Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Data Analysis Spreadsheet Basics Getting Started With Spreadsheets Getting Started With Spreadsheets Review

This formula includes relative references to three cells: =A1*B4+B2

This formula includes relative references to three cells: =A1*B4+B2 To make the references for all of these cells absolute for both their rows and columns you'd change the above formula to =

What's athe answer for this question?

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points

:mailbox_with_mail: I did get your request.

It looks like Shaun has already provided your answer.

2 Answers

Shaun Sang
Shaun Sang
2,680 Points

Answer is:

$A$1*$B$4+$B$2

Thanks Bro.. Could you please little bit elaborate this?

Shaun Sang
Shaun Sang
2,680 Points

Habeeb Mohamed

Thanks Bro.. Could you please little bit elaborate this?

@Habeeb, please see below…

Two words must be understood first, they are;

Relative = cells in the 'formula' will move when copied and pasted.

Absolute = cells in the 'formula' will stay the same when copied and pasted.

If we want to ‘absolute reference’ a cell in a 'formula', place a ‘dollar sign’ in front of both the letter and numeral of that cell reference.

Example:

Relative Reference = A1

Absolute Reference = $A$1

To our success... #SANG

Stephen Limmex
Stephen Limmex
32,604 Points

Caution, do not put the equal sign in your answer else you will be incorrect. I could not figure out why I was wrong and found this discussion in my efforts.

Although this may be correct, this is not what was illustrated in the video. From the video, he only uses the $ signs for the first set in the formula to denote absolute vs. relative. So why is the answer not:

=$A$1*B4+B2

?

Steven Ang
Steven Ang
41,751 Points

The question is asking you to make all of them to an absolute reference. I suggest you rewatch the video about absolute referencing again, it seems like you don't fully understand it.

But still i can't understand

Steven Ang
Steven Ang
41,751 Points

Check this link out. They explain relative reference and absolute reference in details. :)

Steven how did you gather that from Michael not fully explaining that in the video? So re-watching something that was never explained doesn't seem very helpful...

Steven Ang
Steven Ang
41,751 Points

It has been a while since I took the course, but I definitely remember the fact Michael explaining the concept. Yes, it may be explained in a clear manner but it certainly gives the picture of what absolute and relative values are.

Even if you don't fully understand it. A simple google search like this "difference between absolute value and relative value in spreadsheets" can give you enough information about the syntax and how it works.

As for the question, it wants you to make all of them as absolute value. Not just the first, if was the case the next formula would look something like this "$A$1*B5+B2" which is wrong. We want it to be a fixed value.

Let's break it down even further. For example, "A1+B1". The A and B are the columns, and 1 is the row number. If we put a dollar sign before A that column would be fixed or absolute. If we put a dollar sign both before A and 1, you guess it, they will not move.