In which type of cell referencing is either the row or the column an absolute reference?

Mixed cell referencing is used when either the row or the column in a cell reference is absolute, while the other is relative. This means that when a formula containing mixed cell references is copied or moved to another cell, one part of the reference (either the row or the column) will adjust to the new location, while the other part remains fixed.

For example, in a reference like A$1, the column ‘A’ is relative, meaning it will change if the formula is dragged to another column, while the row ‘1’ is absolute, meaning it will not change regardless of the position of the formula. This allows for more nuanced control in formulas where you want to maintain a constant reference to a specific row or column while allowing the other to change according to the new position.

This concept is particularly useful in scenarios like financial modeling or comparing datasets where you may want to lock a specific row of data (like headers) but allow changes in the columns as you replicate calculations across different parts of your spreadsheet.