sum2

Sum2 is a term used in programming and computer science to denote a function or operation that computes the sum of two numeric inputs. It is not a formal mathematical concept, but a convention in codebases, tutorials, and exercises to illustrate binary addition.

Definition and behavior: sum2(a, b) yields the mathematical sum of a and b according to the language’s arithmetic rules. In statically typed languages, the result type follows the usual type promotion rules (for example, int + int yields int, while int + float yields float). Some implementations may include input validation, coercion of non-numeric values, or error handling if operands are not suitable numbers.

Implementation considerations: Overflow behavior varies by language. Fixed-width integer types may wrap around or trigger an overflow error; languages with arbitrary-precision integers may avoid overflow. Performance characteristics are typically straightforward, since addition is a lightweight operation, but in some environments, additional checks or coercions can affect cost. Documentation often specifies whether sum2 accepts numeric strings or requires strictly numeric types.

Usage and naming: sum2 is commonly employed in examples to emphasize that exactly two operands are being added, as opposed to summing a collection of values. In many codebases, similar functionality is provided by add, plus, or a dedicated binaryAdd function; the name sum2 clarifies intent in contexts where both operands are explicitly two values.

See also: addition, binary operation, sum, two-sum algorithm.