Chapter 4
Python Functions
Functions in Python
• A function is a block of code that performs a
specific task.
• Suppose we need to create a program to make a
circle and color it.
• We can create two functions to solve this problem:
1. function to create a circle
2. function to color the shape
• Dividing a complex problem into smaller chunks
makes our program easy to understand and reuse.
User Defined Function Vs Standard Library
Functions
• In Python, functions are divided into two categories: user-defined
functions and standard library functions. These two differ in several
ways:
User-Defined Functions
• Functions we create ourselves.
• They're like our custom tools, designed for specific tasks we have in
mind.
Standard Library Functions
• Think of these as Python's pre-packaged gifts.
• They come built-in with Python, ready to use.
• These functions cover a wide range of common tasks such as
mathematics, file operations, working with strings, etc.
Create a Function
• Let's create our first function.
Note: When writing a function,
pay attention to indentation,
which are the spaces at the start
of a code line.
Different parts of the
function greet () :
Calling a Function
• In the above example, we have declared a function
named greet().
• If we run the above code, we
won't get an output. Because
creating a function doesn't mean
we are executing the code inside
Python Function it.
Call • It means the code is there for us
to use if we want to.
• To use this function, we need to
call the function.
Example: Python • Here's how the control of the
Function Call program flows:
Here,
• When the function greet() is called, the
program's control transfers to the function
definition.
• All the code inside the function is executed.
• The control of the program jumps to the
next statement after the function call.
Python Function Arguments
• Arguments are inputs given to the function.
• Here, we passed 'John' as an
argument to the greet() function.
• We can pass different arguments
in each call, making the function
re-usable and dynamic.
• Call the function with a different
argument.
E.g. greet("David")
Example: Function to Add Two Numbers
created a function named
add_numbers() with
arguments: num1 and num2.
Python Function with Arguments
Parameters and Arguments
Parameters
• Parameters are the variables listed inside the parentheses in the
function definition.
• They act like placeholders for the data the function can
accept when we call them.
• Think of parameters as the blueprint that outlines what kind of
information the function expects to receive.
• print_age() function takes ‘’age’’
as its input. However, at this stage,
the actual value is not specified.
• The age parameter is just a
placeholder waiting for a specific
value to be provided when the
function is called.
Arguments
• Arguments are the actual values that we pass to
the function when we call it.
• Arguments replace the parameters when the function
executes.
• Here, during the function call, the
argument 25 is passed to the
function.
The return Statement
• We return a value from the function using the return
statement.
• We have created a function
named find_square().
• The function accepts a number
and returns the square of the
number.
• Note: The return statement also
denotes that the function has
ended.
• Any code after return is not
executed.
Function Argument with Default Values
• In Python, we can provide default values to function
arguments.
• We use the ‘’= ‘’ operator to provide default values.
• Example,
Hence, these values are used instead of the default
values.
Python Library Functions
• Python provides some built-in functions that can be directly
used in our program.
• We don't need to create the function, we just need to call them.
Some Python library functions are:
- print() - prints the string inside the quotation marks
- sqrt() - returns the square root of a number
-pow() - returns the power of a number
• These library functions are defined inside the module. And to
use them, we must include the module inside our program.
• Example, sqrt() is defined inside the math module.
End of CH-4!
