Geology 103
Pre-Lab Assignment
Complete this assignment and turn in your answers to the questions and hard copies of
the Excel table and graph at our first lab meeting (Tuesday Sept. 5th).
Excel will be our primary tool in Geology 103 lab. We will use Excel to perform simple
calculations, make data tables and create graphs. However, you don’t need expertise in
Excel to do well in lab; you will develop the necessary skills as class proceeds. This PreLab Assignment is designed to familiarize you with Excel and make certain you are able
to perform the simple tasks required to complete our labs.
If you need access to a computer (or Excel) for this assignment or for the lab exercises
throughout the semester, I suggest the ATLAS open classroom in Foreign Languages
Building G8, or Lincoln Hall 204. Try any university computer lab that is convenient for
you, but if all else fails, the FLB and LH rooms will have the software and printers you
require.
There are two links listed on the Geology 103 Lab webpage (accessed via Compass):
Entering Data in Excel and Simple Excel Graphs. If you are not familiar with Excel,
work through these links in preparation for the simple assignment below.
Exercise: Using Excel for simple calculations and graphing
Create a spreadsheet in Excel using the formulas provided below to calculate the area and
circumference of a circle and surface area and volume of a sphere with radius = 1, 2, 3,
… 20 meters. Display your results to one decimal point.
Your spreadsheet should be organized like the one below:
Circle
Circumference
(m)
Radius
(m)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Michael Stewart, 2006
Area
( m2)
Sphere
Surface
( m2)
Volume
( m3)
Area of a Circle = pr2
Circumference of a Circle = 2pr
Surface Area of a Sphere = 4pr2
Volume of a Sphere = 4/3pr3
Hints: to enter p (Pi) in excel you
type PI(), to calculate an
exponent you type ^ (e.g. 4
squared is typed 4^2).
Another big hint: The reason
spreadsheets are fabulous is
because you don’t have to type a
bunch of stuff – there are
shortcuts! Look at the helpful links on the lab webpage and use Excel Help to learn about
things like fill, copy and paste, absolute and relative cell referencing in formulas, etc. If
you do not understand these things and simply try to type in each radius and formula for
each calculation, you will be wasting your time and defeating the purpose of using a
spreadsheet.
Answer the following questions:
1. At what radius are the circumference and area of a circle equal and why?
2. At what radius are the surface area and volume of a sphere equal and why?
3. Create a X-Y (scatter) plot of Area vs. Circumference and make it look EXACTLY
like this one.
Area
Area vs Circumference
1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
9 0 100 110 120 130 140
Circumference (m)
4. Now have your spreadsheet calculate the volume of the sphere in feet. Explain how
you did this.
Michael Stewart, 2006
2