Wonky search engines

[jpsmith]

Anyone ever been looking for a particular item or information at a specific website using the "search" function and run into this?

You start by typing something a bit general, like sheath. It comes back with too many results, so you decide to add some more words to try to narrow it down, so you go with, say, large brown horizontal leather sheath. Suddenly, rather than narrow it down, you have hugely widened your net and significantly increased your results. Trying to be more specific you go from dozens of results to hundreds. I know that it must just be a matter difference in search engine type, but what is the difference here? Does anyone know any background on why such an engine would be implemented? I'm interested in the why's, hows, wheretofor's and so on.

 

[Cougar Allen]

Does the results page start off by saying something like "there are no results containing all the search terms 'large brown horizontal leather sheath.'

10,000 results containing one or more of your search terms:"

 

[jpsmith]

No, i know what you mean there. This is different.
From the best that i can tell, the engine just searches for each individual term. So if there is a result that contains at least one of the terms, it is included. So basically, the fewer words you use, the fewer results you get.

 

[DaveH]

The search engine is using a logical "OR" what you want is a logical "AND" probably have to go to advanced search for that behavior.

 

[jpsmith]

ahhh that makes sense. Sadly no advanced exists for some of these sites. Anyway, thanks for the info. It might seem a strange sentence and an odd idea, but, "I forgot or."