SPREADSHEET
EXERCISES
INTRODUCTION
This week, you will continue to practice your spreadsheet skills with 3 exercises where you will be asked to input, calculate, and graph data. You should be able to finish these exercises within the allocated lab time.
For all the exercises, the following color code is being used: Blue is for input. This means you will have to enter a value in the cell of that color for other variables to be calculated accordingly. Yellow is for output. This means that these cells will change values depending on the input values (what you entered in the blue cells). You will find the spreadsheet template on the class web site. Before starting the exercises, download the Excel lab template to your computer, and immediately save it as Lastname_spsheet.xls.
EXERCISE 1
On sheet1, recreate a spreadsheet similar to example 1 that convert rods (an old surveying measure that we still use to measure the length of canoe portages) into meters, kilometers, inches, feet and miles, knowing that one rod = 16.5 feet. All other conversion factors can be calculated using the conversion table on p.11 of your textbook. Enter 300 in the input cell (the blue cell) and save your file.
EXERCISE 2
On the same sheet1, you will complete exercise 2. When solving an in-class problem related to friction, we have seen that friction force on an inclined plane is dependent on the following relationship:
Friction force = m W
cos q,
where m = coefficient of friction, W = weight in newtons, q = angle of the inclined plane.
Following example 2, recreate the spreadsheet table that will calculate the friction force (in newtons) for any angle between 0 and 90 degrees (interval of 5 degrees). The initial weight input will be made in lbs (enter 180), and the coefficient of friction is unitless (enter 0.75). ATTENTION: You need to know that Excel reads an angle in radians! Make sure to make the appropriate conversion from degrees (hint: there is function readily available for this conversion. Can you find it?)
Format your sheet so that both exercise 1 and 2 fit on a single sheet when printed. Save your file.
EXERCISE 3
You will find the time data for exercise 3 on sheet3 of your file (Dr. Levy, we thank you for not having us enter all these data...you are welcome!).
Three speed skaters complete a 5000 m race at different rates. A split time for each 400 m was taken at the finish line (the first split is at 200 m because the skaters start at the opposite end of the track). Complete the spreadsheet by entering formulas to calculate the following variables:
1. cumulative time for each skater. The cumulative time is the addition of each split up to that distance interval. You should be able to enter a single formula and copy it down.
2. Using the equation speed = distance / time, determine the speed of the skaters throughout the race. Use the first central difference method to calculate the speed.
3. Graph speed over time, including all skaters on ONE graph. Make sure to put your graph on a separate sheet within your working file.
4. Format sheet3 so that it would print on a single sheet. Save your file.
Hand in a printout of all exercises (exericises 1 and 2 on one page, exercise 3 on one page, and the graph on one page) at the next lab meeting. More than 3 pages will result in a deduction of your lab grade.