What is the purpose and value,if any,of using cell references when creating a formula or using a function?

Tyler Burkman: Cell reference is a combination of the column letter and raw number that intersects at a cells location.it is important because when used, the user will not be required to rewrite the formula in case he wants to change the data used in the formula

Danette Slotnick: Cell references allow you to edit certain changeable numbers within formulas without altering the formula in the cell itself. Businesses often use standard formulas to figure out important information from the available data. Using cell references allows those without knowledge of spreadsheet formulas to change the data in the formula without editing the cell that contains the formula. Those with knowledge of spreadsheet formulas often lock cells with formulas to keep others from tweaking a spreadsheet designed for a particular purpose. Also, a spreadsheet is more useful when you can display the data that you are feeding into the formula, cell references make this possible....Show more