Is this new and I just missed it? Google has had, for quite a while ago, the ability to answer math questions. It’s handy when you need to do some quick division and subtraction (though if you want to do algebra, it’s best to wander over to Wolfram|Alpha.)

I use the Firefox query box to do math searches fairly frequently, getting the answer when the Google search result page loads. But I noticed this evening that I’m not having to do that anymore. Now I’m getting my math results as a Google suggestion!

Take a look at this screenshot, showing a division problem and the answer in Google Suggestions.

So now I don’t have to go to the search results page to get my answer. Considering how much I use Google as a calculator, getting the answer instantly instead of having to load a results page is going to save me much time.

I haven’t read any discussion about this, and I don’t know if this is something I’ve just missed, but man I like it. It’s going to come in really useful.