# Functional Searching in Science and patents
Functional thinking and searching , a key concept in engineering design, involves analyzing the true function of a technology by seeing it as a black box. By focusing on what you are trying to achieve, this approach broadens search criteria to uncover innovative solutions. An easy way to determine what a function is for your problem is to down problems into action, object, and environment components.
As such, you can find technologies that perform the function (and not the solution) of your problem, and you can leverage natural language processing to search based on word connections rather than isolated terms.
In this section, you can learn how to define your functions, how IGOR^AI can help you find solutions in science and patents, and how to optimize your search queries.
---
# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://docs.findest.com/igor-ai-advanced-features/functional-searching-in-science-and-patents.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.