The Quantitative Quill

Tag: Excel Tips

  • Numerical Solutions to the Logistic Equation: Exploring Population Models in Spreadsheets

    Introduction The logistic equation is a fundamental mathematical model used to describe population growth in a constrained environment. It was first proposed by Pierre-François Verhulst in 1838 and is expressed as: Here, P represents the population size at time t, r is the intrinsic growth rate, and K is the carrying capacity of the environment,…

  • The Power of Differential Equations: A Backbone of Science and Engineering

    Differential equations, mathematical equations that relate a function and its derivatives, are the cornerstone of many scientific and engineering disciplines. They provide a powerful tool for modeling and understanding complex systems, from the laws of physics to the dynamics of biological populations. In physics, differential equations are used to describe the motion of objects, the…

  • Mastering XLOOKUP: The Ultimate Lookup Function for Scientists and Engineers

    Oftentimes, data is stored in tables and frequently needs to be accessed. Take, for example, this data set (taken from kaggle.com) that lists the refractive indices of glass as a function of the percentage of the various elements present in it. Imagine needing to quickly look up the elements of a glass with a particular…

  • VBA Loops

    VBA loop structures are similar to those of other programming languages. Looping is one of the few things that is extremely difficult to achieve with pure Excel alone. An If… Then statement, for instance, can be written within Excel and comparable results can be achieved. Loops, on the other hand, can be a lot trickier,…