Many search engines provide some reasonably sophisticated options to make a better search. Hopefully answering these questions will lead you to looking at some of the possibilities. Unless otherwise specified, I want an explanation and I want you to test the feature in the search engine. In explaining or giving and example, do not use the examples or the explanations that appear at the site - I want things in your own words with your own examples! When explaining the results that you got, I want to know whether they make sense given your search - whether the search element you used worked as advertised!

Due in one week.

www.altavista.com Look at the tools available dealing with advanced searches and the advanced search area of altavista then answer the following questions. All of your answers should show the example that you used and explain the results that you got. (Hint: Help is useful!)

1. Explain the difference between the regular search and the advanced search. Be very specific! Do the + and - symbols work in altavista advanced search?
2. Give the symbol and explain the logic and results of using the Boolean operator AND.
3. Give the symbol and explain the logic and results of using the Boolean operator OR.
4. Give the symbol and explain the logic and results of using the Boolean operator NOT.
5. Give the symbol and explain the logic and results of using the Boolean operator NEAR.

Remember your basic logic and mathematical concepts. ANDs are resolved before ORs and if you want to change this order of resolution you need to use parenthesis. For example, if I want to find references to vaccine and either polio or lyme I would code it as vaccine AND (polio OR lyme). This way the polio OR lyme are resolved first and the result is vaccine combined with either polio or lyme. If I coded it as vaccine AND polio OR lyme it would be interpreted as vaccine and polio or just lyme by itself - there would be no connection between vaccine and lyme. The vaccine and polio would be resolved first and the lyme would stand-alone. Be sure to look for more information at: http://help.altavista.com/adv_search/ast_toc

Write the code to do the following advanced searches. Use Boolean operators. Evaluate the results.

1. Find sites that include methods, procedures and events.
2. Find sites that include turkey and stuffing and either cranberry or squash or pie.
3. Find sites that include yorkshire pudding and roast beef.
4. Find sites that include HTML and either CSS or JavaScript
5. Write your own search to meet the specifications. There are two possibilities to meet your criteria: (1) condition 1 and condition 2 are both true, (2) condition 3 is true
6. Write your own search to meet the specifications. Condition 1 is required and one of these conditions is required: condition 2, condition 3.
7. Write your own search to meet the specifications. Both condition 1 and condition 2 are required and one of the following is required: condition 3, condition 4.

I want you to look at the information about directories and search engines supplied at the alta vista site and then answer the following:

1. Explain the difference between a directory and a search engine. When is it appropriate to use a directory? When is it appropriate to use a search engine?

Now we will look at some other features available.

1. How are dates handled in altavista? Give an example and evaluate the results.
2. Explain ranking in altavista. Explain when the sort can be used and when it cannot. Give an example of using the sort and evaluate the results.
3. For each of the following, explain, give an example and evaluate the results: (url:, title:, text:, link:, like: image:, host:, domain:, applet:, and anchor:).