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Curricular Unit: Using MS Excel to Analyze Real Life Data

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Curricular Unit: Using MS Excel to Analyze Real Life Data Economics 553 Assignment #3 By Fadel Sesay Summary: This lesson involves the use of Microsoft Excel to ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Curricular Unit: Using MS Excel to Analyze Real Life Data


1
Curricular Unit Using MS Excel to Analyze Real
Life Data
Economics 553 Assignment 3
By Fadel Sesay
  • Summary
  • This lesson involves the use of Microsoft Excel
    to analyze real life data. The approach used in
    teaching this lesson is based on the notion that
    students learn best by doing. Students will
    gather some real life data by measuring their own
    heights and weights and recording the information
    in an MS worksheet. Students will then analyze
    the data in MS Excel to see how height relates to
    weight.

2
Objective
At the end of this lesson students will be able
to
  • write formulas to do simple arithmetic
    operations in Excel
  • find the average of a set of numbers in
    MS Excel
  • convert from inches to feet
  • graph the relationship between two variables

3
Requirements for this Activity
  • basic arithmetic skills
  • basic knowledge of MS Excel
  • an understanding of the metric system
  • ability to use the Internet (required only for
    electronic textbook referencing)
  • access to a computer with Internet access
    (required only for electronic textbook
    referencing)
  • a scale for measuring weight and a tape for
    measuring height

4
Student Activity
Duration of Activity
This activity is expected to take five class
periods or one week.
Day 1 Overview of MS Excel
  • brief overview of Excel

Go over some of the basic things students need to
know in order to complete this exercise.
http//www.cant.ac.uk/title/Excel/Part1/ExcelPrt1.
htm
This site offers a tutorial on getting started
with Excel entering text and numbers in a
worksheet, saving and printing.
5
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Open up MS Excel and create the following
    workbook
  • Each student will weigh himself/herself and
    measure his/her height and four other students
    and then record the data in an Excel worksheet
    like the one shown below. This will probably
    take some time, depending on the class size.

6
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Write your name and the names of those on
    whom you will gather data in the name column
    of your Excel workbook.
  • Weigh yourself on a scale and enter your
    weight (in pounds) in the Excel worksheet. Find
    a partner and have him/her measure your height
    (in inches) and enter the data in the worksheet.
    Record the weight and height of four other
    people in your workbook.
  • At home, spend a couple of hours practicing
    how to use Excel and how to make a simple
    Excel workbook like the one we made in
    class. If you need help on how to create the
    worksheet, visit the following web site and
    click on Getting Started.

http//is.rice.edu/consult/cross/excel/
NOTE if you dont have a computer at home use
the school or public library.
7
Student Activity (Contd.)
Day 2 Measuring and Recording Data
  • Your recorded data will look like the
    following

8
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Next, add a new column to your worksheet
    starting from cell E1 and name it HEIGHT (in
    Feet).
  • Create a formula to convert the first persons
    height from inches to feet. The formula should
    look like (D4/12), which means divide the
    contents of cell D4 by 12 (since 12 inches 1
    foot).
  • Repeat the formula for the other names
    (persons) in your workbook to calculate the
    corresponding weights. You can use AutoFill to
    copy the formula to the other cells.
  • Spend a couple of hours practicing by yourself
    at home or in the library. For help on entering
    formulas in Excel, visit the following web site

http//www.cant.ac.uk/title/Excel/Part2/ExcelPrt2.
htm
9
Student Activity (Contd.)
Day 3 Calculating Averages and Checking Result
  • Type AVERAGE at the bottom of the Name Column
    in your workbook.
  • At the bottom of the WEIGHT column (in the
    AVERAGE row) enter a formula to calculate the
    average weight for the persons on your list. For
    example, average(c4c8).
  • At the bottom of the HEIGHT column (in the
    AVERAGE row) enter a formula to calculate the
    average height for the persons on your list. For
    example, average(d4d8).
  • Manually calculate the above averages to check
    the results you got using Excel.

10
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Your workbook should now look like the following

11
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Outside of class, visit the following web site
    to learn more about some of the practical
    applications of Excel. Spend about two hours on
    this.

http//www.lacher.com/toc/tutbusiness.htm
This site offers a tutorial on how to use Excel
in a variety of business applications.
  • Assignment Using the year 200 calendar, enter
    the number of days for each month, finding the
    total number days in the year 200 and the
    average number of days in a month by creating
    formulas in Excel in an Excel worksheet. (1 hour)

12
Student Activity (Contd.)
Day 4 Filtering the Data
  • Select all the data in your workbook, including
    the column headings.
  • On the menu bar, click on Data, select Filter,
    and choose AutoFilter. A small box with an arrow
    will appear at the lower right hand corner of
    each top cell.

13
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • To filter for the female data, in the
    FEMALE/MALE column, click on the small box
    and a menu will appear.

14
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Select F from the menu and your worksheet will
    now show only the female data, like the
    following

15
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • You may copy and paste the female data into a
    separate worksheet to have a separate data set
    for the females.
  • Click on the filter box in the FEMALE/MALE
    column, and select All. The entire data will
    reappear.
  • Outside of class, practice filtering the data
    for males.

16
Student Activity (Contd.)
Day 5 Graphing the Data
  • To graph the weight and height data together,
    select the NAME column, hold down the Ctrl key
    and select the WEIGHT column then the HEIGHT
    column.
  • Click on Insert on the menu bar and select
    Chart. The chart wizard will appear. Select the
    chart type and click Next and then Finish.

17
Student Activity (Contd.)
  • Plot separate charts for the Male and female
    data sets, respectively, by yourself.
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