Wolfram Alpha is the computational knowledge engine developed by British-born physicist and Mathematica creator Stephen Wolfram. Bing is the decision engine (because it is a search engine that helps you make a decision) developed by Redmond-based software giant Microsoft and released as a replacement for Live Search. But you already knew that, I’m sure. What you may not be aware of is the fact that the Bing experience is now enriched by the recently released Wolfram Alpha API.

“Wolfram|Alpha’s knowledge, computed from expertly curated data, will enrich Bing’s results in select areas across nutrition, health, and advanced mathematics. Wolfram|Alpha provides immediate, unbiased, and individualized information, making it distinctly different from what has traditionally been found through web search. By using Wolfram|Alpha, Bing recognizes the complementary benefits of bringing computational knowledge to the forefront of the search experience,” announced Jeremy Schoeller Porter, Business Development at Wolfram Alpha,.

Mid-October The Wolfram Alpha development team released the Wolfram Alpha API, a piece of software the developers were asking for ever since the computational knowledge engine went live. The API grants access to all the levels of the Wolfram Alpha platform, ranging from access to individual search results to complete Wolfram Alpha output pages. At the time, the Wolfram Alpha team explained that you could do the following with the API:

• Integrate the computational knowledge engine into webpages
• Online publishing with Wolfram Alpha
• Access Wolfram Alpha from desktop applications
• Deploy Wolfram Alpha on mobile devices (and other devices)
• Deploy Wolfram Alpha in cloud applications
• Develop interactive knowledge applications speedily

Microsoft’s Bing decision engine will use the Wolfram Alpha API to incorporate Wolfram Alpha’s trillions of pieces of data and tens of thousands of algorithms in its search results. Bing Program Manager Tracey Yao and Product Manager Pedro Silva, provide a more in-depth explanation: “We‘ll be providing access to Wolfram|Alpha’s advanced algorithms and expertly curated data within the Bing experience. This new and exciting work is completely aligned with our broader goal of enabling faster, more informed decisions. Specifically, we will bring nutritional information and tools into Bing’s search results, as well as some straight up hard math and homework help.”

If you would like to get started with Bing, please click here.
If you would like to get started with Wolfram Alpha, please click here.