Interactive Excel Spreadsheets:A Computational and Conceptual

Learning Tool for Mathematics and Science

Scott A. SinexDepartment of Physical Sciences and

EngineeringPrince George’s Community College

Presented at the Computation and Science for Teachers Workshop held at the Pittsburgh

Supercomputing Center, Pittsburgh, PA on 19-23 June 2006

Why Excel?

• Ready off-the-shelf software• Found in the work-place• Found on home computers too• Easy to use by students

• Can it be an interactive learning tool?

(no marcos or VBA programming, just computation via formulas)

...as a tool in math and science

• Great for handling, graphing, and analyzing data

• Easy transforming of data such as taking the log

• Regression and goodness-of-fit

• So a great tool for mathematical modeling of data and presenting graphs

Using Excel for... Scientific Data

Pre-set calculations & graphs – just add

data

… a mathematical model

Cookies stack

The modeling process…

...so now to Excelets!

• Excelets are interactive Excel spreadsheets

• A “Javaless” applet!• A simulation of a mathematical model or

an illustration of a simple concept• A tool for higher-order thinking and

illustrating science process

• and a tool that is easy to construct!!!!!

So let’s take a tour of the interactive

features available in Excel

Start tour !

Click on links at the bottom of the next five slides to get the interactive spreadsheets

Interactive features

Flipping pennies

heads tails

Regression

Find it in

Derivative

Circuits

Created by Charlotte Trout

Now let’s construct a

simple Excelet!

So let’s go into Excel

We will explore the equation of a straight line, y = mx +b.

Tutorial for a quadratic equation – click here

As a learning tool...• Active engagement of students• Numerical experimentation• Derive the ideal mathematical model• “What if” scenarios • Science processes

– predictions– graphical interpretation– conclusions– random and systematic error (ideal to

real) See Investigating Types of Errors

Model Simulation

science

excelets

The “How to” resources...

Developer's Guide to Excelets: Dynamic and Interactive Visualization with "

Javaless" Applets or Interactive Excel Spreadsheets

<http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets>

Tutorial, instructions, and a variety of interactive Excel spreadsheet

examples

Resource list for mathematics and science

More info...

• Scott Sinex – ssinex@pgcc.edu• See course webpages and

publications http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex

• Webpages embedded in PowerPoint – get LiveWeb (http://skp.mvps.org/liveweb.htm)