sum() Builtin Function

Python - sum()

Python sum() builtin function returns the sum of elements in the given iterable.

In this tutorial, you will learn the syntax of sum() function, and then its usage with the help of example programs.

Syntax

The syntax of sum() function is

sum(iterable, start=0)

where

Parameter	Description
`iterable`	An iterable like list, tuple, etc., usually with numbers.
`start`	[Optional] A number. This is an initial value in the sum, before accumulating the items of the iterable.

Examples

1. Sum of items in a list

In the following program, we take a list of numbers in nums, and find their sum using sum() function.

Python Program

nums = [2, 8, 1, 6]
result = sum(nums)
print(result)

Output

2. Sum of items in a tuple

In the following program, we take a tuple with numbers in myTuple, and find their sum using sum() function.

Python Program

myTuple = (2, 8, 4, 0)
result = sum(myTuple)
print(result)

Output

3. Sum of items with a specific start

In the following program, we take a list of numbers in nums, and find their sum using sum() function, with a specific start of 100.

Python Program

nums = [2, 8, 1, 6]
result = sum(nums, start = 100)
print(result)

Output

Summary

In this tutorial of Python Examples, we learned the syntax of sum() function, and how to find the sum of items in the given iterable using sum() function with examples.