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16.1: Function Calls

  • Page ID
    15362
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    In the context of programming, a function is a named sequence of statements that performs a computation. When you define a function, you specify the name and the sequence of statements. Later, you can “call” the function by name. We have already seen one example of a function call:

    >>> type(32)
    <type 'int'>
    

    The name of the function is type. The expression in parentheses is called the argument of the function. The result, for this function, is the type of the argument.

    It is common to say that a function “takes” an argument and “returns” a result. The result is called the return value.


    This page titled 16.1: Function Calls is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Allen B. Downey (Green Tea Press) .

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