Components of a Function
Functions are mainly composed of Parameters, Arguments, and Return Values.
Parameters
Parameters are variables used when defining a function to determine what kind of input the function will take.
For example, when defining a function that adds two numbers, the parameters are the two numbers to be added.
def add_numbers(a, b):
# Return the sum of a and b
result = a + b
# Return the result
return result
In the code above, the add_numbers function takes two parameters, a and b, and returns the result of adding these two numbers.
Arguments
Arguments are the actual values that you pass to the function when calling it.
For example, when calling add_numbers(3, 5), the numbers 3 and 5 are the arguments.
These values are then used within the function as the parameters a and b.
def add_numbers(a, b):
result = a + b
return result
# Store the result of adding 3 and 5 in result
result = add_numbers(3, 5)
# Print 8
print(result)
Return Value
In the previous function example, the add_numbers function returned the result of adding two numbers in the result variable.
Here, the return keyword is used to return the final result of the function.
A function with a return value sends that value back to where the function was called.
For example, a function to convert a given temperature from Celsius (C) to Fahrenheit (F) can be defined as follows:
# Function to convert input Celsius temperature to Fahrenheit
def celsius_to_fahrenheit(celsius):
# Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit
fahrenheit = celsius * 9 / 5 + 32
# Return the Fahrenheit value
return fahrenheit
# Convert 30 degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit
result = celsius_to_fahrenheit(30)
# Print 86
print(result)
The celsius_to_fahrenheit function takes the parameter celsius, which is a Celsius temperature, and returns the converted Fahrenheit value.
When calling celsius_to_fahrenheit(30), the result is that 30 degrees Celsius is converted to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
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