It underpins logical processing and decision-making in programming. The other two major data types are text and numbers.īoolean algebra is a subset of mathematics concerned with operations on logical values, including binary variables. Strictly speaking, Boolean with an uppercase 'B' refers to Boolean logic or Boolean algebra, while boolean refers to a data type in computer programming. The term Boolean is sometimes presented with a lower case 'b': boolean. XOR acts as a logical either/or, so the output is true if either - but not both - of the inputs is true. NAND generates a false result if both inputs are true. NOR finds a result whose value is true only if both terms are false. In addition to AND, OR and NOT, several other Boolean operators are also frequently used: Example: A search for 'Guatemala NOT Guatemala City' will include results only for Guatemala and will not return items containing Guatemala City.Ĭomputer programming, mathematical formulas and algorithms use Boolean operators.Any records containing the term after the operator will not appear in the results. This operator will result in the first term being searched.NOT and AND NOT's purposes are to exclude specific terms from the search.Example: If the search term is 'pear OR apple,' the system will search for and display results that contain either pear or apple.If either term is contained in the material that is being searched, it will be included in the search results. The OR operator considers either term in the operation or search.Example: If a user searches for 'pear AND apple,' the system will assume that the user is looking for results containing both words and not just one of them.If one term is in the searched material but the other is not, the item will not be included in the result. The AND operator considers both terms in the logical operation or search which means that both terms should appear in each item returned by the search.The three most used Boolean operators are the following: Using a Boolean operator as a conjunction between two keywords in a web search either combines or excludes them, thus generating more focused and useful results. They are often used to refine web searches. The Boolean operation then generates a Boolean value that expresses a 'truth value.'īoolean operators are used in computer programming, mathematical formulas and algorithms. These operators work on a Boolean expression or conditional statement consisting of two words or other values.

Common Boolean operators and web searchesīoolean logic is based on several operators known as logical operators or simply Boolean operators.

All google boolean search login