Hello I recently got this question in a mock exam paper and i want to know if anyone can tell me the answer please: Explain the difference between relative and absolute cell reference in Excel, showing an example of each. Thank You
Relative Cell Reference: Let's say you got the number 20 in B4. In C4 you got the number 25. In B3 you have the formula B4*2. The value 20 is multiplied with 2. Giving the answer 40. Now you copy the answer to the C-column, where C4 has the number 25. The formula is now automatically changed to C4*2. Giving the answer 50. When copying a cell containing a formula, the cell coördinates are automatically changed. Absolute Cell Reference: Let's say you got the number 10 in D4. 20 in E4. You want to add the contents of D4 and E4 in the cell A1. So you use the formula D4+E4. This gives the answer 30 (10+20). Now when you copy the cell to B1, it will adjust the formula to E4+F4. Or if you copy it to A2, it will be changed to D5+E5. In this case, it's not good. You'll need to lock the formula. Select the formula in the formula bar, and press F4. The formula should now look like this: =$D$4+$E$4. The dollar-sign indicates a locked reference. This is absolute cell reference (the opposite of Relative Cell Reference). There is a nice tutorial about it (with pics) here
