Definition of a Cell in an Excel Spreadsheet

Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft as part of its Office suite of software. In Excel, an entire file is called a workbook. Workbooks are further divided into worksheets, which are divided into columns and rows, indicated by letters and numerals, respectively. The cell is the most basic unit of Excel, or any other spreadsheet program.

Definition
A cell is the intersection between a row and a column in a worksheet. A cell's location is given by the letter of the column followed by the number of the intersecting row. The intersection of column B and row 12 is cell B12.
 
Uses A cell can be used to display numbers and text in a variety of fonts and formats. Cells can also display the solutions to formulas that are entered into them. These results can also be displayed in a variety of fonts and formats.
 

Reference A reference to a cell in a formula can be either absolute, relative or mixed. An absolute reference means the formula will always refer to the same cell, regardless of where the formula is moved or copied. A relative reference changes as the formula is moved or copied, and a mixed reference holds either the row or column constant, as in an absolute reference, and allows the other component to shift.
 
Notation The "$"quot; symbol is used to denote an absolute or mixed reference. If cell B2 is required to be an absolute reference, the notation is "$B$2." A mixed reference for the same cell would be "B$2" or "$B2." A relative reference uses only the cell's location, as in "B2."
 
Formatting
A cell can have borders, shading or both. These can be used to highlight significant data or simply delineate a table or data set. There are numerous possibilities to fit a variety of needs.