RMIT Classification: Trusted

COSC 2666 Programming Second Semester 2021

Assignment 1, Meteorites for Sale (3 pages)

https://pixabay.com/images/search/meteor/

Assessment
This assignment contributes 20% towards your assessment for Programming and will be
given a mark out of 40 as shown in brackets to the right of the instructions.
It must be your own independent work. You may not hire another author or copy another
person’s work.
Your assignment must not be submitted as a pair or group effort.
The assignment must be completed using Microsoft Excel.

The due date for final submission is Sunday 5th September 2021. Late submissions will be
penalised at 10% per day (four marks per day) off the original mark.

You will present, for assessment, a pdf file containing series of numbered screen shots of
your Excel spreadsheet. You will demonstrate, online, the macros that you have designed
and will answer questions to authenticate that the submission is your own work.
Your submitted file name will be of the form namestudentnumberAss1.pdf. For example, if I
were a student, I might submit this assignment as RussMoons698819Ass1.pdf
The Scenario
Meteors are rocks from space that collide with Earth. They arrive at speeds of around 11 to
17 km/s and are usually vaporised by the heat of friction with the atmosphere. If you see a
shooting star, you are observing this vaporisation. Any meteor that is not destroyed and
reaches the ground or sea is called a meteorite. Some meteorites have been so large that
they have created huge craters and have caused mass extinctions. A meteorite 10 to 15 km
in diameter crashed around 66 million years ago, forming the Chicxulub crater, now the
Yukatan Peninsula.
The aim of this assignment is for you to collect data about meteorites for a museum which
wishes to spend less than $AUS200 per specimen. You will then analyse the data to display
useful information about your research to the museum.
Use the Internet or other sources to collect data about thirty meteorites that are for sale.
Record, on an Excel spreadsheet:

 The name of the meteorite (or, if it does not have a name, give the name of the
district where it was found);
 Its composition (stony or metallic);

Author Russell Moon, russell.moon@rmit.edu.au 23/07/2021 1

 RMIT Classification: Trusted
COSC 2666 Programming Second Semester 2021
Assignment 1, Meteorites for Sale (3 pages)

https://pixabay.com/images/search/meteor/

 The continent (Europe, Asia, Antarctica, South America, North America, Africa,
Australasia) or the ocean (Atlantic, Pacific, Southern, Indian, Arctic) in which it was
found.
 The year when it was found;
 Its mass in kilograms;
 Its price in Australian dollars.
 Its price in American dollars, found, using a formula, that multiplies the price in
Australian dollars by a conversion factor stored in an absolutely addressed and
labelled (with a new note) reference cell.
 A link to the source of your data (web site, book title etc.).
Type this data into columns in an Excel spreadsheet.
To analyse your data:

 Include a vlookup formula based on the name of meteorite as the reference;

 Include a dropdown list of your meteorite names for use by the vlookup formula.
 Sort the data alphabetically by meteorite name.
 Include a pivot chart that shows the average mass of stony versus metallic
meteorites.
 Place new notes into the header of each of your columns of data to explain the use
of the column.
To ensure that your spreadsheet is interesting, comprehensive, clear and easy to use:

 Include specimens from at least four different continents/oceans.

 Include on the spreadsheet, merged cells containing a brief description of its use.
 Format the cells, using different colours, to make the spreadsheet easier to use;
 Design a rule to automatically colour any prices, less than $AUS50.00, red.
 Include, as an example for the user, the image of a meteorite (ensure that it is not
copyrighted) and a reference to its source. The image will appear when the user
clicks on a macro operated by a button.
 Hide any unused rows and columns;
 Protect any data that that should not be altered by the user but allow the user to
click on both locked and unlocked cells.
 Include a macro, operated by a button, that copies the image of a meteorite crater
saved on another sheet, to the present spreadsheet.

Author Russell Moon, russell.moon@rmit.edu.au 23/07/2021 2

 RMIT Classification: Trusted
COSC 2666 Programming Second Semester 2021
Assignment 1, Meteorites for Sale (3 pages)

https://pixabay.com/images/search/meteor/

For assessment, submit a pdf document showing numbered screen shots as shown
below. Some screen shots may be duplicates. This is OK.
You will provide evidence of your work according to the marking scheme as follows:
1. Screen shot of the spreadsheet showing data about thirty meteorites for sale
arranged in eight columns. (8)
2. Screen shot of the column showing conversion from $AUS to $US. (2)
3. Screen shot of a formatting rule that colours any prices less than $AUS50.00,
green. (2)
4. Screen shot of the active links to data references. (2)
5. Screen shot of the image of an example meteorite and a source reference. (2)
6. Screen shot of your dropdown list of meteorite names attached to the vlookup
reference cell. (2)
7. Screen shot of the vlookup formula used to access a particular meteorite. (2)
8. Screen shot of the merged cells showing your description of its use. (2)
9. Screen shot of an example of a new note placed into a column header. (2)
10. Screen shot of the data sorted alphabetically by meteorite name. (2)
11. Screen shot of the spreadsheet with unused columns and rows hidden. (2)
12. Screen shot of the pivot chart showing the average mass of stony versus metallic
meteorites. (2)
13. Screen shot of the reference cell containing the Australian to American dollars
conversion factor. (2)
14. Screen shot of the message that appears when a user attempts to enter data into
a locked cell. (2)
15. Demonstration of the macro operated by a button, that places the example
crater image onto the spreadsheet. (2)
16. Correct answer to question 1 that authenticates your work. (2)
17. Correct answer to question 2 that authenticates your work. (2)
Total 40

Author Russell Moon, russell.moon@rmit.edu.au 23/07/2021 3