DAY 2:
TIPS ON SEARCHING WISELY
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND CRITICAL THINKING
INTRODUCTION TO MICROSOFT EXCEL
Aliya Farheen
aliya.farheen@mail.wvu.edu
January 15, 2015
SEARCHING WISELY
FINDING INFORMATION
• As you continue in your courses and eventual
careers, you’ll find that you frequently will
have to find information.
• With the resources available through the
Internet, it is easier than ever before to find
large amounts of information.
– This is a double-edged sword: it’s also easy to
get buried under too much data.
– It’s important to understand that just because the
data is available doesn’t mean it is correct.
SEARCH ENGINES:
PLANNING YOUR SEARCHES
• To help find data quickly, plan your searches.
• Be specific and use multiple keywords.
– If you are searching for German shepherds in
West Virginia, you will get better results using the
terms German shepherd and West Virginia than
if you just searched using the term dogs.
– Try searching for different terms and synonyms. If
car doesn’t work, try searching for automobile.
SEARCH ENGINES:
FINE-TUNING YOUR TERMS
• Use phrases and quotation marks
– “Springfield, Illinois” will return pages that reference
only Springfield, Illinois with the words in that specific
order.
• Negative terms
– Virus –computer will find pages that mention the
word virus but not the word computer.
• AND and OR queries
– Most search engines automatically insert the word
AND between phrases (which is why quotation marks
are useful) so there is no need to type it in the search
engine. OR is useful for searching for more than one
term, such as West Virginia University OR WVU.
SEARCH ENGINES:
STAYING ON-TARGET
• Google ignores common terms such as where
and how, as well as single digits and letters.
• It is not case sensitive. Typing aNoThEr pHrAse
will return the same results as another phrase.
• To search for Roman numerals or a common
word, either use quotations or the + sign. “Star
Wars I” and Star Wars +I will return about the
same results.
• Use the site command
– football site:wvu.edu will return pages that reference
football, but only on WVU servers.
SEARCH ENGINES:
GETTING ADDITIONAL HELP
• Try using Google’s help features.
– The search engine’s help page can be found
at http://google.com/help/basics.html and from
there, more advanced search tips are
available.
• Most other search engines work similarly
to Google.
WIKIPEDIA
• Wikipedia is a free user-edited online
encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org
• Advantages
– Huge volume of information, often on subjects
not well-covered elsewhere
• Disadvantages
– Can be edited by anyone
– Information can be misleading, biased, or just
plain wrong.
WIKIPEDIA:
EVALUATING ARTICLES
• What’s the tone of the article?
– Any tone other than a professional one increases the
likelihood that the article is misleading or biased.
• When was it last edited?
– More recently edited articles are generally more
frequently used and more likely to be correct.
• Citations and references
– More citations and references means the article is
more likely to be accurate.
• Like any source, there is no guarantee the
information is 100% accurate.
WIKIPEDIA:
HOW SHOULD I USE IT?
• You generally shouldn’t use Wikipedia as a
sole source for your writing!
• Initial and general information
– Wikipedia is great for giving you general
background on a subject.
• References (at the bottom of the article)
– Sources for getting more information.
– Also help to verify the information in the
Wikipedia article.
GOOGLE SCHOLAR
• Where do I find Google Scholar?
– http://scholar.google.com
• What sources is it looking at?
– Includes peer-reviewed papers, theses, books,
abstracts, and other scholarly literature from
academic publishers and professional societies,
and also from scholarly articles available on the
Internet.
• If you’re doing technical research or writing
papers for your major, Google Scholar is a
good place to look for existing work.
GOOGLE SCHOLAR:
HOW SHOULD I USE IT?
• What do I use it for?
– Good for finding papers, abstracts, and citations
– A great way to search for diverse sources from one place
– Provides full-text sources on the web, as well as locates
the complete paper in your library
• What advantages does it offer?
– For each piece that it locates, Google scholar shows the
title, other papers that have cited the article, related
articles, and library links for electronic and physical papers
– Allows you to search by title, author, and category, as well
as within specific publications
ALTERNATE HELP OPTIONS
FOR CS101
• Google is only one option for finding what
you need.
• Microsoft Office’s website
(office.microsoft.com) includes many
useful tools for helping you to use the
package’s features.
• Check your book, and use any other
resources you might have available (not
including the person sitting next to you).
