Lesson start ideas | Give a creative idea how to begin a lesson |
Which subject | Computer science |
What age group | College |
What topic | User defined functions in python |
Quantity | 1 |
Any other preferences |
Welcome to the exciting world of computer science! In this lesson, we will be exploring user-defined functions in the Python programming language. A user-defined function is a set of instructions that can be reused multiple times in a program. This allows for more efficient and concise coding.
Before we dive into user-defined functions, let's refresh our memory on what a function is in programming. A function is a block of code that performs a specific task. It can take in input values and produce output values. Functions are a fundamental concept in programming, as they allow us to organize code into modular blocks that can be easily reused.
Now that we know what a function is, let's explore how we can create our own functions in Python. User-defined functions are created by the programmer and are tailored to their specific needs. To create a function, we use the def
keyword followed by the name of the function and its parameters. Here is an example:
def greet(name):
print("Hello, " + name + "!")
In the example above, we have defined a function called greet
that takes in a parameter name
. This function simply prints out a greeting to the screen with the name of the person we pass in as an argument.
Now that we have created our function, we can call it by passing in an argument for the name
parameter. Here's an example:
greet("John")
This will output the following to the screen:
Hello, John!
Congratulations! You now have a basic understanding of user-defined functions in Python. These functions are a powerful tool that can help you write more efficient and modular code. Be sure to practice creating your own functions and experimenting with different parameters and return values. Happy coding!