yogi_Entering Times In Minutes Seconds AndTenthsOfSeconds And Performing Numeric Operations On The Times

                        Google Spreadsheet   Post  #1731
Yogi Anand, D.Eng, P.E.      ANAND Enterprises LLC -- Rochester Hills MI     www.energyefficientbuild.com.   Aug-17-2014
post by Mark Shafer:
(https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/docs/spreadsheets/O9DoThh-j34)
Working with times involving tenths & hundredths of seconds

My school has found the funds to enable every kid to have a chromebook this year.  I am trying to adapt to cloud computing.  Specifically, I am trying to use googlesheets for recording workout averages and computing paces, etc.  This involves performing operations on times.  Google folk have done some amazing things, but I am completely stunned at the weaknesses of googlesheets.

As far as I can tell, you can't enter a race result for 1600 meters like 4:42.36 and expect it to be seen as a time (number).  Is this really true?

I've seen one blog post where there was something about creating custom format scripts.  They have to be kidding if they expect people to use this software when very involved processes have to be used to perform very basis functions in Excel.  I can't help but shake my head in disbelief as I type this.

Someone please tell me I am wrong.

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couple of thoughts ...

1) you can enter times in minutes:seconds.tenthsOfSeconds -- such entries however will be Textual entries

2) operating on such entries ... 

    for example finding the time difference between This Race and Previous Race, however

    will require coercing the Textual entries into their Numeric equivalents

    but that can be done formulatically

Assuming that your real interest lies in operating on your entries e.g. to find difference between This Race and Previous Race, I have created an illustration for you --

so have a look at the solution to a bit more generalized problem as presented in the following