Chapter 5: Problem 6

What is the difference between an argument and a parameter?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The difference between an argument and a parameter lies in their roles within a function. A parameter is a variable listed inside the parentheses of a function definition, acting as a placeholder for the value that will be supplied by the function caller. On the other hand, an argument is the actual value (or expression) that is passed to a function when it is called, corresponding to the parameter when the function is executed. In a Python example where `def add_numbers(num1, num2)` is the function definition, "num1" and "num2" are parameters, while the values "4" and "7" passed to `add_numbers(4, 7)` are the arguments.

Step by step solution

Define Parameter

A parameter is a variable listed inside the parentheses of function definition. It acts as a placeholder for the value that will be supplied by the function caller. Parameters define what types of inputs the function expects.

Define Argument

An argument is the actual value (or expression) that is passed to a function when it is called (or invoked). The argument corresponds to the parameter when the function is executed.

Provide Examples

Let's take an example for better understanding: ```python def add_numbers(num1, num2): # num1 and num2 are parameters return num1 + num2 result = add_numbers(4, 7) # 4 and 7 are arguments ``` In this example, "num1" and "num2" are parameters defined in the "add_numbers" function, while "4" and "7" are the arguments passed to the "add_numbers" function when it was called.

Summarize the Differences

In summary, parameters are used in the function definition as placeholders to define the input types that the function can accept, while arguments are the actual values passed to the function when it is called.

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What is the difference between an argument and a parameter?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Define Parameter

Define Argument

Provide Examples

Summarize the Differences

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