VideoPhoto

Showing posts with label patterns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label patterns. Show all posts

30 July, 2023

Charts Based On Parametric Equations: Sinusoidal (Oscilloscope-type) Curves

Curves that can be used in physics for analysing pairs of simple harmonic motions are generally known as Lissajous Curves. They describe the superposition of two oscillations taking place at the right angle to each other,  at different frequencies. Their main application can be found in oscilloscopes. These instruments allow observation of two superimposed sine waves coming from varying signal voltages of sinusoidal nature. Depending on the frequency and amplitude of each wave, and the phase between them, we can see interesting patterns emerging.

Because the superimposed two perpendicular oscillations can be described with parametric equations for x and y in the Cartesian coordinate system, we can quite easily demonstrate the resulting shapes graphically using Excel charts. Let's look first at some of "oscilloscopic" patterns generated with Excel.

25 March, 2022

Wonders of Excel: FILL HANDLE

As you probably know, Excel Fill Handle is located in the bottom right of any active cell or the bottom right cell of a selected range. It's a quite small black square visible in this snip:

Small it is, but it's very important to know how to utilize it, as it can be really helpful in eliminating lots of manual typing and saving time in working with data entry... and much more than this. It can be used for filling any range of cells with increments of any choice you want to select.

To utilize the Fill Handle, first you need to fill one or more cells with values (numbers or text, incl. dates and other custom lists). Hover your mouse pointer over the small square until it changes to a small black cross, then you have couple of choices: you can left-click, right-click or double-click (in some situations); click and drag the mouse in the direction you want to fill up the range of cells with series or custom lists that follow your pre-defined pattern.

28 September, 2021

TIPS for CLICKS: Cell Borders with Shapes

Borders around Excel cells make worksheet contents visually enhanced and easier for evaluation. They clarify the format and layout of the data, make it appear more orderly and also highlight important information. Drop-down menu of Borders provides multiple pre-built options for that, as you can see some of them here:

However, some Excel users sometimes would like to apply different type of borders (e.g. rounded-corner borders) instead of the square-cornered ones. There is no such an option in Excel. Fortunately, there is a workaround available for such unconventional type of 'borders'.