Use of Spreadsheets for Demonstrating Experimental Power and Variability

The statistical power of an experiment is a subtle idea that is difficult to explain to a non-statistician, and yet it is fundamental to the design of scientific experiments. We have developed some spreadsheets that have been useful in illustrating the ideas by simulation. These allow scientists to simulate situations using parameters similar to what they expect in their own work, and to explore the effect of experimental variability. Our examples are available on the World Wide Web.