W H E N S P R E A D S H E E T S FA L L S H O R T:

A GUIDE TO SMARTER
ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS

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 TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Spreadsheets and Engineering Calculations 3

Why Engineers Shouldn’t Rely on Spreadsheets Alone 4

Introducing Professional Engineering Math Software 5

Is There Still a Role for Spreadsheets in Engineering? 8

Driving CAD Designs with PTC Mathcad 9

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 S P R E A D S H E E T S A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C A L C U L AT I O N S

When engineers first encounter advanced math, they see calculations laid out
neatly on a textbook page or screen. Derivatives, exponents, and matrices all
line up perfectly.

Unfortunately, the page is static. You can’t apply computing power to solve an
integral. Or automatically use the result of one equation as a value in another.

As a result, professionals often turn to common spreadsheets, and the results

for engineering calculations are, at best, mixed.

In this eBook, we explore better ways to work with spreadsheets and offer
alternatives that can prevent confusion and errors and boost productivity.

“On a recent project, it initially

took me 15 hours to perform
the calculations I needed for a
single structure. I downloaded
PTC Mathcad and finished the
next structure in just 3 hours.”

Preston Gleason, DIS-TRAN Steel, LLC

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 W H Y E N G I N E E R S S H O U L D N ’ T R E LY
O N S P R E A D S H E E T S A LO N E

Let’s start by looking at a spreadsheet (left) that was

created to drive part geometry for an airplane wing in
a Creo Parametric model.

Those nice-looking equations for the lift and lift

coefficient are actually images pasted onto the sheet.
If you’d read the formula bar, the actual lift calculated
in cell G3 was:

=E8*0.5*E11*E10^2*E12

That’s not easy to read. That’s also not how engineers

work. We want real math notation, just like you would
write on a whiteboard.

Look at lines 9 and 10. The wing speed is given in

miles per hour and then in feet per second. The
Excel spreadsheet is actually converting units here.
We don’t see that work being performed and it can
be confusing having two different velocities in our
calculation methodology.

Traditional spreadsheet using pasted images

for engineering calculations.

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 D R AW B A C K S O F S P R E A D S H E E T S - C O N T I N U E D

Writing formulas using a spreadsheet’s cluttered, non-intuitive notation

is a huge potential source for error.

Similarly, the units conversion for the velocity can introduce errors as
well. For example, a mismatch of units for the trajectory calculations
resulted in the Mars Climate Orbiter, a $327 million project, burning up
on entry into the Martian atmosphere.

From an aesthetic standpoint, do you really want to share your

calculations with others in a format that’s more associated with
accounting and taxes than engineering and manufacturing? Let’s be
frank: spreadsheets don’t leave an impactful impression.

For engineering calculations, spreadsheets can be:

Difficult to read

Unintuitive

Error-prone

Unattractive

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 INTRODUCING PROFESSIONAL
C A L C U L AT I O N S O F T WA R E
There are alternatives to spreadsheets, however. Created with
professionals and their complex engineering calculations in mind,
engineering math software:

Presents calculations in an interface that resembles the same

kind of computational pads that engineers use every day.

Can define variables using letters (both English and Greek,

uppercase and lowercase) and subscripts.

Shows functions for coefficients like lift and lift force

and evaluates them inline.

Documents your work with text and images, capturing

your intent.

PTC Mathcad worksheet. Embedded image used for

visualization, while active calculations appear below.

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 PREVENTING UNIT CONVERSION ERRORS
Engineering math software can also define variables in whatever units you
want and evaluate them inline in any other units. That means you don’t
have to convert to a consistent units system. Your software understands
different units systems and reconciles them.

The sample worksheet was actually set up for the metric system, but the
lift force was evaluated using pounds force instead of Newtons. The ability
to mix and match units and know that they will be handled automatically
provides incredible power and freedom to the engineer.

In a single, easily readable document, you have:

Reference images that explain the problem you’re solving.

Math presented in a logical, step-by-step flow.

Supplemental text that explains your engineering assumptions,

decisions, and methodologies.

In some cases, even spellcheck functionality.

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 IS THERE STILL A ROLE FOR
SPREADSHEETS IN ENGINEERING?
Professional math software and spreadsheet programs, such as Microsoft
Excel, are not mutually exclusive. Nor should they be.

You may have legacy spreadsheets or data stored in Excel, text, or

comma-separated value (CSV) formats.

For example, you could have Excel files for power spectral
density functions for dynamic analyses, strain gauge data
from structural testing, and airfoil (wing) profiles. Ideally,
you would want to recreate them in your math software,
but that’s not always feasible.

Fortunately, you can leverage existing spreadsheets and

integrate them into a worksheet in a program like PTC
Mathcad.

Best of all, when you update the Excel spreadsheet, your

matrices and calculations update anytime you recalculate
the worksheet.

A traditional spreadsheet used to calculate aircraft lift.

Data can be passed between PTC Mathcad as input and output.

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 D R I V I N G D E S I G N S W I T H P T C M AT H C A D

Now that you’ve seen the benefits of using engineering

math software, with or without spreadsheets, here’s an
example of the technology at its best:

You can use our engineering calculations to drive our

CAD designs directly. There are two different ways to do
this: either you can embed our PTC Mathcad worksheets
into a CAD part or assembly, or you can connect our
CAD models to a worksheet.

Find step-by-step instructions for either approach with

PTC Mathcad and Creo Parametric here.

Now, you can ensure that our product geometry

updates in ways that you plan and expect, based on real
engineering knowledge.

Example of a PTC Mathcad worksheet that receives values from

Creo Parametric and returns calculations back to the CAD software.

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 A B O UT T HE AUT HO R
Dave Martin is a former Creo, Windchill, and
Mathcad instructor and consultant. After leaving
PTC, he was the Creo specialist for Amazon; and
a mechanical engineer, Creo administrator, and
Windchill administrator for Amazon Prime Air. He
holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT
and currently works as an avionics engineer for Blue
Origin. 

Martin is the author of the books Design Intent in

Creo Parametric and Top Down Design in Creo Parametric--both available
at www.amazon.com. He can be reached at [email protected].

P TC M AT HCA D . . . T RY I T TO DAY !
Using PTC Mathcad’s rich array of mathematical functionality,
you can document and share your most critical engineering
calculations as easily as you can write them.

Show your work using rich formatting options alongside plots,

text, and images in a single, professionally formatted document.

START YOUR TRIAL TODAY >>

© 2020, PTC Inc. (PTC). All rights reserved. Information described herein is furnished for informational
use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be taken as a guarantee, commitment,
or offer by PTC. PTC, the PTC logo, and all PTC product names and logos are trademarks or registered
trademarks of PTC and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other product or
company names are property of their respective owners. The timing of any product release, including
any features or functionality, is subject to change at PTC’s discretion.

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