Challenge #178: Chuck Like a Woodchuck

The solution to last week's challenge can be found here.

How much could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Today we are ready to answer an age-old question that has been left unanswered: How much could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

To best calculate this, we need to make the following assumptions:
1. First off, a point of clarification that woodchucks do not chuck wood. But what if a woodchuck could chuck wood? As a burrowing creature, the best information we have is to understand the amount of soil excavated during burrowing. We can use the weight of soil excavated to equate it to the weight of wood.
2. All soil is not created equal. Per cubic foot of type of soil, moisture, density and make-up can vary.
3. All wood is not created equal; density of wood can largely affect the cubic foot weight.

The challenge:
1. We have provided a sampling of three different woodchuck burrows excavated over a 7 day period. Within a burrow there can be rooms and tunnels that makeup a burrow. Dimensions of the rooms and tunnels have been provided in addition to the soil composition of the excavation site. Using this data set, determine the cubic feet of soil excavated and, ultimately the weight of soil excavated from each burrow.
2. Take the average weight of soil 'chucked' from each burrow.
3. From the average weight of wood across 10 tree species, figure out how many cubic feet of wood would have been chucked if a woodchuck could chuck the wood.

challenge_178_start_file.yxmd

challenge_178_solution.yxmd

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All comments

patrick_digan

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challenge_178_start_file.yxmd

LifebloomX

There is an error in one of the rows within the Burrow Input Text data.

The row doesn't add up to 100 %. Also, what does the Cubit Foot Dried (lbs) mean exactly?

Does this mean lbs per cubic foot? or ft^3 per pound (lb)?

ddiesel

Fun one!

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challenge_178_end_file_ddiesel.yxmd

JORGE4900

I also noticed that error not matching 100% that @LifebloomX mentioned.

I used Regex to parse out the two fields--(Soil & Percent), but the following line always came out with extra spaces; I ended up using an extra data cleansing tool to get rid of the trailing space.

I love Regex tool, but sometimes it makes me struggle.

Sand, wet - 90%

\s*(.*)\s{1,2}-\s(\d{2})%

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challenge_178_Jorge_Solution.yxmd

T_Willins

I also saw the less than 100% error. Data collection workflow needs validations built in? Now if a woodchuck sells seashells to make batter bitter was he fuzzy?

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challenge_178_solution.yxmd

RolandSchubert

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challenge_178_solution_rsc.yxmd

LifebloomX

I also didn't like the fact that we are told to take the average of the wood without knowing the ratio of the wood woodchucks use. The ratio of wood should've been provided just like the soil.

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I got rid of the % by changing the field to Double.

challenge_178_DK.yxmd

fmeo

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pjdit

My Solution!

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challenge_178_PD_Solution.yxmd

mi_tob

Here we go...

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I first experimented with splitting the soil ratio in columns only, but got stuck there. Thus, splitting into rows first seems to be the best way.

challenge_178_result_file.yxmd

NicholasM

Attached is my completed workflow, a nice way to start a Monday as always.

challenge_178_NM.yxmd

Adam_Dooley

Good one!

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challenge_178_AD.yxmd

nivi_s

Challenge #178 Solved!

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This was a fun one, although I will admit it took me a second to notice that I need to convert the inches to feet!

challenge_178_solved.yxmd

NicoleJohnson

That's some good wood chucking, right there.

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NOTE: You get a different answer if you calculate the amount of wood chucked per tree variety and THEN try to take the average wood chucking weight across all wood types, vs. finding the avg weight of wood and then calculating the soil weight metric... so this would definitely depend on whether your woodchuck project manager was averaging out his wood calculations before or after projecting soil weight. Highlighting what I am sure is an undervalued decision-making skill among woodchuck project managers. #Monday

Happy chucking!

challenge_178_NicoleJohnson.yxmd

cplewis90

Took me a couple tries as I misread the instructions (I need to stop doing that). Fun challenge overall!

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Bdonahue

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Used a Macro to update the split on the Text to Columns tool based on the count of semi colons then split those into two columns with the soil type and relative %. Rejoined to the original data based on a record ID and calculated the relative volume of each soil type for each room in the burrow. Find/Replace tool to bring in the soil type and cubic foot weight then multiplied that by the relative cubic footage of the corresponding soil type per room. I then took the sum of each room in the burrow and then the average of the 3 burrows. I summarized the woods to an average, appended them to the single average record from the woodchuck burrow flow then did a calculation dividing the average weight of soil by the average weight of wood to give the approximate value, in cubic feet, of wood a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
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acastelazo

My solution:

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challenge_178_acastelazo.yxmd

JoeM

@NicoleJohnson @T_Willins

I came here to note how much I LOL'd at your comments.

David-Carnes

Fun one; pretty straightforward. I didn't notice the error of one line adding up to less than 100%, as pointed out by previous posters. But no need to angst; my result matched the answer. 😉

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David-Carnes_178.yxmd

estherb47

And it's clearly much simpler to do with Alteryx 🙂

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Went for economy of tools this time.

While you don't need to separate out the soil type (thank you, Find and Replace!!), you do need the percent piece (used Regex_Replace, though text functions would work equally well).