The sum() function in Python is used to calculate the sum of all the values in an iterable object such as a list, tuple, or set.
The syntax of the sum() function is:
sum(iterable, start=0)
where,
- iterable: specifies the iterable object (e.g., list, tuple, set) to be summed.
- start: specifies the value to start the sum with. Default is 0.
Here are some examples of using the sum() function:
# sum of a list of numbers
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = sum(my_list)
print(result) # output: 15
# sum of a tuple of numbers
my_tuple = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
result = sum(my_tuple)
print(result) # output: 15
# sum of a set of numbers
my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
result = sum(my_set)
print(result) # output: 15
# sum of a list of numbers starting from 10
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = sum(my_list, 10)
print(result) # output: 25
Note that the sum() function only works with numerical values (e.g., integers, floats). If you want to concatenate strings or combine lists, you should use other methods such as join() or extend().
