We've covered a lot about functions - creating them, using parameters, returning values, defaults, and scope. Now let's put it all together by building useful functions from scratch!
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Ready to become a function-building expert?
Let's design a function step-by-step. We want to calculate the final grade for a student. What information do we need? A list of scores and maybe different weights for assignments.
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What would you name this function?
Here's our plan: take scores and weights, calculate weighted average, then return a letter grade. Notice how we're breaking this complex task into smaller, manageable steps within one function.
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Can you see the logical flow?
Before we implement our function, let's learn about a helpful Python tool. The sum() function is built into Python (just like print()) and adds up all numbers in a list:
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You see how pre-defined functions like sum() make our code much cleaner?
Another useful tool is , which pairs up items from two lists. It's named after a zipper. This tool is perfect when you need to work with corresponding elements:
