Running totals of integers
Input
running_total([1, 2, 3, 4])
Output
[1, 3, 6, 10]
Cumulative sums: 1, 1+2=3, 3+3=6, 6+4=10
Full lesson preview
Compute running totals with accumulate
Use itertools.accumulate to compute cumulative sums efficiently.
Python practice16 minModules & Standard LibraryIntermediateLast updated March 23, 2026
Problem statement
Given an iterable of numeric values, return a list where each element is the running total (cumulative sum) up to that index. Use itertools.accumulate for an efficient implementation. The function should handle integers and floats and should return an empty list for an empty iterable.
Task
Write running_total that returns a list of cumulative sums from an iterable of numbers using itertools.accumulate.
Examples
Input format
A list (or iterable) of numeric values: running_total(values)
Output format
A list of cumulative sums. Example: [v0, v0+v1, v0+v1+v2, ...]
Constraints
Use itertools.accumulate. Do not print; return a list. Should work with int and float and return [] for empty input.
Samples
Sample 1
Input
running_total([10, -2, 3])
Output
[10, 8, 11]
10, then 10+(-2)=8, then 8+3=11