Day 7: Functions & Modules (Part II) + Review

Today we’ll build on what you learned in Day 6 by deepening your understanding of functions and
modules. We'll review key concepts and explore some advanced function topics that make your
code even more flexible and powerful.

Step 1: Quick Review of Day 6

Functions Recap

• Defining a Function:
Use def to define a block of code that can be reused.

def greet():

print("Hello!")

greet()

• Parameters, Arguments, and Return Values:

def add(a, b):

return a + b

result = add(2, 3)

print(result) # Output: 5

• Default and Keyword Arguments:

def introduce(name="Guest", age=0):

print(f"My name is {name} and I am {age} years old.")

introduce()

introduce(name="Alice", age=28)

Modules Recap

• Importing Modules:
Leverage Python’s standard library or your own modules.

import math

print("Square root of 16 is", math.sqrt(16))

• Creating Your Own Module:

# In mymodule.py:

def multiply(a, b):

# In your main script:

import mymodule

print("Product:", mymodule.multiply(4, 5))

Step 2: Advanced Function Topics

A. Variable Length Arguments

Using *args for Positional Arguments:

• Purpose: Allow a function to accept an arbitrary number of positional arguments.

• Example:

def greet_all(*names):

for name in names:

print("Hello,", name)

greet_all("Alice", "Bob", "Charlie")

Using **kwargs for Keyword Arguments:

• Purpose: Accept an arbitrary number of keyword arguments (as a dictionary).

• Example:

def print_pet_info(**pet):

for key, value in pet.items():

print(f"{key}: {value}")

print_pet_info(name="Buddy", species="Dog", age=5)

B. Lambda Functions

• Definition:
A lambda function is a small, anonymous function defined with the lambda keyword. It’s
ideal for short, one-line functions.

• Example:

square = lambda x: x * x

print("Square of 5:", square(5))

• Map:
Apply a function to every item in an iterable.

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

squares = list(map(lambda x: x**2, numbers))

print("Squares:", squares)

• Filter:
Select items from an iterable that satisfy a condition.

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

even_numbers = list(filter(lambda x: x % 2 == 0, numbers))

print("Even numbers:", even_numbers)

• Reduce:
Apply a rolling computation to sequential pairs of values in an iterable (requires importing
from functools).

from functools import reduce

total = reduce(lambda x, y: x + y, numbers)

print("Total:", total)

D. (Optional) Introduction to Decorators

• Definition:
Decorators are functions that modify the behavior of other functions.

• Example:

def simple_decorator(func):

def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):

print("Before function call")

result = func(*args, **kwargs)

print("After function call")

return result

return wrapper

@simple_decorator

def say_hello(name):

print(f"Hello, {name}!")
 say_hello("Alice")

Note: Decorators are an advanced topic. Feel free to explore them further when you’re comfortable
with the basics.

Step 3: Module Review & Advanced Usage

Creating and Using Your Own Modules

• Recap:
Save related functions in a file and import them in your script.

• Example:

1. Create mymath.py:

# mymath.py

def add(a, b):

return a + b

def multiply(a, b):

return a * b

2. Use the Module:

import mymath

print("Addition:", mymath.add(2, 3))

print("Multiplication:", mymath.multiply(2, 3))

• Action:
Visit the Python Standard Library documentation for more details.

Step 4: Hands-On Exercises

Exercise 1: Sum with Variable Length Arguments

• Task:
Write a function that accepts any number of numerical arguments and returns their sum.

• Sample Code:

def sum_all(*numbers):

return sum(numbers)
 print("Sum of 1, 2, 3 is:", sum_all(1, 2, 3))

Exercise 2: Create and Import Your Own Module

• Task:
Create a module called string_utils.py with a function to reverse a string. Then, import and
use that function in another script.

• Sample Code:

string_utils.py:

def reverse_string(s):

return s[::-1]

Main script:

import string_utils

print("Reversed 'hello':", string_utils.reverse_string("hello"))

Exercise 3: Lambda and Filter

• Task:
Use a lambda function with filter to create a new list containing only even numbers from a
given list.

• Sample Code:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

even_numbers = list(filter(lambda x: x % 2 == 0, numbers))

print("Even numbers:", even_numbers)

Step 5: Experiment in the Python Interactive Shell

1. Open the Shell:

python

2. Try Out Some Commands:

# Testing variable length arguments

def test_args(*args):

print("Arguments received:", args)

test_args(10, 20, 30)

# Testing lambda with map

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
 print("Doubled numbers:", list(map(lambda x: x * 2, numbers)))

# Testing **kwargs

def test_kwargs(**kwargs):

print("Keyword arguments:", kwargs)

test_kwargs(a=1, b=2, c=3)

3. Exit the Shell:

exit()

Step 6: Additional Learning Resources

• Python Official Documentation – Defining Functions: