Search engines are information retrieval systems that return results from across the web, based on a user's search. Search engines can serve a variety of purposes and are used to get results quickly.
Each search engine has its own algorithm, or way of putting the links it shows you in a specific order. For some search engines, these are based on the number of links a certain page has on it or, in some cases, if a page has paid to be shown higher in the results.
Search engines track your search habits and use it to target ads. Not a fan? Try an engine like DuckDuckGo
Some search engines (such as Google) sell ad space for promoted search results.
Always check our information. No search engine is 100% right 100% of the time. Cross-reference information from multiple sources.
Google is by far the most popular and widely used search engine. It is best for straightforward questions and quick answers like "What is the weather?" or "Packers' score".
Google Scholar is a search engine that specifically searches scholarly articles. It can be a good choice for high school level research projects, but you need to be careful and verify each source.
Microsoft's answer to Google, Bing combines a search engine with displays of daily news. It can be customized to show suggested searches.
Ever looked up a book or new gadget and then seen an ad for the same item magically appear minutes later? Search engines store your data and use it to produce these targeted ads, in hopes that you'll buy something. Duck Duck Go was created as a way to protect this information and avoid companies getting your data.
Note: While DuckDuckGo doesn't track your data to sell ads, your actions are still traceable, just like they always are on the internet. Always use good digital citizenship!
Wolfram Alpha is searchable, but it's not a search engine. Instead, the site functions as a giant, computing machine, that provides data as well as allowing users to explore topics in mathematics. Try solving an equation or asking it Pi to the thousandth digit! You can also look at the code for the site, and play around to create your own algorithms.