Introduction
Excel is an application designed not only for creating simple tables but also for automatically calculating different values. It is useful in business affairs, calculating grades for academic courses, accounting records, and many other spheres.
Discussion
In many instances, when a table is huge, it is time-consuming to type formulas for each cell, so Excel allows automatically creating similar formulas for designated cells. During this process, one should understand the difference between relative and absolute cell reference. The former means the function of Excel when the initial formula created for one cell changes relative to the changing location of the cells. The latter refers to the element or the whole formula, which stays constant no matter the formula change. Many inexperienced users do not always understand this difference, which costs them a lot of time for manual editing.
The grading system in universities is an excellent example of considering the difference between absolute and relative cell references. The teacher makes a list of students and sets the grading formula: for example, 30% work in seminars, 20% group presentations, and 50% exam. Having set this formula for one student, the teacher, with one mouse movement, adjusts this formula for each person. This correspondence of the formula of each cell is called relative cell reference.
Conclusion
However, in a hypothetical situation, a teacher might want to raise all students’ grades by 5% due to high activity and lecture attendance. To fix this increase, the teacher must put a dollar sign in front of the letter and the cell number in the formula. In this case, a 5% increase would affect all students equally, meaning it was an absolute cell reference.