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Excelspreadsheet~10 mins

INDEX function in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

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Sample Data

A simple product list with their prices in two columns: Product names in column A and prices in column B.

CellValue
A1Product
B1Price
A2Apple
B21.20
A3Banana
B30.50
A4Cherry
B42.00
A5Date
B53.00
Formula Trace
=INDEX(B2:B5, 3)
Step 1: B2:B5
Step 2: INDEX([1.20, 0.50, 2.00, 3.00], 3)
Cell Reference Map
    A       B
1 Product  Price
2 Apple    1.20
3 Banana   0.50
4 Cherry   2.00  <-- INDEX range
5 Date     3.00
The formula references the price range B2:B5 to find the 3rd item.
Result
    A       B
1 Product  Price
2 Apple    1.20
3 Banana   0.50
4 Cherry   2.00
5 Date     3.00

Result in formula cell: 2.00
The formula returns 2.00, the price of the 3rd product (Cherry) in the range B2:B5.
Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions
Test your understanding
What does the formula =INDEX(B2:B5, 3) return?
A2.00
B0.50
C3.00
D1.20
Key Result
INDEX(range, row_number) returns the value at the given row position within the range.