Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Calculations with Google

Google has added calculator functionality to their array of services. Or course it'll do simple math, but it also knows how to do conversions such as "how many kilograms is 32 lbs?" (my daughter's approximate weight) or even more complex calculations using standard constants like, "what is the speed of light in furlongs per fortnight?"

My guess is that they've used code from the units program that has been around for a long time. Before you download from there, check your distribution (of linux, *BSD, OS X, etc.) for a prepackaged version. It's pretty common, but I've been surprised by the number of old-time un*x people who have never seen this before.

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