Explain Relative References in Excel?

Data Science, AI and ML
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#1

Relative reference is the default cell reference in Excel. It is simply the combination of column name and row number without any dollar ($) sign. When you copy the formula from one cell to another the relative cell address changes depending on the relative position of the column and row.

Steps to Use Relative Reference:

  1. We write the formula in any cell and press enter so that it is calculated. In this example, we write the formula(= B2 + A2) in cell C2 and press enter to calculate the formula.
  2. Now click on the Fill handle at the corner of cell which contains the formula(C2).
  3. Drag the Fill handle up to the cells you want to fill. In our example, we will drag it till cell C10.
  4. Now we can see that the addition operation is performed between the cell A2 and B2, A3 and B3 and so on.
  5. You can double-click on any cell to check that the operation is performed in between which cells.