Merlin version 2.5
Simple Statistics Software for Biology Students
by Neil Millar
Merlin is our statistics software for biology students. We use it to make A-level biology statistics as easy as possible. There are no calculations and no look-up tables, so students can concentrate on choosing the right statistical test and drawing the correct conclusion. By using Merlin, students also improve their ICT skills and learn to use Excel for drawing charts and presenting data.
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Merlin is an add-in for Microsoft Excel, so is easy to use.
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Merlin is completely free of charge. Copy it to as many computers as you like.
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Merlin adds over 30 new functions and 6 charts to Excel's existing capabilities.
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Merlin's functions can be typed in to a cell like any other function, or inserted using Excel's function wizard.
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The statistical functions return P-values directly from the raw data in one simple step. No need for look-up tables, intermediate test statistics or degrees of freedom.
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All Merlin's functions and graphs are dynamic, which means that the output is updated automatically whenever the source cells are changed.
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Merlin includes detailed help for all the functions and graphs. Just go to the Help menu.
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An example Excel spreadsheet demonstrates the use of each function and graph.
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Merlin also includes a basic introduction to statistics for biology students. This includes examples of the main tests and problems for students to solve. The introduction is aimed at A-level students, but may also be useful to undergraduates and teachers, as well as students studying social sciences or geography.
With Merlin, Excel can draw these charts!
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Frequency Histogram
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Food Pyramid
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Mosaic Plot
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Bar Chart
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Scatter Graph
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Pie Chart
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With Merlin, Excel can do complex statistics with one command!
If you can spell it, you can calculate it.
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Mann-Whitney U-Test
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ANOVA
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X2-Test of Association
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Merlin's functions include:
| Comparative Statistics |
- Unpaired t-Test (parametric test for comparing two groups)
- Two-sample z-Test (parametric test for comparing two groups)
- Paired t-Test (parametric test for comparing two groups of matched pairs)
- ANOVA (parametric test for comparing two or more groups)
- Matched samples ANOVA (parametric test for comparing two groups of matched data)
- Mann-Whitney U-Test (non-parametric test for comparing two groups)
- Wilcoxon Test (non-parametric test for comparing two groups of matched pairs)
- Kruskall-Wallis Test (non-parametric test for comparing two or more groups)
- Friedman Test (non-parametric test for comparing two or more groups of matched data)
- Chisquared Test (Frequency test for comparing categoric data, with Yates' correction)
- G-Test (Frequency test for comparing categoric data)
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| Association Statistics |
- Pearson Correlation (parametric test for correlation, including P-value)
- Spearman Correlation (non-parametric test for correlation, including P-value)
- Kendall's tau (non-parametric test for correlation, including P-value)
- Linear Regression (linear slope and intercept including 95% confidence intervals)
- Chisquared Test of Association (association test for frequencies of categoric data)
- Cramer's V (association test for frequencies of categoric data)
- G-Test of Association (association test for frequencies of categoric data)
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| Ecology Statistics |
- Lincoln-Petersen Population Index (including 95% confidence interval)
- Schnabel Population Index (including 95% confidence interval)
- Simpson Diversity Index (both 1/D and 1-D)
- Shannon Diversity Index (both normal and exponential forms)
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| Charts |
- Box Plot; Kite Graph; Mosaic Plot; Food Pyramid; Age Pyramid and Histogram (a proper one with correct axis labelling!)
- plus easier access to Pie Chart; Bar Chart and Scatter Graph (with error bars and lines of best fit)
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Merlin is now available to anyone, not just Heckmondwike Grammar School Students.Merlin is free of charge for educational and non-profit use. It may be installed onto school networks and students' and teachers' own computers. Suggestions for improvements are welcome to nmillar@ntlworld.com
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The compressed file Merlin25.zip contains the following files:
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merlin.xla The Excel add-in
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merlin_readme.doc Instructions for installing and using Merlin
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merlin_examples.xls An Excel spreadsheet showing examples of Merlin's functions and graphs
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stats_worksheet.pdf Student worksheets on biological statistics
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