Absolute, Relative and Mixed References

Excel Tip. You can use F4 (Windows) or COMMAND+T (Macintosh) to toggle between cell reference types. Select the cell reference by double-clicking on it in the formula bar (or just put the insertion point cursor anywhere in the reference), then press F4 to cycle through the formats, in the sequence relative (e.g., A1), absolute (e.g., A 1), mixed (e.g.,A 1), mixed (e.g., A1). If you are typing a formula, you can use F4 after typing the cell reference Excel converts the reference to the immediate left of the insertion point. 

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To better understand the diflFerences among the absolute, relative, and mixed reference, consider the examples shown in Figure 14.4. As the name implies, absolute reference is absolute, meaning it does not change when the Fill command is used to copy the formula into other cells. Absolute reference to a cell is made by column-letter row-number. For example, A 3 will always refer to the content of cell A3, regardless of how the formula is copied. In the example shown, cell A3 contains the value 1000, and if we were to input the formula =0.06 A 3 in cell B3, the result vrould be 60. Now if we were to use the Fill command and... 

When creating formulas you have to be carefiil how you refer to the address of a cell, especially if you are planning to use the Fill command to copy the pattern of formulas, in the other cells. There are three ways that you can refer to a cell address in a formula absolute, relative, and mixed rrference. 

You should understand how to refer to a cell by its address. You should also know the differences among a cell s relative address, absolute address, and mixed address, and remember to use the proper address when creating formulas. 

To keep the address of a cell fixed when you use the Fill commands, precede both its letter and number designation by a dollar sign (e.g., B 1). Thus the formula =A1+ B 1 in cell A2, when filled down, yields =A9+ B 1 in cell A10 (Figure 1-19). You will find this absolute cell addressing useful if you wish to use numerical constants in formulas. Occasionally it is useful to use mixed references. A relative reference in a formula, such as A1, becomes A2, A3, etc., as you Fill Down a formula into cells below the original formula. An absolute reference such as A 1 remains A 1 as you Fill Down. A mixed reference is a reference such as A 1 or A1 the row or the column designation, respectively, will remain constant when you Fill Down or Fill Right. 

Absolute Cell Reference, Relative Cell Reference, and Mixed Cell Reference... 

The mixed cell reference could be done in one of two ways (1) You can keep the column as absolute (unchanged) and have a relative row, or (2) you can keep the row as absolute and have a relative column. For example, if you were to use A3 in a formula, it would mean that column A remains absolute and unchanged, but row 3 is a reference row and changes as the formula is copied into other cells. On the other hand, A 3 means row 3 remains absolute while column A changes as the formula is copied into other cells. The use of mixed cell reference is demonstrated in the following example. 

The picture of mixed molecular interstellar ice described up to this point is supported by direct spectroscopic evidence (e.g. Figures 2, 3). The identities, relative amounts and absolute abundances of the ice species listed in Table I are sound (see references 6 and 7 and references therein for detailed discussions). However, this is not the entire story. Indeed, from a chemist s perspective, this is only the beginning of the story. As mentioned above, throughout the cloud s lifetime, processes such as accretion of gas phase species, simultaneous reactions on the surfaces involving atoms, ions, and radicals, as well as energetic processing within the body of the ice by ultraviolet photons and cosmic rays all combine to determine the ice mantle composition (5-7). Theoreticians are... 

In a hypothetical characterization, a perfectly firee or relative free melt in consistency temperature wise, pressure wise, mixture wise, etc. is referred to as the absolute melt temperature. This condition does not exist during processing but with the passing of time with improvement developments in plastic and processing and testing equipment the melt mix becomes more uniform. 

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