Report Sheets from manual and Excel tables and graphs

[robert zellmer]

I'm still getting questions about doing the data tables (report
sheets) in Excel or the report form from the manual and what to
do with each.  Here's three scenarios and what to do in each case.
I sent something out which was similar to this but here it goes
again.

1)  You use Excel to make the data tables and do the calculations
         in the tables (and graphs when necessary).  If you make the
         Excel sheets look like the report sheets (headings, units,
         correct s.f., readable, etc.) you can simply transfer them into
         your Word document from the template.  There is no need
         to copy all the data over to the report sheet from the manual.
         You are just wasting time.  You should include the blank report
         sheet provided in the manual in your document (scan it or take
         a picture of it).  We will grade the Excel report sheet (form).
         Again, if you can't figure out how to transfer them into your
         Word doc directly from Excel print them out and scan them (or
         take a pic) and include this into the Word doc.  Make sure
         a scanned page or a picture are clear and readable.  Then
         ask me or the TA at some point (read my Excel instructions)
         so you can learn how to transfer tables and graphs to Word.

2)  You use Excel to simply do the calculations and/or the graphs
         but transfer all the data to the report sheet because you don't
         want to bother making the Excel sheets look like the report
         sheet or bother with setting the proper s.f. in Excel.  In this
         case you fill in the report sheet from the manual, scan it or take
         a picture and include it in the report.  Also, include the Excel
         sheet, even though it's not formatted correctly.  We will grade
         the report sheet in the report since it's filled in.  We want the
         Excel sheet so we can see what you've done and what numbers
         you used for the calculations and/or graphs.  The Excel sheet
         does not have to be formatted correctly in this case (i.e. doesn't
         have to have correct s.f., units, etc.) since we will be 
grading your
         report form from the manual.

3) You can also make tables in Word.  If you make the table in Word
     just make sure it has all the features described above for Excel
     tables.  However, I don't know if you make a table in Word if you
     can make a graph.

You do not have to use Excel (or similar program) for graphs. However,
if you don't, you need to use actual graph paper with lots of grid lines.
The notebook pages won't suffice.  Doing it "freehand" on a piece of
printer paper will receive zero points.  If doing it on graph paper you 
will
need to use a ruler if making a linear best-fit line.  If you need the 
slope
you will need to do calculations by hand for each and every best-fit line
using points from the line and show those calculations.   Then of course
you would need to scan this graph (or take a picture) and include it in
your Word doc.

When using Excel to do best-fit lines (curves) you should print the
equation for the line and the R^2 (correlation coefficient) values.  If 
it is
a linear fit and you need the slope you will use the slope produced by 
Excel.
However, you need to show a sample calculation for slope using points from
one of the best-fit lines.

I will warn you now about exp 17.  If you don't use Excel or a similar 
program
it will take you a very long time to process the data.  You will have 4 
data tables
with at least 15 time and absorbance data pairs.  Then you will have at 
least
60 calculations for each solution (at least 240 total calculations).  
This will produce
a table with 90 data values for each solution (at least 360 total 
values).  For exp 17
you have to make the data tables using Excel anyway.  Also, if you make a
calculation error (which you don't often realize until you do the second 
graph, the
zero-order graph) it is much easier to fix it using Excel (assuming 
you've programed
your Excel tables to do the calculations) than to redo all the 
calculations by hand.

Dr. Zellmer
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