1. Lesson 2: Cell References
Unit 2: Basic Formulas and Functions
Lesson 2: Cell References

2. Lesson 2: Cell References
Objectives:
Understanding why cell references are needed in formulas
Understand how cell references are color coded when editing a formula
Enter and edit formulas with cell references
Use the “point and click” method to enter cell references

3. Cell References
A cell reference is a way to point to a cell location on the spreadsheet.
When you use a cell reference in a formula, the spreadsheet uses the value of the cell being pointed to when calculating the formula.

4. Example of a Cell Reference
To avoid having to change the formula in C1 every time we change the value in A1, we can use a cell reference in the formula instead of the actual value.

5. Color Coding in Formulas
Colors are used to highlight the cell references in the formula, and the referenced cell in the spreadsheet.
The color coding of cell references provides an easy way to see what cells in the spreadsheet are being used in the formula.

6. Summary In this lesson, you learned:
Why cell references should be used in formulas
How colors are used to visually see what cells in the spreadsheet are being used in a formula and what their values are
Several methods of entering formulas and cell references