Python

Pure Functions

Pure functions are functions that return the same result every time, assuming they receive the same inputs. This is made possible by writing the function to be self-contained, meaning it doesn’t rely on variables outside it’s local scope.

Pure functions do not change the external state of the program. They are great for keeping clean code that is easy to debug, but you can’t write an entire program of pure functions, because it wouldn’t actually do anything.

What Are Variables?

If you are brand new to coding, the term variables might not immediately register. It’s important to understand what a variable is, as most coding languages do use them.

So What Are Variables?

Variables are containers that store values, such as:

Numbers:

• Integers (3)
• Float (3.0)
• String (“3”)

Text:

• Strings are plain text and are wrapped in parenthesis to tell Python to interpret the text as text only. “For example, this would be a string”

Boolean:

Your First Bit of Code

Everyone starts with the first program that was ever ran on a computer with a visual interface:

Hello, World!

The purpose of the program is to tell the Python interperter to show “Hello World” on the screen.

Go to your terminal and type the following to check for Python:

python3 --version

If you get an error, be sure to install it. On MacOS, I recommend HomeBrew, but you can use your package installer of choice. For HomeBrew, do the following: