Ling has created the following spreadsheet to calculate the amount her travel costs each week. Every day Ling travels to university it costs her $10.00. Cell D2 contains a formula using cell referencing. The formula entered in D2 is

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's restate the problem to ensure understanding: Ling's D2 cell should contain a formula that uses cell referencing to calculate total travel cost, with cost per day in C2 and number of days in B2. 
Option a says B2*C2 — this lacks an equals sign, which is required in spreadsheet formulas; without =, the cell won't evaluate as a formula.
Option b shows =B2*C2 — this uses the equals sign and multiplies the values in B2 and C2, which is the correct syntax for a simple multiplication in most spreadsheet programs.
Option c presents =2B*2C — this is invalid syntax for a spreadsheet formula because it combines numbers with lettered cell references without proper operator formatting and uses an unconventional style that the software would not parse.
Option d presents 2B*2C — this is also invalid: it lacks the leading equals sign, and it nonsensically combines digits with cell references in a way that the program cannot interpret as a formula.

Why the correct option works: In spreadsheets, basic arithmetic like multiplication uses the asterisk symbol and requires a leading equals sign to denote a formula, followed by valid cell references separated by an operator. Here, multiplying the contents of B2 (the number of days) by C2 (cost per day) yields the total cost. Thus, the expression that conforms to this rule is =B2*C2.

Why the other options fail: Option a would display as text or as a calculation depending on software settings but is missing the equals sign, so it is not recognized as a formula. Option c uses an invalid mix of numbers and letters and also misuses the syntax, which would cause a syntax error. Option d omits the equals sign altogether, so it cannot be treated as a formula and would simply render as text or an invalid expression.

In summary, the viable formula that properly uses cell references and arithmetic is the one that starts with = and uses B2 and C2 with a multiplication operator, i.e., =B2*C2.

MUF0051 ICT Unit 1 - Semester 2, 2025 1.22 Quiz: Spreadsheet software

Ling has created the following spreadsheet to calculate the amount her travel costs each week. Every day Ling travels to university it costs her $10.00. Cell D2 contains a formula using cell referencing. The formula entered in D2 is

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