Introduction to Computing Using Python

Execution Control Structures

§ Conditional Structures
§ Iteration Patterns, Part I
§ Two-Dimensional Lists
§ while Loop
§ Iteration Patterns, Part II

Original slides by Ljubomir Perkovic

Modified by Gene Moo Lee and Mi Zhou
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

One-way if statement

if <condition>:
if temp > 86:
<indented code block>
print('It is hot!')
<non-indented statement>
print('Be sure to drink liquids.')
print('Goodbye.')

The value of temp is 50.

90.

True
temp > 86:

print('It is hot!')
False

print('Be sure to drink liquids.')

Print('Goodbye.')
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Two-way if statement
if <condition>: if temp > 86:
<indented code block 1> print('It is hot!')
else: print('Be sure to drink liquids.')
<indented code block 2> else:
<non-indented statement> print('It is not hot.')
print('Bring a jacket.')
print('Goodbye.')

The value of temp is 50.

90.

False True
temp > 86:

print('It is not hot!') print('It is hot!')

print('Bring a jacket.') print('Be sure to drink liquids.')

print(‘Goodbye.')
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Multi-way if statement

def temperature(t):
if t > 86: True
print('It is hot') t > 86:
elif t > 32:
print('It is cool')
else: False
print('It is freezing’)
print('Goodbye')

ch5_codes.py True
print('It is hot')
t > 32:

print('It is cool')
False

print('It is freezing')

print('Goodbye')
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Ordering of conditions
What is the wrong with this re-implementation of temperature()?

def temperature2(t): def temperature(t):

if t > 32: if 86 >= t > 32:
print('It is cool') print('It is cool')
elif t > 86: elif t > 86:
print('It is hot') print('It is hot')
else: # t <= 32 else: # t <= 32
print('It is freezing') print('It is freezing')
print('Goodbye') print('Goodbye')
ch5_codes.py

The conditions must be def temperature(t):

if t > 86:
mutually exclusive, print('It is hot')
either explicitly or implicitly elif t > 32: # 86 >= t > 32
print('It is cool')
else: # t <= 32
print('It is freezing')
print('Goodbye')
 Let’s practice!
• Jupyter Notebook:
Canvas –> Modules –> Execution Control

6
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 1)

Write function BMI() that:
• takes as input a person’s height (in inches) and weight (in pounds)
• computes the person’s BMI and prints an assessment, as shown below
The function does not return anything.

The Body Mass Index is the value (weight * 703)/height2 . Indexes below 18.5 or
above 25.0 are assessed as underweight and overweight, respectively; indexes in
between are considered normal.

>>> BMI(190, 75)

Normal
>>> BMI(140, 75)
Underweight
>>> BMI(240, 75)
Overweight
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Iteration

for <variable> in <sequence>:

The general format of a for loop statement is <indented code block>
<non-indented code block>

<indented code block> is executed once for every item in <sequence>

• If <sequence> is a string then the items are its characters

(each of which is a one-character string)

• If <sequence> is a list then the items are the objects in the list

<non-indented code block> is executed after every item in <sequence>

has been processed

There are different for loop usage patterns

 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Iteration loop pattern

Iterating over every item of an explicit sequence

>>> name = 'Apple'

>>> for char in name:
print(char)

name = 'A p p l e'

A
p
char = 'A' p
l
e
char = 'p'
char = 'p'
char = 'l'
char = 'e'
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Iteration loop pattern

Iterating over every item of an explicit sequence

for word in ['stop', 'desktop', 'post', 'top']:

if 'top' in word:
print(word)

word = 'stop'

word = 'desktop'
>>>
stop
word = 'post' desktop
top

word = 'top'
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Iteration loop pattern

Iterating over every item of an explicit sequence

• iterating over the characters of a text file

>>> infile = open('test.txt')

>>> content = infile.read()
>>> for char in content:
print(char, end='')

• iterating over the lines of a text file

>>> infile = open('test.txt')

>>> lines = infile.readlines()
>>> for line in lines:
print(line, end='')
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Counter loop pattern

Iterating over an implicit sequence of numbers

>>> n = 10
>>> for i in range(n):
print(i, end=' ')

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

>>> for i in range(7, 100, 17):

print(i, end=' ')

7 24 41 58 75 92

>>> for i in range(len('world')): This example illustrates

print(i, end=' ') the most important
application of the
0 1 2 3 4 counter loop pattern
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Counter loop pattern

Iterating over an implicit sequence of numbers

>>> pets = ['cat', 'dog', 'fish', 'bird']
ch5_codes.py
>>> for animal in pets: >>> for i in range(len(pets)):
print(animal, end=' ') print(pets[i], end=' ')

cat dog fish bird cat dog fish bird

animal = 'cat' i = 0 pets[0] is printed

animal = 'dog' i = 1 pets[1] is printed

animal = 'fish' i = 2 pets[2] is printed

animal = 'bird' i = 3 pets[3] is printed

 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Counter loop pattern

(Notebook Problem 2)
Iterating over an implicit sequence of numbers… But why complicate things?

