Saturday, May 16, 2009

Wolfram Alpha Computational Knowledge Engine

Just made a couple of tests with, what I call WAKE -Wolfram's Alpa Knowledge Engine. It's an expert system that school children will enjoy, because they'll be able to ask it for answers to assignments across a number of topics, including mathematics, statistics and analysis, physics, chemistry, engineering, earth and life sciences. It is very different from Google; it's challenging Wikipedia.

Of course WAKE is an ongoing project, the launch is part of a process. It will be interesting to test it regularly, to find what new knowledge becomes part of the knowledge system, and what remains excluded. I asked it 'Who is Alan Turing?' - the system presented minimum details of his birth/death dates, but nothing of his contribution to world knowledge. I also asked it 'Who is Imran Khan?' - WAKE is unacquainted with the legendary cricketer-wannabe-leader-of-troubled-Pakistan, it answered
Related inputs to try:
Chemistry:igran Countries:Who


The engine's currently stalled on 'city' Lahore, after detailing map, population, etc., for Buenos Aires.

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