Use Google to calculate the age of your ancestors

I don’t know about your desk, but mine is usually covered with lots of paper.

Some of the paper is just scrap bits I use to write notes and calculate dates for my family history research. I often calculate how many years an ancestor lived, how long they were married, and how old they were when they became a widow(er).

Sometimes, if I feel lazy — or need to calculate how much money I spent after returning from shopping — I Google calculator and do the math on the online calculator.

But there’s an easier way.

I learned from ResearchBuzz that Google answers math questions in the search bar. Apparently, it’s been around for a while, but it’s new to me. Perhaps it is new to you too.

Here’s how it works.

Type a math problem in the Google search box, leaving a space before and after the plus, minus, multiplication, or division sign — along with a space at the end. The answer magically appears.

In the example below, I wanted to find out how old an ancestor was when he died in 1923.

More complex math problems are also possible, but I’ll leave those to you.