Circular Errors in Worksheet Formulas

What causes a circular error in a worksheet formula?

1. A reference to the cell occupied by the formula

2. A named constant

3. A worksheet function

4. A defined formula name

Answer:

A circular error is a situation that occurs in a spreadsheet application when a formula within a cell refers back to itself for its calculation.

A circular error, also known as a circular reference, occurs in a spreadsheet application when a formula within a cell refers back to itself either directly or indirectly leading to an infinite loop. In the given options, 1. A reference to the cell occupied by the formula would cause a circular error. This happens when you assign a formula to a cell that it depends on for its calculation.

Let's imagine a situation - if cell A1 has a formula that sums A2 and A1, a circular reference error would occur since the formula in A1 is dependent on the value of A1 itself to calculate its value.

The rest of the options, namely 2. A named constant, 3. A worksheet function, and 4. A defined formula name, typically do not cause circular errors as long as they are not used to create self-referential formulas.