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| Planetary problems often involve many different physical constants and statistics about the planets and moons. It is always a hassle to look up these numbers to ensure accuracy. I have gathered all of the planetary data that we could find, and placed it in a convenient table form. |
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Solution:
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As you may have read earlier, the Pingry Physics Department makes use of Microsoft Excel, especially in the AP Physics class. This Excel spreadsheet can save a lot of time and make any planetary or orbital spreadsheet much more powerful. |
This spreadsheet should act as a template. Make your project on the first sheet, with all planetary variables pointing to the matrix on the second sheet. Then, after you have set up some sort of simulation, you can easily choose another planet from the menu. The macros will take over, and you can easily investigate the properties of any planet without having to redo any of your excel formulas.
This may be confusing for beginning Excel users, so please email us if you need help or have any suggestions!
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Microsoft Excel has millions of uses for any student of physics. It can help you to model problems that are not feasible for a traditional high school laboratory period. For simulations that require a higher degree of accuracy, or for pre-calculus physics courses that require integration, Excel is the answer.
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