Graphing on Google.com - Now in 3D
A few months ago we launched a graphing functionality right in search to help students and math lovers plot functions in an easy, simple way. In addition to calculating something simple like dividing up a restaurant bill or graphing more difficult math functions using …
Context & Ripple Effects
The move is a direct extension of the graphing calculator Google added to search results in December 2011: what began as flat 2D function plotting now renders three-dimensional surfaces straight on google.com, no separate app required. The enabling technology was already proven inside Google's own properties — Google Maps put WebGL 3D graphics to use back in October 2011 — so this applies the same browser-native rendering approach to math queries.
It also lands in a crowded moment for instant-answer search: the pickup across ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, WebProNews, Search Engine Land and even BuzzFeed suggests the story resonated beyond the search-nerd press, framing the results page itself as a computational surface rather than just a list of links.
First-order effects
- Students and anyone typing a multivariable function into google.com can now rotate and explore a 3D plot directly in the results page, extending the utility of the December 2011 graphing launch at zero cost to Google.
Second-order effects
- Instant-answer competitors like Wolfram Alpha and Bing face pressure to match browser-rendered visualization inside their own results, since a plain link out now looks weaker than an interactive answer rendered in place.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds — Maps in 3D in 2011, graphing in 3D in 2012 — WebGL turns mainstream browsers into rendering platforms, letting search engines deliver app-like computation without downloads and shifting the battleground from indexed links to computed answers.
The trend: Search results pages are evolving from link lists toward direct computation and visualization, with browser technologies like WebGL making rich interactive answers possible without leaving the query box.