# How do you google for math equations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964 "2006-08-16T16:19:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/1 "2006-08-16T16:19:10Z")
I just tried to google for “(x+1)^(x+1)/x^x” and was surprised the double inverted commas didn’t help stop the formula inside from being corrupted in the search. Is there a standard way to google for maths equations? Or at least a way to google for an equation in a particular format (like the one above, using ^ to mean raise to the power of) to find articles where someone used the same format. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/2 "2006-08-16T20:46:40Z")
I’d be very surprised if there is. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/3 "2006-08-16T21:08:57Z")
“Double inverted commas”? You mean the quote marks? ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/4 "2006-08-16T23:27:01Z")
Just tried using LaTeX notation for your expression ( \frac{(x+1)^{(x+1)}} {x^{x}} ) … no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/5 "2006-08-16T23:40:50Z")
[QUOTE=CurtC] “Double inverted commas”? You mean the quote marks? [/QUOTE] I think that’s a Britishism, like “maths equations.” Apparently Google only searches for words, phrases, numbers, and such; other symbols are either ignored or have special meanings to Google. I don’t know whether or not there are any other search engines that would give you any better results, but it looks like this isn’t the kind of thing Google does. ---
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/6 "2006-08-16T23:55:08Z")
Have you tried this [site](http://www.hostsrv.com/webmab/app1/MSP/quickmath/02/pageGenerate?site=quickmath&s1=equations&s2=solve&s3=basic) ? It looks pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/7 "2006-08-17T21:27:29Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] I just tried to google for “(x+1)^(x+1)/x^x” and was surprised the double inverted commas didn’t help stop the formula inside from being corrupted in the search. Is there a standard way to google for maths equations? Or at least a way to google for an equation in a particular format (like the one above, using ^ to mean raise to the power of) to find articles where someone used the same format. [/QUOTE] First of all, you aren’t even trying to find an equation. Second of all, until the MathML partisans give up, lay back, and just accept that we should incorporate the near-universal LaTeX system into XML, there will be no way to search for any mathematical expression. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-google-for-math-equations/368964/8 "2006-08-18T15:51:48Z")
[QUOTE=Mathochist] First of all, you aren’t even trying to find an equation. [/QUOTE] what’s a little f(x)= between friends. (and I didn’t want to miss out on any articles using y = etc.) I haven’t used LaTeX (being that I used TeX in the old days, and never needed to go to LaTeX ). Yeah, I can use solvers, graphic packages, and good old fashioned algebra on the function. But was interested in doing a search to see where such a function might be used or important.