Let’s develop function checkSorted() that:

• takes a list of comparable items as input
• returns True if the sequence is increasing, False otherwise

>>> checkSorted([2, 4, 6, 8, 10])

True Implementation idea:
>>> checkSorted([2, 4, 6, 3, 10]) check that adjacent pairs
False
>>> are correctly ordered

def checkSorted(lst):
'return True if sequence lst is increasing, False otherwise'
for num
i inin
range(len(lst)-1):
range(0,
range(len(lst)):
lst: len(lst)-1):
# compare
i = 0, 1,
num
lst[i]
2,with
...,
with
next
len(lst)-2
lst[i+1]
number in list
#
ifcompare
lst[i] >
lst[i]
<=lst[i+1]:
lst[i+1]:
with lst[i+1]
return
# correctly
Falseordered, continue on
return
# all
else:
adjacent
True pairs are correctly ordered, return true
# incorrectly ordered, return false ch5_codes.py
 Let’s practice!
• Jupyter Notebook:
Canvas –> Modules –> Execution Control

15
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 3)

Write function arithmetic() that: >>> arithmetic([3, 6, 9, 12, 15])
• takes as input a list of numbers True
• returns True if the numbers in the >>> arithmetic([3, 6, 9, 11, 14])
False
list form an arithmetic sequence, >>> arithmetic([3])
False otherwise True
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Accumulator loop pattern

Accumulating something in every loop iteration >>> lst = [3, 2, 7, 1, 9]

>>> res = 0
>>> for num in lst:
res =res
res+=+ num
num
For example: the sum of numbers in a list >>> res
22

lst = [3, 2, 7, 1, 9] res = 0 shorthand notation

num = 3 res = res + num (= 3)

accumulator
num = 2 res = res + num (= 5)
num = 7 res = res + num (= 12)
num = 1 res = res + num (= 13)
num = 9 res = res + num (= 22)
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Accumulator loop pattern

Accumulating something in every loop iteration

What if we wanted to obtain the product instead? >>> lst = [3, 2, 7, 1, 9]

>>> res = 1
What should res be initialized to? >>> for num in lst:
res *= num

lst = [3, 2, 7, 1, 9] res = 1

num = 3 res *= num (= 3)

num = 2 res *= num (= 6)
num = 7 res *= num (= 42)
num = 1 res *= num (= 42)
num = 9 res *= num (= 378)
 Let’s practice!
• Jupyter Notebook:
Canvas –> Modules –> Execution Control

19
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 4)

Write function factorial() that:
• takes a non-negative integer n as input
• returns n!

n!= n ´ (n -1) ´ (n - 2) ´ (n - 3) ´ ... ´ 3 ´ 2 ´ 1 if n > 0

0!= 1

>>> factorial(0)
1
>>> factorial(1) def factorial(n):
1 'returns n! for input integer n'
>>> factorial(3) res = 1
6 for i in range(2, n+1):
>>> factorial(6) res *= i
720 return res

ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 5)

Write function acronym() that:
• takes a phrase (i.e., a string) as input
• returns the acronym for the phrase

>>> acronym('Random access memory')

'RAM'
>>> acronym("GNU's not UNIX")
'GNU'
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 6)

Write function divisors() that:
• takes a positive integer n as input
• returns the list of positive divisors of n

>>> divisors(1)
[1]
>>> divisors(6)
[1, 2, 3, 6]
>>> divisors(11)
[1, 11]
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Nested loop pattern

Nesting a loop inside another loop

>>> n = 5
>>> nested(n)
0 1 2 3 4
>>>

def nested(n):
for i
j in range(n):
for i in end='
print(i, range(n):
')
print(i, end=' ’)
')
print()

ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Nested loop pattern

Nesting a loop inside another loop

>>> n = 5
>>> nested(n)
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
>>>

def nested(n):
for j in range(n):
for i in range(n):
print(i, end=' ')

ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Nested loop pattern

Nesting a loop inside another loop

>>> n = 5
>>> nested(n)
0 1 2 3 4
>>>
0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4

def nested(n):
for j in range(n):
for i in range(n):
print(i, end=' ’)
')
print()

ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Nested loop pattern

>>> n = 5
>>> nested2(n)
0
Nesting a loop inside another loop 0 1
0 1 2
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4

When j = 0 inner for loop should print 0

When j = 1 inner for loop should print 0 1
When j = 2 inner for loop should print 0 1 2
When j = 3 inner for loop should print 0 1 2 3
When j = 4 inner for loop should print 0 1 2 3 4

def nested2(n):
for j in range(n):
for i in range(j+1):
range(n):
print(i, end=' ’)
print()

ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 7)

Write function inBoth() that takes:
• 2 lists as input
and returns True if there is an item that is common to both lists and False otherwise

>>> inBoth([3, 2, 5, 4, 7], [9, 0, 1, 3])

True
>>> inBoth([2, 5, 4, 7], [9, 0, 1, 3])
False
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 8)

Write function pairSum() that takes as input:
• a list of numbers
• a target value
and prints the indexes of all pairs of values in the list that add up to the target value

>>> pairSum([7, 8, 5, 3, 4, 6], 11)

0 4
1 3
2 5
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Two-dimensional lists

The list [3, 5, 7, 9] can be viewed as a 1-D table

[3, 5, 7, 9] = 3 5 7 9 >>> lst = [[3,5,7,9],

[0,2,1,6],
[3,8,3,1]]
How to represent a 2-D table? >>> lst
0 1 2 3 [[3, 5, 7, 9],
[0, 2, 1, 6],
[ [3, 5, 7, 9] = 0 3 5 7 9 [3, 8, 3, 1]]
>>> lst[0]
[0, 2, 1, 6] = 1 0 2 1 6 [3, 5, 7, 9]
>>> lst[1]
[3, 8, 3, 1] ]= 2 3 8 3 1 [0, 2, 1, 6]
>>> lst[2]
[3, 8, 3, 1]
>>> lst[0][0]
A 2-D table is just a list of rows (i.e., 1-D tables) 3
>>> lst[1][2]
1
>>> lst[2][0]
3
>>>
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Nested loop pattern and 2-D lists

A nested loop is often needed to access all objects in a 2-D list

def print2D(t):
'prints values in 2D list t as a 2D table' >>> table = [[3, 5, 7, 9],
# for
for row
every
in t:
row of t [0, 2, 1, 6],
# for
for item
every
in row
object in the row [3, 8, 3, 1]]
# print object
print(item, end=' ') >>> print2D(table)
print() 3 5 7 9
ch5_codes.py
0 2 1 6
(Using the iteration loop pattern) 3 8 3 1
>>> incr2D(t)
>>> print2D(t)
def incr2D(t): 4 6 8 10
'increments each number in 2D list t' 1 3 2 7
nrows
# nrows
= =
len(t)
number of rows in t 4 9 4 2
#
ncols
for
ncols
every
= len(t[0])
= number
row index
of columns
i in t >>>
# for every column index j
for i int[i][j]
range(nrows):
+= 1
for j in range(ncols):
t[i][j] += 1 ch5_codes.py
(Using the counter loop pattern)
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 9)

Implement function pixels() that takes as input:
• a two-dimensional list of nonnegative integer entries (representing the
values of pixels of an image)
and returns the number of entries that are positive (i.e., the number of pixels that are
not dark). Your function should work on two-dimensional lists of any size.

>>> lst = [[0, 156, 0, 0], [34, 0, 0, 0], [23, 123, 0, 34]]
>>> pixels(lst)
5
>>> l = [[123, 56, 255], [34, 0, 0], [23, 123, 0], [3, 0, 0]]
>>> pixels(lst)
7
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

while loop

if <condition>:
<indented code block>
<non-indented statement>

while <condition>:
<indented code block>
<non-indented statement> True
condition

<indented code block>

False

<non-indented statement>
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

while loop

Example: compute the smallest

multiple of 7 greater than 37. i = 7

Idea: generate multiples of 7 until

we get a number greater than 37
i = 21
14
35
28
42
7
>>> i = 7 True
>>> while i <= 37: i <= 37 ?
i += 7

>>> i
i += 7
42 False

i
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Sequence loop pattern

Generating a sequence that reaches the desired solution

Fibonacci sequence

1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 . . .
+ + + + + + + +

Goal: the first Fibonnaci number greater than some bound ch5_codes.py

def fibonacci(bound):
'returns the smallest Fibonacci number greater than bound'
bound’
previous = 1 # previous Fibonacci number
current = 1 # current Fibonacci number
while current <= bound:
# current
not donebecomes
yet, make
previous,
currentand
be new
nextcurrent
Fibonacci
is computed
number
previous, current = current, previous+current
return current
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Infinite loop pattern

