What is an example of an absolute cell reference?

An absolute cell reference is a way to refer to a specific cell in a spreadsheet that does not change when a formula is copied to another cell. In this case, the correct answer is represented as $A$1, which uses dollar signs to lock both the column (A) and the row (1). This means that no matter where the formula is copied or moved, it will always reference cell A1, making it very useful in situations where you want to maintain a constant reference to a particular cell throughout your calculations.

Other forms of cell references, such as A1 (relative), $A1 (mixed, column absolute), and A$1 (mixed, row absolute), do not provide the same fixed reference behavior. In a relative reference (A1), both the column and row can change if the formula is applied elsewhere. In mixed references, one part (either the row or column) is absolute, which means that it will not change when copied, but the other part remains relative and can change. Thus, the use of double dollar signs in $A$1 is what distinctly qualifies it as an absolute reference.