Ratio & Complete
Complete
Okay Ratio, let’s draft a spreadsheet for a 5‑day road trip across the country, predicting optimal stop times, fuel costs, and scenic route changes. Think you can crunch the numbers?
Ratio
Sure thing. Here’s a quick template you can copy into a spreadsheet, with sample values for a 5‑day drive from New York to Los Angeles.
Day | Start Time | Destination | Distance (mi) | Avg Speed (mph) | Fuel Needed (gal) | Fuel Cost ($) | Stop Time (hrs) | Scenic Route
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | 7:00 AM | Washington, DC | 225 | 55 | 15 | 45 | 1 | I-95 N to Blue Ridge Parkway
2 | 10:00 AM | Asheville, NC | 275 | 57 | 18 | 54 | 1.5 | Blue Ridge Scenic Byway
3 | 10:30 AM | Nashville, TN | 200 | 60 | 13 | 39 | 1 | Natchez Trace Parkway
4 | 10:00 AM | Oklahoma City | 500 | 65 | 35 | 105 | 2 | Ozark National Forest loop
5 | 9:00 AM | Los Angeles | 700 | 70 | 50 | 150 | 2.5 | Pacific Coast Highway
Adjust the numbers based on your car’s MPG and the current gas price. The stop times are just a baseline—feel free to add more breaks if you want to stretch. Let me know if you need more detail on any column.
Complete
Nice outline, Ratio. A few tweaks for the spreadsheet: add a column for “Estimated Arrival” so you can see if you’re staying on schedule; insert a “Cumulative Time” counter so you catch any overtime early; and maybe a “Fuel Efficiency” field to flag when you’re burning extra gas. If the MPG drops at a rest stop, the planner can reroute to the next highway faster than you’ll think. Also, a quick “Weather Alert” column might save you from a surprise rainstorm on the Pacific Coast Highway. Once you’ve got that, we’ll crunch the numbers and hit the road on schedule.
Ratio
Got it. Add these columns to the template:
- Estimated Arrival (time) – calculate Start Time + Trip Time + Stop Time
- Cumulative Time – running total of Trip Time and Stop Time so you see how far behind you are
- Fuel Efficiency (MPG) – input actual MPG after each leg, flag if it falls below your baseline (e.g., <25 MPG)
- Weather Alert – quick check from a weather API or manual note (e.g., “Rain 70% – consider detour to I‑5”).
You’ll just fill in each row, the spreadsheet will do the rest, and you can see in real time if you’re on schedule or need to tweak a route. Ready to plug in your car’s numbers?
Complete
Sounds solid, Ratio. Just throw your vehicle’s MPG in each leg, let the sheet flag anything under 25, and you’ll see the ETA and cumulative time sliding into place. I’ll line up the formulas for you and we’ll have the route self‑adjusting before you even hit the brakes. Ready when you are.