Google Doodle Features One Of Most Searched Mathematical Equations: What Is It, How Is It Used

Indian users searching on Google on Wednesday (Nov 12) were greeted by an animated mathematical doodle featuring the quadratic equation: ax2+bx+c=0. This widely used formula, which has applications across engineering, economics, and physics (like calculating the arc of a basketball), is one of the most searched equations online.

"This Doodle features the quadratic equation, a mathematical tool that has a number of useful applications across physics, engineering, business, and much more," Google posted.

"The quadratic equation is most often used in physics to calculate real-world motion. If you've ever watched a basketball arc toward the hoop, you've seen the quadratic equation in action."

Clicking the doodle takes the user to Google's Gemini AI mode, where a prompt asks how a quadratic equation fits into a basketball player's parabolic shot.

"A basketball shot follows a parabolic path because of the constant downward force of gravity. The quadratic equation is used to model this parabolic arc algebraically. By plugging in different time (x-axis) values, you can calculate the basketball's height (y-axis) at any point during its flight," reads the answer, with the physics behind the quadratic model explained further.

Notably, Google first rolled out the 'Learning the Quadratic Equation' doodle on September 8 in the US to kick off the school year. Since then, it has been rolled out in the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and several other Middle East countries.

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Google Doodle And History

A Google Doodle is a thematic motif that is used by the search engine on its homepage to mark special occasions. Google has also used doodles to celebrate prominent people, their achievements, and more. The first Google Doodle was published in 1998 as a quick way for Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to let people know they would be out of the office for Burning Man.

In 2000, Google launched the first international doodle to celebrate Bastille Day in France. The first interactive game Doodle was launched on May 21, 2010, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the popular game, Pac-Man.