Movie-like Animation with Excel’s Single Step Iteration Exemplified by Lissajous Figures

This paper presents a new interactive spreadsheet graphics animation technique which uses the spreadsheet engine’s intrinsic single step iteration capability. The well-known Lissajous figures exemplify a time variant process demonstrating the virtually unlimited movie-like animation. At any time the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wilfried A.L. Wischniewsky
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bond University
Series:Spreadsheets in Education
Online Access:http://sie.scholasticahq.com/article/4553-movie-like-animation-with-excel-s-single-step-iteration-exemplified-by-lissajous-figures.pdf
Description
Summary:This paper presents a new interactive spreadsheet graphics animation technique which uses the spreadsheet engine’s intrinsic single step iteration capability. The well-known Lissajous figures exemplify a time variant process demonstrating the virtually unlimited movie-like animation. At any time the visible motion may be interrupted, parameters may be modified, and then the calculation can be continued. First, this paper describes a simple example without VBA and then demonstrates the method’s capability by a second more sophisticated Lissajous figures example using VBA. The downloadable workbook uses object blocks and comprises a pedagogically elaborated graphical user interface. It shows that the technique is applicable for both the unskilled student as well as the advanced programmer. This graphics animation method has the potential to revolutionize the spreadsheet usage for dynamical process simulations.
ISSN:1448-6156