Engineering homework assignment

engr_201_spring_2015_biweekly_3.pdf

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ENGR 201 Spring 2015 Assignment 3 Due: Friday, May 8, 2015, 11:59:00 p.m.

ENGR 201: ASSIGNMENT 3 (WEEKS 6-‐7)

1. (3 points) Vostok Ice Core Data Analysis

a. Use the concepts of trends and moving averages to identify significant trends in the historic temperature and CO2 data. Identify these trends with annotations on your graphs and discuss these trends in the summary.

b. Using the concept of correlation, discuss the relationship between atmospheric CO2 and air temperature. (Hint: It will be difficult for you to calculate the correlation between the CO2 and air temperature due to the measurements being made for different years. Instead you may give a qualitative discussion of the correlation)

2. (2 points) New Jersey Temperatures: Let’s look at NJ temperatures over the past few years. Download NJ

temperature data from here: (http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim_v1/data/njhisttemp.html) Store this data in a text file. Import the text file into Excel.

Answer the following questions by use of Excel functions (show work): a. Hottest month on average? b. Coolest month on average? c. Hottest year on average? d. Coolest year on average? e. What are the months and years with the least and most variable average temperature? For the following questions, generate graphs and then discuss the findings in the summary: f. Plot a histogram of the average spring (March + April + May) temperatures. What is the probability of having

a spring season whose temperature is over 60 degrees Fahrenheit on an average? (show work on data analysis sheet)

g. Is there a distinguishable trend in the average annual temperatures? Explain your reasoning for this conclusion.

3. (3 points) Global Trends in CO2 Emissions: Two organizations provide CO2 emission data:

• Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) (http://cdiac.ornl.gov/) • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (http://unfccc.int/2860.php) Provided is a CDIAC dataset that documents the annual Carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) in thousand metric tons of CO2. (Download: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx and go to Goal 7 → Target 7A.) Answer the following questions by use of Excel functions (show work): a. Name the country with the most and least average CO2 emissions. b. List 5 countries with the maximum growth in emissions since 1990. c. List 5 countries with the minimum growth in emissions since 1990.

For the following questions, generate graphs and discuss the findings in the summary: d. Plot the annual percentage change in the US and China CO2 emissions since 1990. e. Plot the cumulative change in annual US and China CO2 emissions relative to 1990.

ENGR 201 Spring 2015 Assignment 3 Due: Friday, May 8, 2015, 11:59:00 p.m.

Answer the following questions by use of Excel functions or generating graphs, then discuss in the summary: f. What percentage of the overall emissions in 2007 resulted due to the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China)

nations? g. Who will be the top 5 African emitters in 2020 given the current emission trends? h. Describe the overall trends in global emissions.

4. (2 points) Final Project Prep For your final project, your group will need to use data analysis to propose an environmental policy for the US. For this assignment we want you to start thinking about what topic your policy will cover and start planning your infographic, which you will use to present your analysis and conclusions. These answers are not binding for your final project. (No data analysis is needed for this question, just answer in paragraph form in the summary tab) a. Choose an environmental issue that you would like to use for your policy proposal. Describe the problem

and any existing policies. Cite all sources. b. Outline the form of your infographic in a flow chart. What data sets will you use and how will they be

analyzed? What plots and graphs will you show? What conclusions would you like to make?

Assignment 3 Specification Sheet

Specification • All analysis needs to be done using Excel, with one tab for each question • All Excel tabs should be in the same Excel file • Clearly indicate your answers in your Excel file • Clearly indicate and describe the inbuilt Excel functions that you used to get your answer • Plots should be properly labeled with all necessary information (titles, axes labels, legends, markers, grid lines) • Your summary should be in page view layout, on the first tab of your Excel file labeled “Summary”, which should not

exceed two pages per question • The summary should be written in paragraph form, answering the above questions and supported by summarizing

the findings of your data analyses with specific values and include annotated graphs • Provide references for your data and information sources

Grading • Each question has been assigned a specific number of points • Points will be deducted if students do not follow the specifications mentioned above, the work is unclear, or the

answers are incorrect.

How to submit this assignment? • Name your Excel file using the following convention: Section##Group**Assignment3

a. ## is your section number b. ** is your group number

• Upload your assignment to BbLearn by Friday, May 8, 2015, 11:59:00 p.m. • Groups that upload the assignment before 8:00 p.m. on May 8, 2015 will get 0.5 extra points on the final grade (see

syllabus) • Incorrect naming of your Excel file will result in a deduction of 1 point