An infinite loop provides a continuous service

>>> hello2() A greeting service
What is your name? Sam
Hello Sam
What is your name? Tim
Hello Tim The server could instead be a
What is your name? Alex
Hello Alex
time server, or a web server,
What is your name? or a mail server, or…

def hello2():
'''a greeting service; it repeatedly requests the name
of the user and then greets the user''’

while True:
name = input('What is your name? ')
print('Hello {}'.format(name))
ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Loop-and-a-half pattern

Cutting the last loop iteration “in half”

Example: a function that creates >>> cities()
a list of cities entered by the user Enter city: Lisbon
Enter city: San Francisco
and returns it Enter city: Hong Kong
Enter city:
The empty string is a “flag” that ['Lisbon', 'San Francisco', 'Hong Kong']
indicates the end of the input >>>

def cities():
lst = []

city = input('Enter city: ')

accumulator pattern
while city != '':
lst.append(city)
city = input('Enter city: ')

return lst
ch5_codes.py ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Loop-and-a-half pattern

Cutting the last loop iteration “in half”

Example: a function that creates >>> cities()
a list of cities entered by the user Enter city: Lisbon
Enter city: San Francisco
and returns it Enter city: Hong Kong
Enter city:
The empty string is a “flag” that ['Lisbon', 'San Francisco', 'Hong Kong']
indicates the end of the input >>>

def cities():
lst = []

city = input('Enter city: ')

awkward and not quite
while city != '':
lst.append(city)
intuitive
city = input('Enter city: ')

return lst
ch5_codes.py ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Loop-and-a-half pattern

Cutting the last loop iteration “in half”

Example: a function that creates >>> cities()
a list of cities entered by the user Enter city: Lisbon
Enter city: San Francisco
and returns it Enter city: Hong Kong
Enter city:
The empty string is a “flag” that ['Lisbon', 'San Francisco', 'Hong Kong']
indicates the end of the input >>>

def cities2():
lst = []

last loop iteration stops here while

# repeat:
True:
accumulator
awkward pattern
# ask
city =user toand notcity
input('Enter
enter quite ')
city:
intuitive
# if
if city
user
==entered
'': flag
# then return
return lst lst

# append city to lst

lst.append(city)
ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

The break statement

The break statement:

• is used inside the body of a loop
• when executed, it interrupts the current iteration of the loop
• execution continues with the statement that follows the loop body.

def cities2(): def cities3():

lst = [] lst = []

while True: while True:

city = input('Enter city: ') city = input('Enter city: ')

if city == '': if city == '':

return lst break

lst.append(city) lst.append(city)

return lst

ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

break and continue statements

The break statement:

• is used inside the body of a loop
• when executed, it interrupts the current iteration of the loop
• execution continues with the statement that follows the loop body.

>>> before0(table) >>> table = [ >>> ignore0(table)

2 3 [2, 3, 0, 6], 2 3 6
[0, 3, 4, 5], 3 4 5
4 5 6 [4, 5, 6, 0]] 4 5 6

def before0(table): def ignore0(table):

for row in table: for row in table:
for num in row: for num in row:
if num == 0: if num == 0:
break continue
print(num, end=' ’) print(num, end=' ’)
print() print()

ch5_codes.py ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

break and continue statements

The continue statement:

• is used inside the body of a loop
• when executed, it interrupts the current iteration of the loop
• execution continues with next iteration of the loop
In both cases, only the innermost loop is affected

>>> before0(table) >>> table = [ >>> ignore0(table)

2 3 [2, 3, 0, 6], 2 3 6
[0, 3, 4, 5], 3 4 5
4 5 6 [4, 5, 6, 0]] 4 5 6

def before0(table): def ignore0(table):

for row in table: for row in table:
for num in row: for num in row:
if num == 0: if num == 0:
break continue
print(num, end=' ’) print(num, end=' ’)
print() print()

ch5_codes.py ch5_codes.py
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 10)

Write function negative() that:

• takes a list of numbers as input
• returns the index of the first negative number in the list
or -1 if there is no negative number in the list

>>> lst = [3, 1, -7, -4, 9, -2]

>>> negative(lst)
2
>>> negative([1, 2, 3])
-1
 Introduction to Computing Using Python

Exercise (Notebook Problem 11)

1. Write function power() that:
• takes a positive integer n as input
• print 2**i for i = 1, 2, …, n
• return nothing

>>> power(2)
2 4
>>> power(3)
2 4 8
>>> power(10)
2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1024