George Boole

George Boole
1815 - 1864

Boolean Operators

Boolean operators are the connectors AND, OR, and NOT that can be used in keyword searches.

AND narrows a search by combining terms all of which must be present in the records.

OR expands a search by finding any of the search terms in the records.

NOT narrows a search by excluding certain terms from the search.
 

George Boole was a 19th century Englishman, the son of a poor shoemaker. A self-taught mathematician, Boole was offered a university position solely on the basis of his publications. His work on mathematical logic, algebra, and the binary systems of 0 and 1, had a unique influence upon the development of computers. On a personal note, he married Mary Everest, the niece of the man for whom Mt. Everest is named. The couple had five daughters who variously excelled in mathematics, chemistry, and the fine arts.
rev. 1/07