Named ranges in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows products with their prices and quantities. The range B2:B4 is named 'Prices'.

Cell	Value
A1	Product
A2	Apple
A3	Banana
A4	Cherry
B1	Price
B2	1
B3	0.5
B4	2
D1	Quantity
D2	3
D3	5
D4	2

Formula Trace

=SUM(Prices * D2:D4)

Step 1: Prices

Step 2: D2:D4

Step 3: Prices * D2:D4

Step 4: SUM({3.00, 2.50, 4.00})

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C       D
1 Product  Price           Quantity
2 Apple    1.00            3
3 Banana   0.50            5
4 Cherry   2.00            2

Named range 'Prices' -> B2:B4
Formula uses 'Prices' and D2:D4

The named range 'Prices' points to cells B2 to B4. The formula multiplies these prices by quantities in D2 to D4.

Result

    A       B       C       D
1 Product  Price           Quantity
2 Apple    1.00            3
3 Banana   0.50            5
4 Cherry   2.00            2
5                       9.50

Cell D5 shows the total cost calculated by the formula.

The formula result 9.50 is shown in cell D5, representing the total cost of all products.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the named range 'Prices' refer to?

A Cells A2 to A4 containing product names

B Cells B2 to B4 containing prices

C Cells D2 to D4 containing quantities

D Cells A1 to B1 containing headers

Key Result

Named ranges can be used like cell ranges in formulas to simplify references and improve readability.