COMPUTERS
NAME:___________________
Worksheet #14
SPREADSHEETS - COPYING FORMULAS
When you design a large spreadsheet you don’t want to have
to enter the same formula into many different cells. Excel
has the ability to copy formulas and to adjust the formula
so that you will have the right answer carried to the next
row or column. For example if you have a formula for a total
on MARX2 that reads =sum(b1:d1) and you want the same
formula to operate on row two the formula would have to
change to read =sum(b2:d2). Excel does this automatically.
This is called relative referencing because the references
are copied in their relative positions not exactly as they
originally appeared. To do this you:
1. Place your cursor on the cell to be copied
2. Select the column or row of cells into which you want to
copy the formula by dragging your mouse down from the main
cell to the others you want to copy into.
3. Go to the Edit menu
4. Choose the Fill option
5. Choose the “Down” or “Right” choice depending on which
direction you want the formula copied.
ABSOLUTE REFERENCES
There are also times when it is necessary to tell Excel that
even though you are copying, you need it to adjust some
references and not others. For example, on MARX2 when you
calculated the average for each student you need to tell
Excel to divide the students total by the total for the
tests. (Your F.S.T will fully explain this in class) To do
this:
1. Place your cursor in the cell in which you wish to have
the formula.
2. Enter the = sign
3. Type the formula the way you want it (In the example I am
using G6/F4)
4. Because the F4 cell must always be the divider and not
change I will use the mouse or the arrow keys to place a $
in front of the F and the 4. Don’t worry if you hit ENTER
because if you click on the cell and then press F2 you can
edit any formula.
5. Now you can copy this formula in the normal way and all
the cells will refer to F4.
GREAT BIG FUN ASSIGNMENT
a) Open up your MARX2.XLS spreadsheet and create a
formula which will get a total for Harry Hairball as
well as a total for the Test Total line
b) Copy that formula down to all the others using EDIT
– FILL – DOWN
c) Enter a formulas for Harry that gets his average
(his total divided by the Test Total
d) Make the part of the formula absolute with the $
e) Copy that formula down with EDIT – FILL – DOWN
f) Save it on your H: drive as MARX3.XLS
g) Print it out and hand in to F.S.T