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Law of Inverses
- The more specific a search is, i.e., the more variables that exist in that search, less results will be returned in the results of the search.
- The broader a search is, i.e., the less variables that exist in a search, more results will be returned in the results of the search.
- This is because the more requirements a search has, the less likely it is that there is a resource that has each of the requirements.
- The less requirements a search has, the more likely it is that there is a resource that has each of them.
Logic Gates/Replaceable Characters
- AND - &
- Narrows search, searches for both X and Y. See law of inverses above.
- OR - OR
- Broadens search, searches for either X or Y. See law of inverses above.
- BUT NOT - %
- Narrows search, searches for everything but a specified term
- (Parentheses)
- Narrows search – everything within the parentheses is completed first. Similar to a mathematical order of operations.
- “Quotation Marks”
- Narrows search – everything within quotation marks is completed exactly as searched.
- * - Wildcard
- Broadens search, searches for words where one character can be replaced and other similar letters can be put in the place of the wild card.
- ! – Truncator
- Broadens search, searches for multiple word endings.
