Length matching for parallel buses in PCB Design - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows lengths of four parallel bus segments in millimeters. The goal is to find the maximum length and calculate how much shorter each segment is compared to the longest one to help with length matching.

Cell	Value
A1	Bus Segment
B1	Length (mm)
A2	Segment 1
B2	50
A3	Segment 2
B3	48
A4	Segment 3
B4	52
A5	Segment 4
B5	50
A6	Max Length
B6
A7	Length Difference
B7

Formula Trace

=MAX(B2:B5)

Step 1: MAX(50, 48, 52, 50)

Cell Reference Map

     A          B
  +-------+---------+
1 | Bus   | Length  |
  +-------+---------+
2 | Seg 1 |  50     |
3 | Seg 2 |  48     |
4 | Seg 3 |  52     | <-- MAX range includes this cell
5 | Seg 4 |  50     |
6 | Max   |         |
  +-------+---------+

The formula references cells B2 through B5 to find the maximum length among the bus segments.

Result

     A          B
  +-------+---------+
1 | Bus   | Length  |
  +-------+---------+
2 | Seg 1 |  50     |
3 | Seg 2 |  48     |
4 | Seg 3 |  52     |
5 | Seg 4 |  50     |
6 | Max   |  52     | <-- Result of MAX formula
  +-------+---------+

The maximum length of 52 mm is displayed in cell B6, showing the longest bus segment length.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =MAX(B2:B5) calculate?

A The average length of bus segments

B The longest bus segment length

C The shortest bus segment length

D The total length of all bus segments

Key Result

MAX(range) returns the largest numeric value within the specified range.