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Show HN: q1tifier

5 points by duuble ↗ HN
This is a side project we did.

We call it q1tifier (pronounced 'quantifier') and it's main aim is to make sense of numbers. E.g. if you search for the number '5000' one of the result is '5000m = about the length of 89 NASA Space Shuttles' (see it here! http://duuble.com/q1tifier/view/3/=5000)

Numbers don't really mean anything by themselves, so through this such numbers could be more meaningful! This idea spawned from seeing infographics that often compare numbers we real life stuff, and we decided to make a database for people to supply such small pieces of info and facts.

The database is completely free and open, anyone can add any fact or bit of info. There is also a very basic api that returns results in JSON format.

Help contribute some info/facts to the database! Link: http://duuble.com/q1tifier/

16 comments

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DanielStraight
The weight of the largest lobster on record is precisely the kind of number that needs q1tified. It's a terrible reference point for q1tifications, because when people think of a lobster, they think of a normal lobster. I would purge anything from the database that isn't "normal".

I would also not bother reporting things with large scalar components (>3 perhaps). Eighty-nine space shuttles? Who can possibly picture that even remotely accurately?

Also, isn't it more common to leave a space before a unit (77 kg instead of 77kg)? And why no Imperial units?

Also, what about area?

duuble
Yeah, but part of the fun of this is to visualize 89 space shuttles. If not then another q1tifier could be used. We'll slowly fine-tune so the numbers wouldnt be so crazy. We have added the spaces. No imperial units because we used SI units as our base, but we're planning to add it in the future
DanielStraight
The program also doesn't seem to understand that kg and g are measuring the same thing. I added the fact that an iPhone weighs 137 grams, and if I search for 137 g, I find it. But if I search for 0.137 kg, the program finds nothing at all.
duuble
ok. we're working on that now
DanielStraight
The spaces are shown in the results, but you still have to search without them. "1546g" works. "1546 g" is interpreted as just "1546". Either one should work for searching.
duuble
ok added that too. the units is metres squared
Anthony_qraving
Very cool, I would definitely circulate this to various news agencies, and teachers groups, they tend to love to quantify numbers with visual solutions (ie our debt, in dollars stacked, would reach from here to the ....)
duuble
thanks! tell them to add too!
pkamb
FYI I read that as "quitifier", as in a stop-smoking app.
revorad
Very cool. But it has some strange results. 0.9 gets lots of results, but 0.09 none. also nothing for 0.1, but do get couple of results for 0.2. Why so?