computer science

Human search engine

Human search engine is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Human search engine rather than just read about it. In short: A human search engine was a search engine that used human participation to filter the search results and assist users in clarifying their search request. The goal was to provide users with a limited number of relevant results, as opposed to traditional search engines that often return many results that may or may not be relevant.

Key takeaways

Human search engine belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Human search engine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Human search engine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A human search engine was a search engine that used human participation to filter the search results and assist users in clarifying their search request. The goal was to provide users with a limited number of relevant results, as opposed to traditional search engines that often return many results that may or may not be relevant. Examples of defunct human search engines include ApexKB, ChaCha, DMOZ, Mahalo.com, NowNow (from Amazon.com), Sproose, and Webhelp.

See also Human-based computation Human flesh search engine Social search

References

""Human-Powered" Search Engine ChaCha Gets $10 Million — Digital Media Wire". www.dmwmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-01-01. "Wikipedia to launch human search engine - Editors Weblog". www.editorsweblog.org. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-11. "hengine: The Human Search Engine - hengine". www.hengine.org. Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2009-06-11. "DMOZ - ODP". www.dmoz.org. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2009-06-11. Tomaiuolo, Nicholas G. (May 2000). "Aska and You May Receive: Commercial Reference Services on the Web". Searcher. 8 (5). ISSN 1070-4795.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Human search engine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Human search engine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Human search engine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Human search engine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Human search engine

In research: Human search engine appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Human search engine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Human search engine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Human-based computation, Internet search engines, Web software stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Human search engine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Human search engine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Human search engine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Human search engine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Human search engine in simple terms?

Why does Human search engine matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Human search engine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Human search engine.