Simplifying Functions with Lambda Functions
Lambda functions are a special Python syntax for creating functions in a short and simple manner.
Unlike regular functions, lambda functions have no name to identify them and are written in a single line.
Characteristics of Lambda Functions
Lambda functions are one-time use small functions.
Regular functions are defined using the def keyword, but lambda functions are defined using the lambda keyword.
They are particularly useful for handling simple calculations or data manipulations in a concise way.
Lambda functions are defined in the following format.
lambda arg1, arg2, ... : expression
In this format, the arguments are the inputs to the function, and the expression is the calculated result returned using those arguments.
For example, a lambda function that adds two numbers can be defined as follows.
# Lambda function to add two numbers
add = lambda a, b: a + b
result = add(3, 5)
# Prints 8
print(result)
Examples of Using Lambda Functions
Lambda functions are mainly used for simple calculations and data manipulation.
In the code above, add refers to a lambda function that adds two numbers, and when add(3, 5) is called, it prints the result, 8.
Lambda functions are often passed as arguments to other functions to perform short operations.
For example, you can specify the sorting criteria by setting the key function to a lambda when sorting a list.
# A list consisting of 3 tuples
points = [(1, 2), (3, 1), (5, 0)]
# Sort the list in ascending order based on the second element of each tuple
sorted_points = sorted(points, key=lambda x: x[1])
# Prints [(5, 0), (3, 1), (1, 2)]
print(sorted_points)
Here, key=lambda x: x[1] sorts the list based on the second element of each tuple.
While lambda functions are simple and useful, they are not suitable for handling complex logics.
For operations that require multiple lines of code or debugging, it's better to use regular functions.
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