Add-ons and extensions in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

Sample data showing names and their scores in a test.

Cell	Value
A1	Name
B1	Score
A2	Alice
B2	85
A3	Bob
B3	90
A4	Charlie
B4	78

Formula Trace

=SUM(B2:B4)

Step 1: B2:B4

Step 2: SUM(85, 90, 78)

Cell Reference Map

    A       B
1 | Name  | Score |
2 | Alice |  85   |
3 | Bob   |  90   |
4 | Charlie | 78   |

Arrows: B2 -> SUM, B3 -> SUM, B4 -> SUM

Cells B2, B3, and B4 are referenced in the SUM formula to add the scores.

Result

    A       B
1 | Name  | Score |
2 | Alice |  85   |
3 | Bob   |  90   |
4 | Charlie | 78   |
5 | Total |  253  |

The total score 253 is shown in cell B5 after applying the SUM formula.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =SUM(B2:B4) calculate?

A The total of scores in cells B2 to B4

B The average of scores in cells B2 to B4

C The highest score in cells B2 to B4

D The lowest score in cells B2 to B4

Key Result

SUM(range) adds all numbers in the specified range of cells.