Runaway Thoughts: Lessons

The Work of Garrett Stephens

Chess @ lichess

Neuroscientist Bruce Bridgeman's Work

SLAM Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Visual Basics for Applications - Lesson for Excel - Relevant to people in the finance industry

Definite Integral for Calculus:

∫_a ^b * dx = (b3 - a3)/3

Excel:

Example: =VLOOKUP(A2,$B$#:$B$#,2,FALSE)

Provide desired query location within the excel sheet using row or record as a reference, column of the data you seek. The query provides the defined value for the first item given the input provided. Change the word animal to the equivalent of the item who's value you are seeking, for example Cat.

TRUE for not exact match, FALSE for exact match.

Calculating percentages

As with any formula in Excel, you need to start by typing an equal sign (=) in the cell where you want your result, followed by the rest of the formula. So, I hear your next question in my head — which formula do I use to get the result I desire? Well, that depends. The basic formula for calculating a percentage is part/total = percentage, which might look something like this:

Example of formula for calculating percentage

Now, let’s say that you want to reduce a particular amount by 25%, like when you’re trying to apply a discount. Here’s a formula that would get you that result. (Think of the 1 in the formula below as a stand-in for 100%.)

Example of formula for reducing an amount by a percentage

To increase the amount by 25%, replace the minus sign in the formula above with a plus sign.

The next example is slightly more complicated. Say the earnings for your department are $2,342 in November and $2,500 in December. What is the percentage change in earnings between these two months? To find the answer, divide the difference between December and November earnings ($158) by the value of the November earning ($2,342). Then, format the difference as a percentage with two decimal places.