I could have used Excel for that, (which, by the way, uses "=" for the formula demarcator), but I don't take the computer to the shop. I learned that lesson the expensive way. Your method is, nonetheless, the best way to do such things, and one that I have used on numerous occasions. With Excel, you simply click on the cell with the initial formula, then click on the little+ sign in the corner to copy that same formula to all the rest of the cells in the row or column.
Particularly in the case where you are working from scale drawings that are at some annoying scale like 1"=22', a spreadsheet is a tremendous time saver. Having it do the two-step calcs allows you to speed through the conversions from the actual drawing dimensions if you want, or do it in a single step from the callouts. I prefer to work from the callouts, since I've found errors in scale too many times in drawings to really trust them. The drawings I worked from for these cannon were at the convenient scale of 1"=1', so I could work it both ways to double check things using an architect's scale, then run the conversion using a divisor of 4.3 for my dimensions.
I don't think in this case, that it took me much more time to do it with the calculator than it would have to set up the spreadsheet and input all the dimensions. The big difference is, as you point out, that when you want to make another one at a different scale, you have to do it all over again, instead of just a copy/paste and change the scale formula in a spreadsheet.
Thanks for bringing that up and detailing the explanation of how to do it, Gene. I'm sure that will be a great help to many people here.
Gene,I could have used
Gene,
I could have used Excel for that, (which, by the way, uses "=" for the formula demarcator), but I don't take the computer to the shop. I learned that lesson the expensive way. Your method is, nonetheless, the best way to do such things, and one that I have used on numerous occasions. With Excel, you simply click on the cell with the initial formula, then click on the little+ sign in the corner to copy that same formula to all the rest of the cells in the row or column.
Particularly in the case where you are working from scale drawings that are at some annoying scale like 1"=22', a spreadsheet is a tremendous time saver. Having it do the two-step calcs allows you to speed through the conversions from the actual drawing dimensions if you want, or do it in a single step from the callouts. I prefer to work from the callouts, since I've found errors in scale too many times in drawings to really trust them. The drawings I worked from for these cannon were at the convenient scale of 1"=1', so I could work it both ways to double check things using an architect's scale, then run the conversion using a divisor of 4.3 for my dimensions.
I don't think in this case, that it took me much more time to do it with the calculator than it would have to set up the spreadsheet and input all the dimensions. The big difference is, as you point out, that when you want to make another one at a different scale, you have to do it all over again, instead of just a copy/paste and change the scale formula in a spreadsheet.
Thanks for bringing that up and detailing the explanation of how to do it, Gene. I'm sure that will be a great help to many people here.