Calculate the sum of numbers in a list in Python

problem

You have a list of numbers in Python and wish to calculate their sum. In this post we will see two ways of doing it.

SOLUTION - 1

First, using the built-in sum() function. The sum() function takes as a parameter a list and returns the total number by adding them all together. 

For example:

sum_list.py
				
					numbers = [4,2,1,6,-2,90,10]
total = sum(numbers)
print(total)
				
			
running
sum of numbers in a list

For example, with floats:

sum_list.py
				
					prices = [1.3, 2.7, 10.25, 7.5, 8.95]
total_cost = sum(prices)
print(total_cost)
				
			
running
sum of floats in a list python

Simple as that.

Warning: it works only on numerical values, int and float. If the data type is different then a TypeError will be shown.

solution - 2

Using a for loop. In this case we can go with a classic for loop iteration, get each number from the list and add it to a total that initially is 0. Then, print the total. For example:

sum_list.py
				
					sum = 0
numbers = [4,2,1,6,-2,90,10]
for num in numbers:
 	sum = sum + num
print(sum)

				
			
running
sum of numbers using for loop list python

conclusion

In this post we saw two ways for calculating the sum of numbers stored in a list in Python.

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Ellion

Professional IT consultant, writer, programmer enthusiast interested in all sorts of coding.
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