1. Interactive Animated Spreadsheets: A Powerful Tool for Simulations Scott A. Sinex Prince George’s Community College Presented at 194 th 2YC3 Conference at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD on 11-12 November 2011

2. Why spreadsheets? Easy access for students and teachers and useful for them to know Easy for instructors to develop – see Developer’s Guide to Excelets Developer’s Guide to Excelets Creates an engaging pedagogy in math and the sciences

3. …more why? Addresses topics conceptually, while camouflaging mathematics –Students have to think : predict - test - analyze …and explain Allows for mathematical modeling and studying errors –More science process –More multivariable approach –Mathematics resurfaces!!!! Seriously lacking in our textbooks!!!

4. The big picture… Multiple representations A multivariable approach

5. For today… Explore the almost endless possibilities… Examine “how to” use in the classroom to get student’s investigating and thinking This afternoon – build a multivariable simulation of Boyle’s Law

6. …and now excelets http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets

7. Let’s examine… Periodic trends Vibrations in solids Kinetics and chemical equilibrium Radioactive dating Investigate - Burning a Virtual Candle

8. http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/ radii_comparison.xls How does the size of an atom vary on the periodic table? Simple data bases for students to discover relationships

9. What about periodic trends? http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/PT_interactive.xls Na Na + why so high?

10. Are bond lengths constant? http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/ vibration_solid.xls Simple animations add value

11. Enzyme Kinetics http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/enzyme_kinetics.xls Investigate multivariable models

12. Discover the common ion effect by adding HCl decreasing nitrite increasing undissociated HNO 2 http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/A_B_Behavior.ppt

13. Radiometric Dating - How old is a rock sample? Multiple representations! 1 + D/P = e kt symbolic http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/age_dating.xls

14. How does a burning candle behave? http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/burning_candles.xls Here we collect the data by clicking the up arrow on the spinner.

15. …adding error to the data Scatter is added to the data by increasing random error. =E6+$K$7*RANDBETWEEN(-10,10)/10+$G$10 The circled scroll bar controls the size of random variation.

16. Burning candle… The activity including notes to the instructors– http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/burn ing_candles_act.pdf The Excelet – http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/burn ing_candles.xls

17. More info Scott Sinex ssinex@pgcc.edussinex@pgcc.edu http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex Google: excelets My thanks to NSF Thanks for attending