Chapter 6: Problem 5

When a function accepts multiple arguments, does it matter in what order the arguments are passed in?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The order of arguments passed to a function matters for positional arguments, as these arguments are passed in the order they are defined in the function. Changing the order of positional arguments can lead to incorrect results or errors. On the other hand, the order does not matter for keyword arguments, as they are passed using the name of the parameter followed by an equal sign and the value. As long as the correct name is used for each argument, their order is not important.

Step by step solution

Understand the Concept of Arguments

An argument is a value that is passed to a function when it is called. A function can accept multiple arguments. These arguments can be of two types: positional and keyword arguments. Understanding these types of arguments will help us understand if the order matters when passing multiple arguments to a function.

Positional Arguments

Positional arguments are arguments that are passed in the order they are defined in the function. The order of these arguments matters. If the order of the arguments is changed, it may lead to incorrect results or errors. Let's see an example with a simple function: Defining the function: ```python def subtract(a, b): return a - b ``` Calling the function with positional arguments (order matters): ```python result1 = subtract(5, 3) # Returns 2 result2 = subtract(3, 5) # Returns -2 ``` As we can see, changing the order of the arguments in this case resulted in different outputs.

Keyword Arguments

Keyword arguments are arguments that are passed to a function using the name of the parameter, followed by an equal sign and the value. The order of keyword arguments does not matter, as long as the correct name is used for each argument. Let's see an example with the same function: Defining the function: ```python def subtract(a, b): return a - b ``` Calling the function with keyword arguments (order does not matter): ```python result1 = subtract(a=5, b=3) # Returns 2 result2 = subtract(b=3, a=5) # Also returns 2 ``` In this case, the order of the arguments do not matter, as we have specified the parameter names.

Conclusion

The order of the arguments passed to a function matters for positional arguments and does not matter for keyword arguments. Using keyword arguments can help overcome the issues of incorrect ordering, while positional arguments require the correct order to prevent errors or incorrect results.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

Full Textbook Solutions
Get detailed explanations and key concepts
Unlimited Al creation
Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...
Ads-free access
To over 500 millions flashcards
Money-back guarantee
We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

Recommended explanations on Computer Science Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

When a function accepts multiple arguments, does it matter in what order the arguments are passed in?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understand the Concept of Arguments

Positional Arguments

Keyword Arguments

Conclusion

One App. One Place for Learning.

Most popular questions from this chapter

Recommended explanations on Computer Science Textbooks

Computer Organisation and Architecture

Databases

Theory of Computation

Computer Programming

Algorithms in Computer Science

Computer Network

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.