Boston Python Workshop 3/Friday/Tutorial: Difference between revisions

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* Functions do some useful bit of work. We save that useful bit of work inside the function so we don't have to type it over and over again every time we want to use it. So, for example, some nice person decided that being able to determine the type of an object was useful, so he or she put the Python code that figures out an object's type into the function <code>type</code>, and now we all get to use it, instead of having to write it ourselves.
* Functions do some useful bit of work. We save that useful bit of work inside the function so we don't have to type it over and over again every time we want to use it. So, for example, some nice person decided that being able to determine the type of an object was useful, so he or she put the Python code that figures out an object's type into the function <code>type</code>, and now we all get to use it, instead of having to write it ourselves.
* Functions are a lot like functions in math class. You provide input to a function and it produces output. The <code>type</code> function takes data as an input, and produces what type of data the data is (e.g. an integer or a float) as output.
* Functions are a lot like functions in math class. You provide input to a function and it produces output. The <code>type</code> function takes data as an input, and produces what type of data the data is (e.g. an integer or a float) as output.
* To use a function, write the name of the function followed by an open parenthesis, possibly some data (we call that data the <b>arguments</b> to the function), and then a close parenthesis.
* To use a function, write the name of the function followed by an open parenthesis, what the function takes as input (we call that input the <b>arguments</b> to the function), and then a close parenthesis.


So in this case 'type' is the name of the function, and it takes one argument; in the example we first give <code>type</code> an argument of 1 and then give it an argument of 1.0.
So in this case 'type' is the name of the function, and it takes one argument; in the example we first give <code>type</code> an argument of 1 and then give it an argument of 1.0.
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