Which statement about absolute and relative cell references is true in spreadsheet formulas?

Which statement about absolute and relative cell references is true in spreadsheet formulas?

• A. Absolute references lock a row and/or column to the original cell.
• B. Relative references lock a row and/or column to the original cell.
• C. Relative references do not change when copied.
• D. Absolute references can change when copied to a new location.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how cell references behave when formulas are copied is essential. Absolute references lock a row and/or column to the original cell by using a dollar sign before the column and/or row, so the reference stays pointing to that exact cell no matter where you copy the formula. This means you can fix just the column ($A1), just the row (A$1), or both ($A$1), depending on what you want to stay constant. The statement describing this behavior is that absolute references lock a row and/or column to the original cell, which best fits how these references work. Relative references, by contrast, adjust as you copy the formula, so they change to maintain the same position relative to the formula's new location. Absolute references do not change when copied, which is why the other options don’t fit. For example, =A1 copied down becomes =A2, but =$A$1 copied down stays =$A$1.

Understanding how cell references behave when formulas are copied is essential. Absolute references lock a row and/or column to the original cell by using a dollar sign before the column and/or row, so the reference stays pointing to that exact cell no matter where you copy the formula. This means you can fix just the column ($A1), just the row (A$1), or both ($A$1), depending on what you want to stay constant. The statement describing this behavior is that absolute references lock a row and/or column to the original cell, which best fits how these references work. Relative references, by contrast, adjust as you copy the formula, so they change to maintain the same position relative to the formula's new location. Absolute references do not change when copied, which is why the other options don’t fit. For example, =A1 copied down becomes =A2, but =$A$1 copied down stays =$A$1.