LIBRARY DATABASES
• Visit the WVU Libraries website at
http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/
– Retrieve peer-reviewed articles in full text
– Use the information you find here to look for other
sources and articles
• Use the full-text databases, such as
LexisNexis
– These are good for contemporary, straightforward
information
• Other databases are available at
http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/databases/
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
• When researching topics on the web, some things to
think about are:
– Who is the page’s author? Is the source credible? Sites
like www.cnn.com will have more accurate information
than sites like www.theonion.com.
– How current is the information? Sites that have not been
updated since 1998 are less likely to have accurate
information.
– Search engines are unfiltered and thus return all results.
These may include results that aren’t objective or even
accurate. Think about the possible biases that could be
portrayed and whether the information and data is
authentic.
– You can double-check your information against multiple
sources if you are unsure of their authenticity.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
PROBLEM SOLVING
• Problem solving is the process of
analyzing and finding solutions for
questions that we want to solve.
• How do we perform problem solving?
– One way is with the scientific method, the
process by which scientists, collectively over
time, endeavor to construct an accurate
representation of the world.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• 4 major components
– Observation
– Hypothesis
– Prediction
– Experiment
• 1 evaluation step
– Decision
OBSERVATION
• Areas of interest in which one sets out to
prove truth or faults.
• What kind of observations can you think of?
– The average temperature of the earth is rising.
– Foreign-made cars have been gaining market
share in the United States.
– People from the southern US tend to be more
tanned than those in the northern part of the US.
OBSERVATION IN-CLASS
EXAMPLE
• An example of an observation might be:
– You work for a computer manufacturer. The
latest model, the X900, is selling very well.
– You wish to explore this observation and find
out the reason for the strong sales.
HYPOTHESIS
• Suggested explanation of problem or
observation
• How do we get hypotheses?
– From other branches of science
– Informed guesses
– Random ideas
HYPOTHESIS IN-CLASS
EXAMPLE
• What hypotheses might explain the sales of the
X900?
– Looking at marketing data per year, the amount spent
on Internet advertising appears to be higher the year
this computer was introduced.
• Hypothesis: the increased sales were the result of the
increase in Internet advertising.
– This computer was the first to use the latest graphics
card, the Screamer 9200.
• Hypothesis: the increased sales were the result of using the
latest graphics card.
PREDICTION
• Formal way to put a hypothesis to the test.
• If the hypothesis is true, when x is
manipulated, then y should happen.
– x is the independent variable: it's the thing
changed.
– y is the dependent variable: its value depends
on x.
PREDICTION IN-CLASS
EXAMPLE
• What predictions could you make based
on the data we have?
– If a greater amount is spent on Internet
advertising, computers will sell better.
– Using the latest components will increase
sales.
EXPERIMENT
• Test hypothesis to see if it’s correct.
– Lab experiment (grow cultures in petri dish)
– Analyze current data using computer applications
(Access, Excel)
• First hypothesis may not be correct
– If so, no problem: go back and change it
• May not be possible to completely prove or
disprove a hypothesis
– Example: Can’t completely prove or disprove whether
cell phones cause driving accidents
– What do we do in that situation?
EXPERIMENT IN-CLASS
EXAMPLE
• What can we do with our data to test the
hypotheses?
– Graphics card hypothesis
• Run a query on the components table. Group the data by
graphics card type. Do the units sold tend to be higher for
certain cards?
• Export this data into Excel and graph it, with units sold on the y
axis, and the component name on the x axis, for each
component type. Is there a pattern?
– Internet advertising hypothesis
• Run different sorts, by each advertising type, then by year.
Does there seem to be a pattern?
• Export this data into Excel. Graph each expenditure type on the
y axis, and the year on the x-axis. Fit a trendline to the data, and
forecast it out a few years. Is a pattern visible now?
DECISION
• Reject or accept the prediction(s).
• If the hypothesis appears correct, you can create
a new hypothesis, and begin again.
– Would this hypothesis apply to other, similar cases?
• If it seems incorrect, reformulate and try again.
• Remember correlation doesn’t equal causality!
– When the sun rises, the sky gets light. Does sunrise
cause a blue sky? Yes!
– People who don’t wear seat belts tend to have worse
accidents. Does one cause the other? Only partially!
– Tall people usually weigh more. Does height cause
weight? No!
– In each case, though the first and second are related,
it’s not necessarily true that one causes the other.
