Electronic spreadsheets offer excellent opportunities for improving engineering calculations and designs. The built-in graphics capabilities they possess, coupled with the relative ease of designing spreadsheets, makes them a viable alternative to conventional programming. An example which demonstrates how a simple spreadsheet is set up and a more complex application for designing prestressed concrete beams are presented. The spreadsheet application presented is ideally suited to making preliminary design decisions quickly and efficiently, leading to better and more cost effective prestressed concrete designs.
