram, Stephen (February 8, 2012)."Announcing Wolfram|Alpha Pro".Wolfram|Alpha Blog.Wolfram Alpha.RetrievedFebruary 9,2013.
  27. ^"Step-by-Step Math".
  28. ^Biddle, Pippa."AI Is Making It Extremely Easy for Students to Cheat | Backchannel".Wired.ISSN1059-1028.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  29. ^Stallman, Richard(August 4, 2009)."How Wolfram Alpha's Copyright Claims Could Change Software".Access 2 Knowledge(Mailing list). Archived fromthe originalon April 28, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 17,2012.
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