CIS*1500 Lecture 4: Functions Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of Python functions, module dot notation, flow of execution, function classifications, and design recipes.

Function

A named sequence of statements that performs a computation.

Argument

The value passed into a function inside parentheses during a function call, which can be a literal, a variable, or an expression.

Return Value

The value that comes back out of a function call and takes the place of the call in an expression.

max()

A built-in function that returns the largest value among its arguments or within a sequence.

min()

A built-in function that returns the smallest value among its arguments or within a sequence.

len()

A built-in function that returns the total number of items or characters in its argument.

Type Conversion Functions

Built-in functions such as int(), float(), and str() that take a value of one type and return a new value of a different type without modifying the original value.

Truncation

The process performed by int() on float values where the fractional part is chopped off toward zero rather than rounded.

Module

A file containing related functions and variables that can be imported and used in a program.

Dot Notation

The syntax used to access functions or variables inside an imported module by writing the module name, followed by a dot, and then the function or variable name.

def Keyword

The Python keyword used to define a new user-made function.

Function Object

The object created in memory when a function definition statement is executed, which the function's name references.

Flow of Execution

The order in which program statements are executed, proceeding top-to-bottom, where function calls act as detours rather than permanent jumps.

Parameter

The variable name listed inside a function definition's parentheses that refers to the argument value handed into the function.

Local Variable

A variable defined inside a function body that is private to that function, created when called and destroyed upon return.

Fruitful Function

A function that explicitly hands back a value using a return statement.

Void Function

A function that performs an action (such as printing to the screen or writing to a file) but does not return a meaningful value, returning None instead.

None

A unique value of type NoneType used by Python to indicate the absence of a value, such as what is returned by a void function.

Decomposition

The practice of breaking a large program down into smaller, manageable function components.

Design Recipe

A six-field documentation template (Purpose, Parameters, Returns, Effects, Example, Assumption) written before a function body to describe what it does.

Effects (Design Recipe)

The field in a design recipe that documents external changes a function causes outside itself, such as printing output or altering a file.

Example (Design Recipe)

The field in a design recipe showing an actual call to the function alongside its precise expected return value.