# R: Sum of Vector Elements

sum {base} | R Documentation

## Sum of Vector Elements

### Description

`sum` returns the sum of all the values present in its arguments.

### Usage

    sum(..., na.rm = FALSE)

### Arguments

`...` | numeric or complex or logical vectors.
`na.rm` | logical. Should missing values be removed?

### Details

This is a generic function: methods can be defined for it directly or via the `Summary` group generic. For this to work properly, the arguments `...` should be unnamed, and dispatch is on the first argument.

If `na.rm` is `FALSE` an `NA` value in any of the arguments will cause a value of `NA` to be returned, otherwise `NA` values are ignored.

Logical true values are regarded as one, false values as zero. For historical reasons, `NULL` is accepted and treated as if it were `integer(0)`.

### Value

The sum. If all of `...` are of type integer or logical, then the sum is integer, and in that case the result will be `NA` (with a warning) if integer overflow occurs. Otherwise it is a length-one numeric or complex vector.
NB: the sum of an empty set is zero, by definition.

### S4 methods

This is part of the S4 `Summary` group generic. Methods for it must use the signature `x, ..., na.rm`.

### References

Becker, R. A., Chambers, J. M. and Wilks, A. R. (1988) The New S Language. Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.

[Package base version 2.6.0 Index]