Boolean operators and search engines
Most Internet search engines allow you to use some Boolean operators but sometimes the operators are symbols rather than words. For example, at the time that this was written both Google and Altavista.com used '+' to indicate the Boolean term 'AND'. They also allowed use of the term 'OR'.
As well as allowing you to choose a Boolean search term, Internet search engines use implied Boolean operators. When you have not specified the operator the search engine uses its default operator. For example, when you type the words 'school college' into Google, it actually searches for 'school AND college'. The default is 'AND'. Be sure to find out which implied operator a search engine uses before you type in your search term. Some search engines use 'OR' rather than 'AND'. You can avoid this problem if you specify a Boolean operator yourself.
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