Use Of Spreadsheet Program Research Articles

Klasterska analiza učestalosti korišćenja funkcionalnosti programa za tabelarne kalkulacije

Presenting a part of the results of a broader research into the use of spreadsheet programs in micro, small and medium sized enterprises on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, the article examines the differ-ences in the manner and purpose of use of spreadsheet programs by respondents of various levels of knowledge and experience through creating clusters of rarely, moderately and frequently used functionalities of these programs. The research results have shown that greater experience, better awareness about the possibili-ties of spreadsheet programs, and being better versed in the use of spreadsheets do not necessary result in a more frequent use of functionalities that can significantly mitigate the risks of their use.

Spreadsheets and the Violence of Forms: Tracking Organisational and Domestic Use

Spreadsheets and the Violence of Forms: Tracking Organisational and Domestic Use

Teaching Computational Fluid Dynamics Using Spreadsheets

The use of spreadsheet programs in teaching the numerical aspects of computational fluid dynamics is explored. Spreadsheets allow the student to investigate important features of numerical algorithms without having to invest the time required to code in a traditional programming language. Thus they represent a short cut to the experiential part of the learning cycle. Four examples are presented with detailed methodology and learning outcomes, including solutions to the basic partial differential equations for fluid flow and iterative techniques for matrix inversion.

A spreadsheet solution of transient conduction in composite fins

Transient heat transfer through composite fins is investigated by numerical methods. In this regard, governing differential equations of the two-dimensional fin and one-dimensional cladding are studied to examine the effect of Biot number and ratio of thermal conductivities of the fin material to the cladding, on the dimensionless temperature profiles. In addition, the use of spreadsheet programs in solving the composite fin problems is investigated in somewhat more detail with regard to the solution as well as presentation of the graphical results. The results show that one-dimensional analysis, traditionally used in fin analysis, is not applicable for composite fins, particularly when the conductivity ratio of the composite fin materials is very high. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Use of a spreadsheet program for diffusion of oxygen in absorbing medium with a moving boundary

This paper demonstrates the use of a complete spreadsheet program that finds the numerical solution of a moving boundary value problem arising from the diffusion of oxygen in an absorbing medium. The numerical solution is based on the front-tracking method using fixed finite-difference grids. Because of the integrated availability of the macro environment and the Lotus command language environment, spreadsheets such as Lotus can be now used to solve highly technical exploration problems in engineering and science.

Information theoretical concepts in clinical chemistry: the use of spreadsheet programs for convenient calculation of information theoretical quantities

Information theoretical concepts can be used as most valuable tools for evaluating clinical chemical tests. They offer several advantages over the conventional test evaluation by Bayesian concepts. Although long known, information theory has failed to gain widespread acceptance among clinical chemists, probably due to the rather laborious computation of the necessary quantities. To resolve this technical problem, this paper demonstrates how commonly available computer spreadsheet programs can assist in the computation of information theoretical quantities such as the diverse entropies and the information content. Two spreadsheet versions are presented: firstly, a working sheet is developed for information theoretical evaluation of a two-by-two contingency table corresponding to a dichotomous diagnostic problem (e.g., diseased versus non-diseased) and a dichotomous diagnostic test outcome (e.g., normal versus abnormal), and secondly, a working sheet is shown for a more general situation with up to ten diagnostic alternatives and up to ten possible test outcomes. Typical examples for application of these tools are demonstrated.

Analytical and numerical solution along with PC spreadsheets modeling for a composite fin

Heat transfer through composite fins is investigated by both analytical and numerical methods. In this regard, governing differential equations of the two dimensional fin and one dimensional cladding are studied to examine the effect of Biot number and ratio of thermal conductivities of the fin material to the cladding, on the dimensionless temperature profiles. The results show that one dimensional analysis, traditionally used in fin analysis, is not applicable for composite fins, particularly when the conductivity ratio of the composite fin materials is low. In addition, the use of spreadsheet programs in solving the fin problem is investigated in somewhat more detail with regard to the solution as well as presentation of the graphical results.

Spreadsheet solution of hyperbolic partial differential equations [for EM field calculations

This paper describes the use of spreadsheet programs for the numerical solution of hyperbolic partial differential equations. A complete 123 macro program is presented and applied to obtain the approximate solution of a model problem in electrical engineering. Through user macros, spreadsheets can now function in the same way as programs written in conventional programming languages. They provide a clear and direct means of entering data and formulas. This important feature will allow the students to easily experiment with their model problems.