DECISION IN-CLASS EXAMPLE
• A sharp increase in the percentage of Internet
advertising the year the X900 was introduced
was the reason for its increase in sales.
– Look at other computers introduced that year to get a
better idea if this is correlation or causality.
• The use of the Screamer 9200 was the reason
for the X900’s success.
– Again, correlation vs. causality: check out other
computers that use the new card to see which one is
the case.
CRITICAL THINKING
CRITICAL THINKING
• Definitions:
– The scientific method applied to life.
– An attempt at objective judgment so as to
determine both merits and faults.
– The art of taking charge of your own mind!
NON-CRITICAL THINKING
• Left to our own devices, our thinking often
uses rigidity, over-generalization,
prejudice, and common fallacies.
– Voting a certain way because that's the way
your parents did (or didn't!)
– Buying a brand new phone because it looked
good on the lot.
– Copying/pasting in Word using a mouse
because that's the way you've always done it.
WHY USE IT?
• Objectively arriving at a decision (the purpose of
critical thinking) has many benefits.
– Cheaper (you’ll buy less frivolous/needlessly
expensive things)
– Healthier (more likely to exercise, spot doctor
mistakes)
– Better grades (critical thinking = better study habits!)
– Higher pay (critical thinking is invaluable in finding
and keeping a great job)
CRITICAL THINKING IN CS101
• Is there a faster way to do the task I’m doing
than the way I already knew?
– Shortcut keys, icons, etc.
• How do I use Microsoft Office to answer the
critical thinking questions?
–
–
–
–
Access: sorting/grouping with queries
Excel: graphing, scenarios, PivotTables
PowerPoint: organizing ideas effectively
Word: getting ideas down on paper makes them
clearer
CRITICAL THINKING IN SCHOOL
• When studying, turn section titles into
questions, and use that section’s text as a
chance to answer that question
– If the section is titled “Formatting Spreadsheets in
Excel, ask yourself “How do I format
spreadsheets?”, and look for the answers as you
read.
• Do extra review questions at the end of
chapters.
• At the end of each lecture, take one minute,
and answer the following (try this now!)
– What’s the most important thing I learned today?
– What’s the thing I’m still most confused about?
CRITICAL THINKING IN LIFE
• When trying to decide whether to buy something
– Do I really want/need it?
– Can I afford it?
– Is it good (healthy, non-dangerous) for me?
• When voting
– Familiarize yourself with the issues.
– Think about the long-term implications of your choice.
• At the doctor
– Ask questions.
– Get a second opinion.
INTRODUCTION TO
MICROSOFT EXCEL
SPREADSHEETS
• A spreadsheet is an electronic file used to organize
related data and perform calculations.
• It is the computerized equivalent of a ledger. It’s a grid of
rows and columns enabling users to organize data and
recalculate the results for cells containing formulas when
any data in input cells change.
• Better than paper (can erase and modify values easily)
• They are used for:
Keeping track of expenses, annual budgets, tracking
donations by charitable organizations, for plotting
experimental data by Scientists, creating a list of things
to do.
WORKSHEETS AND
WORKBOOKS
• A worksheet is a spreadsheet that contains
formulas, values, text, and visual aids
• A workbook is a a collection of related
worksheets contained within a single file.
EXCEL INTERFACE
EXCEL INTERFACE
ROWS, COLUMNS & CELLS
• Rows are identified by numbers
• Columns are identified by letters
• Cells are the intersection of rows and
columns. Each cell has a unique cell
address identified by its column letter and
then the row number.
– For example A1 is the intersection of column
A and row 1. The cell reference for this
specific cell is A1.
NAVIGATION IN WORKSHEETS
Keystroke
Used to
Up Arrow
Move up one cell in the same column.
Down Arrow
Move down one cell in the same
column.
Left Arrow
Move left one cell in the same row.
Right Arrow
Move right one cell in the same row.
Tab
Move right one cell in the same row.
Page Up
Move the active cell up one screen.
Page Down
Move the active cell down one screen
Home
Move the active cell to column A of
current row
Ctrl+Home
Make cell A1 the active cell
Ctrl+End
Moves to the rightmost, lowermost
active corner of the worksheet
F5
Display the Go To dialog box to enter
any cell address
ANNOUNCEMENT
• MyITLab is ready for this semester.
• Register for the MyITLab. You can follow
the instructions at
• http://cs101.wvu.edu/resources/myitlab/re
gistration/