[iTRIXX] What does Wolfram Alpha know about electronics?

On my desk I have a copy of the Compendium Elektrontechniek en Elektronica, a solid Dutch reference work packed full with formulas, calculations, examples, regulations, and everything else you can imagine. Now I wonder how much of this information can be found on the Wolfram Alpha website. It's time for a bit of research.

Wolfram Alpha (see the link below) is the latest search engine for finding data, statistics, and answers to complex questions. The site is presently in the beta stage.

The first search terms are obvious: ohm, volt, ampere, and Hz, all of which deliver nice summary descriptions of these units. So far, so good. Now let's look at calculations. The first test is to see what Wolfram Alpha has to say about numbers. If you type in a randomly selected number, you receive a nice summary of the special features of the number, including its value in binary notation. If you enter a number in combination with ‘bin’, ‘hex’, ‘decimal’ or ‘octal’, the number is treated as a radix and converted to the indicated notation. This is handy for anyone who works with electronics, even if it means that you’re only using the search engine as a sort of calculator.

What does Wolfram Alpha know about electronic components? The search term ‘transistor’ yield the result ‘transistor | a semiconductor device capable of amplification’, along with some details on its pronunciation. Search terms such as ‘opamp’, ‘differentiator’ and ‘integrator’ yield lots of interesting information, with screens filled with formulas, characteristic curves, and ready-to-use calculation modules, The search term ‘LC circuit’ yields links to outstanding calculation modules for Butterworth and Chebyshev filters.

The first impressions are certainly positive. For the time being, I plan to spend a bit more time checking what Wolfram Alpha knows about electronics. If you do the same and send your (special) findings to the e-mail address below, we can put together a nice overview. If you still prefer the printed word, you can always purchase the Compendium in the Elektor webshop (assuming you can read Dutch, of course).

Send your suggestions to: mailto:theelectronicball@elektor.com

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