Python Functions

In Python, a function is a group of related statements that perform a specific task. Functions help break our program into smaller and modular chunks. As our program grows larger and more complex, functions make it more organized and manageable.

Functions in Python are defined using the def keyword. Here's an example of a simple function that takes two arguments and returns their sum:

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def add(a, b):
    return a + b
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To call a function, we simply use the function name followed by a set of parentheses that can include arguments separated by commas. Here's an example of how to call the add function:

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result = add(3, 4)
print(result) # Output: 7
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In Python, functions can also return multiple values. For example, here's a function that returns two values:

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def divide(a, b):
    quotient = a / b
    remainder = a % b
    return quotient, remainder

quotient, remainder = divide(9, 4)
print("Quotient:", quotient) # Output: Quotient: 2.25
print("Remainder:", remainder) # Output: Remainder: 1
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Functions can also take optional arguments that have a default value specified in the function definition. For example:

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def greet(name, message="Hello"):
    print(message, name)

greet("John") # Output: Hello John
greet("Jane", "Hi") # Output: Hi Jane
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In addition to these, Python also supports the use of keyword arguments and arbitrary argument lists. Keyword arguments allow us to specify arguments by name, while arbitrary argument lists allow us to pass a variable number of arguments to a function.

In conclusion, functions are an essential part of Python programming and can greatly simplify and improve the structure of your code. By breaking your code into reusable and modular blocks, you can make it more organized, easier to maintain, and more readable.