Question

Braydon is working with a partner building a spreadsheet. The partner uses the cell reference $B7 in one of his formulas. What would not change in the formula cell if it is copied and moved by Braydon?

Answer 1

The dollar sign before the 'B' in the cell reference $B7 makes the column reference absolute, ensuring that it remains fixed on column 'B' when the formula is copied elsewhere in the spreadsheet.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Braydon's partner uses the cell reference $B7 in a spreadsheet formula, the dollar sign indicates that it is an absolute reference. The absolute reference ensures that when the formula is copied and moved to a different cell, the reference to column 'B' does not change. The absolute reference symbol '$' before the column letter 'B' makes the column absolute, meaning that no matter where you copy the formula on the spreadsheet, it will always refer to column B. However, the row number '7' does not have a dollar sign in front of it, indicating that it is a relative reference, which means that if the formula is moved up or down to different rows, the row number would change accordingly.

Answer 2

The column position B will not change for the referenced cell $B7. This is known as mixed referencing.

Step-by-step explanation:

In spreadsheet, the dollar sign is used in signifying locked entry which is either the row or the column or both of them. We have three main ways by which cell position are referenced, which are as follows:

1. Mixed referencing: this is a referencing type that either locks the row or the column position, but not both. This means that if the column is locked as we had in the question above, $B7, the dollar sign in-front of the B signifies that the column position will not change during the use of the formula, which means it will remain permanently at column B, while the position of the row could change as the execution of the formula progresses. We can also have a situation that is vice-versa, meaning, the position of the row might be locked, while that of the column might be the one changing. An example of this is, B$7. The dollar sign in-front of the figure "7", signifies that the 7 is locked.

2. Absolute referencing: this is a referencing type in which both the position of both the column and row are locked. Locking them means preventing them from moving to other cell position while fixing them to that same location for the use of their value. Examples of absolute reference is; $C$5, meaning both the row and the column positions are locked to that single location or position.

3. Relative referencing: this is the referencing type that is the default, as it does not need the dollar sign in specifying it. An example is, B7. This type of referencing transfers control progressively to other cell locations during operations such as auto-fill and the likes.