Which term describes adding up numbers?

Enhance your understanding of IGCSE Algorithms and Pseudocode Foundations. Engage with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each offering hints and explanations. Prepare thoroughly for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which term describes adding up numbers?

Explanation:
Adding up numbers is called totalling. In algorithms, totalling means computing the sum by maintaining a running total and adding each value to it as you go through the data. For example, you start with total = 0 and update it with total = total + number for every number you encounter. Counting, by contrast, is about determining how many items there are by increasing a counter by 1 for each item, not summing their values. The other terms don’t describe this arithmetic action: a string is text data, and selection is a branching decision, not a numeric sum. Totalling is the right term because it captures the process of combining numbers to produce their total.

Adding up numbers is called totalling. In algorithms, totalling means computing the sum by maintaining a running total and adding each value to it as you go through the data. For example, you start with total = 0 and update it with total = total + number for every number you encounter. Counting, by contrast, is about determining how many items there are by increasing a counter by 1 for each item, not summing their values. The other terms don’t describe this arithmetic action: a string is text data, and selection is a branching decision, not a numeric sum. Totalling is the right term because it captures the process of combining numbers to produce their total.

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