Scatter plot showing beach profile

Question

i have a scatter plot showing cross section, (profile), of a beach with distance versus elevation. how do i calculate the area underneath the profile using excel? i know its b*h/2...but how do i do this?

Answer 1

i have a scatter plot showing cross section, (profile), of a beach with distance versus elevation. how do i calculate the area underneath the profile using excel? i know its b*h/2...but how do i do this?

For a triangle, base*height/2 is the area. For a rectangle, base*height is the area.

The simplest approximation of area might be a set of rectangles defined by your data.

It's even simpler if one of the variables has equally-spaced values.

For more info, tell us more about the data (upon which the scatter plot is based).

-  Mike Middleton, www.TreePlan.com

Answer 2

One way:

Have the values of b in one column (say column B)

Have the corresponding height values in another column (Perhaps column C)

In an adjacent column use a cell forumula.  =B2*C2/2 then copy the cell formula down