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Excelspreadsheet~10 mins

Formula bar and cell preview in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

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Sample Data

Sample data with numbers in column A and formulas in column B to demonstrate formula bar and cell preview.

CellValue
A110
A220
A330
B1=A1+A2
B2=A3*2
B3=SUM(A1:A3)
Formula Trace
=SUM(A1:A3)
Step 1: A1:A3
Step 2: SUM(10, 20, 30)
Cell Reference Map
    A     B
1 | 10 | =A1+A2 |
2 | 20 | =A3*2  |
3 | 30 | =SUM(A1:A3) |
Cells A1 to A3 contain numbers. Cells B1 to B3 contain formulas referencing column A.
Result
    A     B
1 | 10 | 30 |
2 | 20 | 60 |
3 | 30 | 60 |
Column B shows the results of formulas: B1 adds A1 and A2 (10+20=30), B2 doubles A3 (30*2=60), B3 sums A1 to A3 (10+20+30=60).
Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions
Test your understanding
What does the formula bar show when cell B3 is selected?
A=A1+A2
B=SUM(A1:A3)
C60
D30
Key Result
Formulas in the formula bar show the calculation, while the cell preview shows the result.