Boolean

Overview Boolean logic--the use of AND, OR, and NOT to filter information--was conceived of in the 1800s by mathematician George Boole. Boolean logic has been used with computers almost from the day the first computer was invented, and it's still in use in today's ultra powerful search engines and databases. The Internet contains many interesting resources about the use of Boolean logic. These resources include search guides, tutorials, tips, and articles, both about its use and its inventor. 

History of Boolean Logic George Boole was a luminary in the fields of mathematics and logic. Using his basic definitions of AND, OR, and NOT, you can wade through piles of irrelevant data in minutes to find the one piece of information that you need. To learn more about the man behind Boolean logic, read the article  at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boole. Throughout the article you will find many related links that may help broaden your understanding of this topic.   For a longer biography, as well as a portrait of Boole, visit this George Boole site (www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history). Additionally, an essay that Boole wrote to describe his "application of a new and peculiar form of Mathematics to the expression of the operations of the mind in reasoning." is available in "The Calculus of Logic"  (www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/). 

General Information Today the term “Boolean” most often refers to specific words used to narrow an online search. Web searches are just one of the many different applications of Boolean logic. This CNET glossary page provides a good definition for the term “Boolean.” This Boolean Operators Web page  provides additional information and definitions regarding Boolean operators. The article How Boolean Logic Works by Marshall Brain details Boolean logic and its microprocessor applications.

Boolean Search Guides and Tutorials Many tutorials and guides are available for using Boolean operators on the Web, and in databases. The following list of links contains a wide variety of Web pages about Boolean search terms.

• adam.ac.uk/info/boolean.html
• http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/lr/booltips.html
• lscc.cc.fl.us/library/guides/boolsea.htm