How is an absolute reference established in a spreadsheet?

An absolute reference in a spreadsheet is established by placing a dollar sign before the column letter and the row number in a cell reference. This ensures that when a formula is copied or moved to another cell, the reference remains constant, referring to the same specific cell.

The use of the dollar sign is critical because it tells the spreadsheet application not to adjust the reference when copying or filling the formula to adjacent cells. For example, if you have a formula that references cell A1 as $A$1, this absolute reference will stay the same regardless of where you move or copy that formula.

The action of pressing F4, however, modifies a selected cell reference to toggle between relative and absolute references, effectively producing the same outcome of establishing an absolute reference. When you press F4 while editing a cell reference, it can convert it to an absolute format (with dollar signs) or back to a relative format. Therefore, F4 is a useful shortcut for this action.

Utilizing a dollar sign directly denotes the absolute reference, while pressing F4 serves as a method to convert existing references quickly. Understanding that absolute references are primarily identified by the presence of dollar signs helps establish their fundamental role in spreadsheet calculations.