FAQ: Learn Python: Functions - Review: Built-In Functions

FAQ Python FAQ
#1

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This community-built FAQ covers the “Review: Built-In Functions” exercise in Codecademy’s lessons on Python.

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1 Like
#2

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#3

2 posts were split to a new topic: Why Does This Print Statement Not Execute?

#4

6 posts were split to a new topic: How to Print the Output of a Function?

#5

3 posts were split to a new topic: Why Does This Work With Numbers, But Not Strings?

#6

Hi! I’m on Python (something pretty new for me).

On functions, I’m trying to figure out what “return” does. For example

def biggest_number(*args):
print max(args)
return max(args) -----------> here

What does it do?

Thanks!

#7

have you checked with FAQ:

What does return do?

#8

hi! I’m not sure why this doesn’t work, can anyone tell me?

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thanks!

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#9

Hi,

With the code in this exercise, I tried to make the script receive input from the console, but it returns ‘Unicode’ as the type. The function works fine if you pass the argument from code, but do I need to define/transform the raw_input to make it work?

Here is my code:

x = raw_input("Enter a number: ")

print type(1)
print type(1.0)
print type(x)

print distance_from_zero(x)

def distance_from_zero(x):
if type(x) == type(1) or type(x) == type(1.0):
return abs(x)
else:
return “Nope”

print distance_from_zero(-6)
print distance_from_zero(-56.983)
print distance_from_zero(“Abc”)

1 Like
#10

same problem :confused:

#11

please see this topic:

How to ask good questions (and get good answers)

Asking better questions will get better response.

#12

I guess it was fixed, because it now works two years later.

#13

I’m trying to do something similar, and I think the problem is that raw_input() always outputs a string.
I tried using x = int(rawinput("Enter a number: ") to transform the input to an integer, which works if the user types an integer, but fails if they type a float or a string.

#14

Do you still have a question, or?

#15

Not really, just adding information to @stephenmak5974281141 question.
I assume that if you want to use raw_input() for this exercise, you need to check the input somehow before accepting it to the function?

#16

or you could write a separate function which validates the input.

#17

Still happening. What’s the fix?

#18

The instructions: " First, def a function called distance_from_zero , with one argument (choose any argument name you like)."

So I “choose any argument name [I] like”: “distance_from_zero(5)” and get the error. I look at the solution and it says “distance_from_zero(num)” and wont let me do anything but that: “num”

Change the instructions so that the answer is accepted, please. Spending time to get it right when it’s already correct is so exhausting as this is a constant problem throughout all these exercises. I always want to figure out my mistake first just to see there isn’t one. There’s just a specific way you want the answer yet didn’t say that or it’s just not reading it properly. I can’t take pics but I’ve had the exact answer as the Solution but it kept not being accepted.

#19

You got an error because you cannot assign an integer as a parameter in
the function.

In python, a paramater is variable, and should follow the rules for a valid variable name.

Rules for Python variables:

  • A variable name must start with a letter or the underscore character.
  • A variable name
  • A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores (A-z, 0-9, and _ )
  • Variable names are case-sensitive (age, Age and AGE are three different variables)

You cannot assign the integer 5 as a parameter because a variable name can’t begin with a digit.
So, try naming the parameter to ‘anything argument name you like’ EXCEPT integers and keywords.