Review

• Abstraction

• Expression and evaluation

• Operator and operand
• Value and type
• Name and variable

• Assignment

• Memory model
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Computing Bootcamp

Functions

Lecture 2-1

Hyung-Sin Kim

SNU Graduate School of Data Science

Computing Bootcamp SNU Graduate School of Data Science 2
 Defining Our Own Functions
• Python does provide useful built-in functions (e.g., max, min…), but they
are not enough

• For example, assume that we want to covert celsius degree to fahrenheit

degree
• convert_to_fahrenheit(10)
• We want to get 50 (Equation: fahrenheit = celsius * 9/5 + 32)
• But we get an error when typing it, which means that there is no function named
“convert_to_fahrenheit”

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 Defining Our Own Functions
• Let’s make our own function “convert_to_fahrenheit”
• def convert_to_fahrenheit(celsius):
• return celsius * 9 / 5 + 32

• Function body is indented! Without the indentation, you will see an error
• Indentation must be the same block of codes

• Let’s do this again

• convert_to_fahrenheit(10)
• And change the argument freely!

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 Defining Our Own Functions – Exercise
• Define “convert_to_celsius(fahrenheit),” which converts fahrenheit
degree to celsius degree

• Can someone screen-capture and share on the chat?

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 Defining Our Own Functions – Generalization
• def <<function_name>> (<<parameters>>):
function header
• <<function_body>>

• Parameters are variables

• Most functions have a return statement at the end of the function body
• return <<expression>>
• It evaluates the expression, produces a value, which is the result of the function
call

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 Local Variables
• Implement “convert_to_fahrenheit” in a different way
• def convert_to_fahrenheit(celsius):
• a=9/5
• b = 32
• return celsius * a + b

• Local variables: Variables created within a function

• Parameters are also local variables
• There are erased when the function returns (cannot be used outside of the function)

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 Namespace
• When Python executes a function call, it creates a namespace in which to
store local variables for that call

• If a variable name in the namespace is same as a variable in another

namespace, Python just considers the current namespace!

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Computing Bootcamp

Memory Models for Function

Calls
Lecture 2-2

Hyung-Sin Kim

SNU Graduate School of Data Science

Computing Bootcamp SNU Graduate School of Data Science 9
 So… what happens when you call a function?

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 Execute a Function Call
• max(3+8, 5)
• Step 1: Evaluate the arguments left to right.

• Step 2: Create a namespace to hold the function call’s local variables, including
the parameters.

• Step 3: Pass the resulting argument values into the function by assigning them to
the parameters

• Step 4: Execute the function body. When a return statement is executed, the
function terminates and the value of the expression in the return statement is used
as the value of the function call

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
Frames for
Memory objects
namspaces
• x=5
• x = doubling(x+5)

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global

• x=5
• x = doubling(x+5)

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5
• x = doubling(x+5)

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)
• Evaluate argument and get a value (10) 10
• Using x in the global namespace

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)
• Evaluate argument and get a value (10) doubling 10
• Using x in the global namespace
• Creating a namespace

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)
• Evaluate argument and get a value (10) doubling 10
x
• Using x in the global namespace
• Creating a namespace
• Assign the argument value to the function parameter

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)
• Evaluate argument and get a value (10) doubling 10
x
• Using x in the global namespace
• Creating a namespace 20

• Assign the argument value to the function parameter

• Get the return value of the function

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)
• Evaluate argument and get a value (10) doubling 10
x
• Using x in the global namespace
Return value
• Creating a namespace 20

• Assign the argument value to the function parameter

• Get the return value of the function

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 Memory Model for Function Call
• def doubling(x):
frames objects
• return 2*x
• global func doubling(…)
doubling
• x=5 x
5
• x = doubling(x+5)
• Evaluate argument and get a value (10) doubling 10
x
• Using x in the global namespace
Return value
• Creating a namespace 20

• Assign the argument value to the function parameter

• Get the return value of the function
• Terminate the function and assign the result to x

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Computing Bootcamp SNU Graduate School of Data Science 23
Computing Bootcamp

Function Design

Lecture 2-3

Hyung-Sin Kim

SNU Graduate School of Data Science

Computing Bootcamp SNU Graduate School of Data Science 24
 To write your own functions…

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 Guidelines for Designing New Functions
• Recall what coding is…
• Coding is writing an algorithm using programming language
• Meaning that you must have an algorithm (a plan) in advance!

• Writing a good essay/paper requires planning

• Topic, background material, outline, body

• Writing a good function does need a plan!

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 Guidelines for Designing New Functions
• Whenever writing a new function, you need to answer the following
questions
• Name: What do you name the function?
• Param: What are the parameters, and what types of information do they refer to?
• Body: What calculations are you doing with that information?
• Return: What information does the function return?
• Test: Does it work like you expect it to?

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 Example of Function Design
• We want to write a function for calculating difference between two days

• Step 1: Determine function name according to what it does

• days_difference
• Step 2: Determine parameters and return value
• Parameters: day1 (int), day2 (int)
• Return value: difference between the two days
• Step 3: Make some test cases (your expectation)
• days_difference(200, 224) 24
• days_difference(27, 27) 0
• days_difference(18, 30) 12

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 Example of Function Design
• Step 4: Write the function header
• def days_difference(day1: int, day2: int) -> int:
• Step 5: Write a short description
• # Return the number of days between day1 and day2, which are both in the range
1-365 (thus indicating the day of the year)
• This is a very important step, both for you and your co-workers!
• Step 6: Write the function body
• return day2 – day1
• Step 7: Test
• Confirm if your function works well for the test cases you made

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 Summary
• Function structure (header and body)

• Namespace and local variable

• What happens when you call a function

• Guidelines for writing a new function

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 Thanks!

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