spreadsheet – ComTech

Students hold local officials accountable

Theme
Accountability

Project
In a group of two or three students, research the annual budget for your town, city or municipal district (or a single project, initiative or department). This information may be on an Internet web site or available in a print form from your municipal district, town or city office.

Determine the categories used to identify expenses, as well as the amount spent in each area. Enter the collected data into a spreadsheet, and produce an appropriate graph to represent the per cent of expenses allocated to each category.

Electronically, prepare a brochure for taxpayers, outlining the budget categories and expenses.

This brochure should contain a description of the categories, the table of data collected and the graph of the distribution of expenses.

Where possible compare final data to proposed data.

“Hot ’nuff Fer Ya”

Theme
Compare weather forecasts to observe weather phenomena

Background
The maintenance of meticulous weather records over very long periods of time has given meteorologists and climate researchers the tools to monitor global climate changes.

Researchers in all the scientific disciplines have known for some time that relationships between different sets of data often are only apparent when the data are compared in graphical form. The first signs of a greenhouse effect may appear in our long-term weather patterns.

Project
Using Internet weather reports, create a spreadsheet of local weather forecasts for your region for a period of at least one calendar month; e.g., daily high and low temperatures, air pressure if reported, and precipitation. Compare the forecasts to actual reported weather conditions for those days. Document the effect of the weather phenomena each day with 3-5 carefully composed photographs.

In a digitally designed document that reports your investigation, incorporate:

an effectively presented data table
a spreadsheet with formulae for monthly averages of all
the observations
a representation of all the observations in the form of a single graph, made either directly from the spreadsheet or through combining separate graphs.
select 3-5 carefully composed photographs

Students in Deep Freeze

Theme
It takes the addition of significant amounts of energy to defrost a freezer.

Project
Create a digitally designed report including 3-5 zoom(8-10x) photos illustrating the following science phenomena:

Add thermal energy to a water and ice mixture at 0ºC, and record the temperature every 30 seconds until the water is boiling and the temperature has stopped changing.

To complete this task:

use appropriate software to generate a spreadsheet
graph the data collected, labelling significant features; e.g., change of state
present your findings in print form, importing your spreadsheet and graph, and commenting on the shape of the graph.

Math 10 Students Screencast Spreadsheet Expertise

Theme
Present solutions to math problems.

Project

Create an audio/video/animated screencast of the following math problem:
Janet has decided to start an investment account at the local bank and selects a savings account that currently pays 5% per pounded monthly. She initially invests the $500 she received as an income tax rebate. She also plans to add $100 per month to her account. The initial investment is to be made on April 1 of this year. The additional monthly $100 investments are automatically made on the first day of each successive month. The monthly interest is deposited into the account on the last day of each month.

1. Create a spreadsheet, using a predeveloped template, that will illustrate the growth of Janet’s account over a 12-month period—April to March. The spreadsheet must contain the column headings: Month, Opening Balance, Interest Rate, Interest Earned, Additional Investment and Closing Balance. Print a copy of your spreadsheet.

2. Modify and print your spreadsheet to illustrate a change in the interest rate to 4.5% on November 1.

3. Janet received a raise in pay in July. Modify and print the spreadsheet developed in the first assignment to reflect a change in monthly investments from $100 to $150 beginning August 1.