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Spreadsheet Tutorial 2: Autofill Data, Cell References, and Standard Deviation

Image from the activity

Topic

  • Evolution
  • Speciation
  • Math & Computational Skills
  • Data Analysis
  • Statistics

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Lessons

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
13 Users
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Description

In this activity, students use the built-in functions in Excel or Google Sheets to explore different ways of filling in cells with a series of numbers, copying and pasting formulae, and referencing individual cells to use in calculations. Students apply what they learned by making different calculations with beak size measurements of Galapágos finches.

The activity introduces students to basic Excel functions routinely used in scientific research. They use these functions to calculate range, sum of squares, variance, and standard deviation.

Student Learning Targets

Use a spreadsheet program to calculate range, sum of squares, variance, and standard deviation.

Estimated Time

One to two 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

absolute reference, analysis, calculation, data, Galapágos finches, range, relative reference, variation

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Version History

Date Published 09.15.15
Date Updated 04.22.16

Common Core (2010)

Math.N-Q.1, Math.F-LE.5, Math.A-SSE.3, Math.A-REI.3, Math.S-ID.5, Math.S-IC.3; MP1, MP2, MP4, MP5

AP Biology (2019)

SP5

Materials

Worksheet (Google Sheets link)
Worksheet (Excel) 167 KB

Additional Materials

If using the Excel Worksheet (optional), students will need access to a spreadsheet software for analysis and graphing.

Use This Resource With

Activity Resource
Evolution in Action: Data Analysis

Educator Tips

Hear how educators are using BioInteractive content in their teaching.
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Spreadsheet Tutorials

Takisha Reece describes how her students use BioInteractive's spreadsheet tutorials to learn how to use spreadsheet applications for data analysis and statistics. Her students use these applications to analyze their data, and then to produce charts and graphs for their poster projects.
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This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

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Teaching Statistics and Math Using Spreadsheet Tutorials and Galapágos Finches
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