Use of spreadsheet program to solve parabolic partial differential equations using Crank‐Nicolson method

In this article we show how a spreadsheet program can be used to find numerical solutions of parabolic partial differential equations using the Crank‐Nicolson method. A complete 123 macro program is presented and used to solve a model problem. It serves as an example to enable engineers to write their own spreadsheet programs for solving problems.

Assessment of cancer clusters using limited cohort data with spreadsheets: Application to a leukemia cluster among rubber workers

This paper presents methods for initial investigation of occupational cancer clusters using limited data. Phase 1 of the methods developed uses basic data from the cluster of cases, but with cohort data limited to the size of the workforce at the plant. Phase 2 of the methods requires knowledge of the number of workers entering and leaving the workforce in each year. In the absence of data concerning age, the spreadsheet programs explore a variety of worker age distributions in synthetic cohort analyses. The methods were used to assess a cluster of six cases of leukemia with an average duration of work of 11 years in a tire manufacturing plant. It was concluded that the relative risk for the age range 30-50 was at least 7, providing further evidence for the association of leukemia with work in tire manufacture. The use of spreadsheet programs can provide a valuable first step assessment of apparent workplace cancer clusters.

Facilitating drug-use evaluation with spreadsheet software

The use of a personal computer spreadsheet program, Lotus 1-2-3, as an aid in drug-use evaluation is described. Dipyridamole was chosen for review because the drug is widely prescribed and often given for questionable indications. Developing criteria that could be translated into conditional logic statements made possible the use of the spreadsheet program for determining appropriateness of drug use. As data are entered into spreadsheet cells, the program simultaneously determines if the criteria for appropriate drug use are met. The program is not particularly difficult to apply to drug-use evaluation and is faster, more accurate, and more consistent than manual processing of data. In addition, the program allows the user to extract subsets of data for more detailed examination of drug-use patterns. Because decisions by the operator are unnecessary during data entry, this step can be performed by secretarial or technical personnel rather than pharmacists. A commercially available spreadsheet software program was faster and more accurate than a manual system for determining appropriate drug use.

Application of spreadsheet programs in the learning of numerical methods

This paper describes the use of spreadsheet programs as a tool for computations in the study of numerical methods. The use of spreadsheet programs gives the student a better understanding of the numerical method because a good link is established between the problem and its solution in an interactive environment. The intention of this paper is to highlight the power of using spreadsheet programs in education.

Storage structure design of CODASYL DBMS using spreadsheet programs

The design of storage structure of CODASYL DBMS involves many factors and a lot of computations. This paper describes the use of spreadsheet programs as a computation tool for the design problem. The layout of the design worksheet is described and an illustrative example is solved. The intention of this paper is to highlight the power of using spreadsheet programs in this problem.

Use of spread sheet in geological calcultions

Use of spread sheet program is strongly advocated for many geological calculations such as mineral formula and CIPW norm because of the ease of programming and ability of performing “what if” calculations without reentering all the data.

The use of spreadsheet programs for noise control problems

Spreadsheet programs, once used as a financial/business tool, can be effectively used for solving acoustics and noise control problems using a personal computer. The spreadsheet allows one to write a pseudoprogram in terms of algebraic expressions which follows algorithms similar to our thinking process. The spreadsheet is essentially a two‐dimensional matrix where entries can be made both in rows and columns. The entries, called cells, contain different types of information, such as numbers and formulas. Numbers are like expressions with fixed values. Formulas are algebraic expressions where references can be made to other parts (cells) of the program. These expressions are computed in a similar fashion as is done in a calculator but at a much faster speed. Also, the spreadsheet computer program has plenty of flexibility and versatility in many areas compared to a conventional digital computer program. One of these is the automatic updating of all results (algebraic expressions) that are affected due to the change of a value in the spreadsheet. This paper discusses the VISI‐CALC® computer program spreadsheet. A worker noise exposure prediction problem is demonstrated using the VISI‐CALC® program with a Hewlett‐Packard desktop computer.

Use of spread sheet programs to assist in program development: K.L. Massey, Dept. of Pathology, University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X0

Use of spread sheet programs to assist in program development: K.L. Massey, Dept. of Pathology, University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X0