Search Engines : Lesson 1: Assignment :

This Assignment is Due at the End of Class Today - Write out and Hand in on Lined Paper

Introduction to Search Engines

This exercise/pretest is designed to help measure your current search capabilities so that you may compare them with your newly acquired skills at the end of this unit. At the end of the unit, compare the search strategies you used here with what you have learned. Youīll be pleasantly surprised! 

Use whatever search tool you reach for most often to look for the answers to these questions. If you donīt have a favorite search tool, try one of the search tools listed below.

Document each step taken during the search, noting errors as well as successes. If you simply canīt find a piece of information within 20 minutes, note that you were unable to find it.

An example of how I would like to see your answers is shown. 

---

Example

Search Goal: Which movie won the academy award for best picture in 1977? 

 Tool Used: Yahoo Directory 

 How long did the search take? Approximately 11 minutes. 

 Steps Taken: 

• My starting point was the Yahoo home page. 
• First, I clicked on the Entertainment link. 
• Then I clicked on the Movies & Film link. 
• Then I clicked on the Awards link. 
• Then I visited several of the pages listed on the Yahoo Awards page until the answer to the question was found: Annie Hall. 
• Pages visited :
  • http:\\www.entertainment.com
  • http:\\academy_award.com\best_picture\1977
  • http:\\ent.com\accd_aw\tile.htm

 My Answer: Written in Complete Sentences.

---

Your Questions

1. Research information about Radon. Write down what it is, how it can be harmful, and what can be done to remove it from your home.

Also keep track of the following :

Search Tool Used: 
How long did the search take? 
List all of the steps you took to complete the search. 
The addresses of the pages you found your information 

2. Research information about the Beatles. Write down what year the band formed and the original members of the band. Find out the names and the birthdates of each of the four main members who made the Beatles famous.

Also keep track of the following:

Search Tool Used: 
How long did the search take? 
List all of the steps you took to complete the search. 
The addresses of the pages you found your information 

Also keep track of the following:

Search Tool Used: 
How long did the search take? 
List all of the steps you took to complete the search. 
The addresses of the pages you found your information 

---

Search Engines You Could Use For Your Research :

1. AltaVista (http://altavista.com)



2. Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com)



3. Inference Find (http:/www.infind.com/)



4. Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com)



5. Google (http://www.google.com)



6. Mamma (http://www.mamma.com)



7. Lycos (http://www.lycos.com)



8. Metacrawler (http://metacrawler.com)



9. WebCrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com)