Lecture 4

Three earth science problems to solve with a spreadsheet

I have chosen 3 earth science problems for you to explore using a spreadsheet. They are bit trickier than they may seem at first, but they represent what I consider to be everyday kinds of work that I do with a spreadsheet. The three problems are presented as word problems mostly and your challenge is to implement them in Excel. Make sure you understand the earth science problem first on paper before you touch the computer!

• Rotation calculator
  This exercise has you build a little calculator. It requires a tidy spreadsheet and chart layout and the use of variables ("names").
• Plotting a tape and compass transect
  This exercise has you map out the transect that two students took for a stratigraphic profile. It uses data measured with a tape and compass. It requires a tidy spreadsheet and chart layout and the use of variables ("names").
• Simple analysis of topography (pencil and paper and spreadsheet)
  This exercise has you play with some topography along the San Andreas Fault to make a surface map in Excel, but it also has you use Excel as a calculator and simple plotter to convert measurements made with a ruler to a true topographic profile.

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