How Search Engines Work

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of an indexer in a web search engine?

To create an index based on the words contained in each document (correct)

To store information about many web pages

To retrieve web pages

To display web pages

What is the purpose of indexing in a web search engine?

To retrieve web pages

To display web pages

To locate web pages

To store data to facilitate fast and accurate information retrieval (correct)

What is the outcome of indexing in a web search engine?

An index based on the words contained in each document (correct)

A list of web pages

A list of search queries

A list of keywords

What is the role of the indexer in creating search engine indices?

To create an index based on the words contained in each document Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of indexing in a web search engine?

It facilitates fast and accurate information retrieval Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between indexing and search queries in a web search engine?

Search queries fetch results from the index Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of search engines?

To extract information from the internet Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the collection of digital pages accessed over the internet?

World Wide Web Signup and view all the answers

What enables web documents to be linked to each other?

Hyperlinks Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the HTTP protocol?

To transmit data and allow applications to communicate Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web?

The internet is a network of networks, while the World Wide Web is a collection of digital pages Signup and view all the answers

What are added to the World Wide Web every hour?

Thousands of web pages and websites Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a web browser?

To translate web pages into human-readable content Signup and view all the answers

Which protocol is used for secure transfer of web pages?

HTTPS Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of URLs in a web browser?

To provide traffic directions for the web browser Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of a web browser in facilitating web surfing?

To handle HTTP activity between a client and a server Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTP is used for non-secure transfer, while HTTPS is used for secure transfer Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of plug-ins in a web browser?

To add features to the browser after the fact Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Search Engines

Search engines work with two programs: Spider (fetches documents) and Indexer (creates an index based on words contained in each document)
Each search engine uses an algorithm to create its indices, storing only related results for specified keywords
Search engines work in the following order: Web crawling, Indexing, and Searching

Search Engines Examples

Examples of search engines are not specified in the text

Web Browsers

A web browser is a software program that allows a user to locate, access, and display web pages
Web browsers are used primarily for displaying and accessing websites on the internet, as well as other content created using languages such as HTML and XML
Using browsers, one can access digital libraries containing innumerable articles, journals, ebooks, news, and tutorials stored on web servers

Internet and World Wide Web

The Internet is a massive network of networks, connecting millions of computers together globally
The Internet is known as "interconnection of computer networks"
The World Wide Web (WWW) is a massive collection of digital pages to access information over the Internet
The Web uses the HTTP protocol to transmit data and allows applications to communicate

Web Pages and Documents

Web pages are linked to each other via hyperlinks
Web documents contain graphics, sounds, text, and video

Browser History

Early web browsers started prior to the 21st century, with a text-only browser called Lynx and another browser called Mosaic
Later, Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer emerged as the two main choices
Mozilla Firefox was launched in 2004, Apple's Safari in 2003, and Google Chrome became a contender in the browser wars

Browser Functionality

A web browser handles HTTP activity between a client and a server, which is the backbone of World Wide Web use
URLs are traffic directions for the web browser, and the browser uses IP addresses and other tools to establish these connections
New types of web browsers have additional functionality through a range of plug-ins that can add features

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Description

Test your understanding of the inner workings of search engines, including how spiders and indexers function to retrieve relevant results for specific keywords. Learn about the algorithms used to create indices and retrieve documents.