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Function Arguments and Return Values

In Python, functions can take arguments (also known as parameters) and return values. These features make functions flexible and powerful, enabling code reuse, modularity, and clarity. Here's a detailed explanation of function arguments and return values in Python:

Function Arguments

1. Positional Arguments

Positional arguments are the most common type of argument. The values are passed to the function in the order they are defined.

def greet(first_name, last_name): print(f"Hello, {first_name} {last_name}!") # Calling the function with positional arguments greet("John", "Doe") # Output: Hello, John Doe!



2. Keyword Arguments

Keyword arguments are passed by explicitly specifying the parameter names. This allows you to pass arguments in any order.

def greet(first_name, last_name): print(f"Hello, {first_name} {last_name}!") # Calling the function with keyword arguments greet(last_name="Doe", first_name="John") # Output: Hello, John Doe!



3. Default Arguments

Default arguments allow you to define default values for parameters. If the caller does not provide a value for a parameter with a default value, the default value is used.

def greet(first_name, last_name): print(f"Hello, {first_name} {last_name}!") # Calling the function with keyword arguments greet(last_name="Doe", first_name="John") # Output: Hello, John Doe!



4. Variable-Length Arguments

Variable-length arguments allow you to pass an arbitrary number of arguments to a function. This can be done using *args for non-keyword arguments and **kwargs for keyword arguments.

def print_numbers(*args): for num in args: print(num) # Calling the function with a variable number of arguments print_numbers(1, 2, 3) # Output: # 1 # 2 # 3



def print_info(**kwargs): for key, value in kwargs.items(): print(f"{key}: {value}") # Calling the function with keyword arguments print_info(name="Alice", age=30) # Output: # name: Alice # age: 30



Return Values

Functions can return values using the return statement. The return statement exits the function and optionally passes an expression back to the caller.

Returning a Single Value

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

# Calling the function and storing the return value
result = add(3, 5)
print(result)  # Output: 8


Returning Multiple Values

You can return multiple values from a function as a tuple.

def get_full_name(first_name, last_name): full_name = f"{first_name} {last_name}" length = len(full_name) return full_name, length # Calling the function and unpacking the return values name, name_length = get_full_name("John", "Doe") print(name) # Output: John Doe print(name_length) # Output: 8


Returning a Dictionary

For more complex data, you might want to return a dictionary.

def get_person_info(first_name, last_name, age): return { "first_name": first_name, "last_name": last_name, "age": age } # Calling the function and storing the return value person_info = get_person_info("John", "Doe", 30) print(person_info) # Output: {'first_name': 'John', 'last_name': 'Doe', 'age': 30}



Understanding how to use function arguments and return values effectively allows you to write flexible and reusable code in Python. By mastering these concepts, you can create functions that handle a variety of inputs and produce meaningful outputs.

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