Learn Range Function

The range() function in Python is a built-in function that generates a sequence of numbers.

It is often used for iterating over a sequence with loops, particularly when you need to execute a loop a specific number of times.

This is ideal for handling tasks that involve a predictable repetition pattern, such as restocking shelves or scheduling sales in a grocery store setting.

Let's see how Alex utilizes the range() function to manage routine tasks in our grocery store scenario efficiently:

Syntax and Arguments

The range() function lets you create a sequence of numbers for looping. You can use it with up to three arguments:

range(start, stop, step)

start: the number where the sequence begins; defaults to 0 if you leave it out;
stop: the number where the sequence ends, but this number is not included;
step: how much to count up (or down) each time; defaults to 1 if you leave it out.

You can use just one, two, or all three arguments to control how your loop counts.

A Single Argument

When the range() function is given a single argument, it treats this as the stop parameter.

In our example, it generates a sequence of 7 elements starting from 0 and ending at 6. The loop iterates over these elements, representing the first 7 days the store is open.


              123
            
# Announce store opening every day for 7 days
for day in range(7):
    print(f"Good morning! The store is now open on day {day}.")

Note

The sequence starts at 0 and ends at 6. This happens because Python often starts counting from 0, which reduces the need to adjust indexing in many situations.

Two Arguments

When two arguments are provided, like 25 (start) and 32 (stop), range() generates a sequence from 25 to 31 (since the stop value is excluded from the sequence).


              123
            
# Planning seasonal sale days in the last week of December
for day in range(25, 32):
    print(f"Seasonal sale on December {day}.")

Note

With this method of indexing, where the end element is excluded, you can easily calculate the number of elements in the sequence by subtracting the start argument from the stop argument. For example, 32 - 25 = 7, meaning there are 7 elements in the sequence.

Three Arguments

By adding a third argument to range(), you introduce a step value, which defines the increment between each number in the sequence.

In this example, range() takes 1 (start), 13 (stop), and 3 (step), producing the numbers 1, 4, 7, 10. These can represent the starting hours of staff shifts during a 12-hour workday.


              123
            
# Schedule staff shifts every three hours throughout a 12-hour day
for hour in range(1, 13, 3):
    print(f"Staff shift starts at hour {hour}.")

Example Application

You can use the range() function to loop through each day of the week and assign a task for that day. This helps you organize what needs to be done in the grocery store all week long.


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# List of simple daily tasks for a week
tasks = [
    "Fruits",
    "Dairy",
    "Meat",
    "Veggies",
    "Bakery",
    "Displays",
    "Sales Report"
]

# List of weekdays for each task
weekdays = [
    "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday", "Sunday"
]

# Print the task for each weekday
for day in range(7):
    print(f"{weekdays[day]}: {tasks[day]}")

In the code above, the range() function generates numbers from 0 to 6, allowing the loop to access each day and its corresponding task by index, making it easy to organize daily tasks in the grocery store.

Task

Swipe to start coding

Use two lists — weekdays and daily_promotions — to print the promotion assigned to each day of the week.

Use a for loop with the range() function to iterate through the list indices.
In each iteration:
- Get the current weekday from the weekdays list.
- Get the corresponding promotion from daily_promotions using the same index.
Print both values in the specified format.

Output Requirements

For each day, print:
<weekday>: Promotion on <promotion>

Ensure both lists have the same number of items to avoid indexing errors.

Solution

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Section 5. Chapter 5

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The range() function in Python is a built-in function that generates a sequence of numbers.

It is often used for iterating over a sequence with loops, particularly when you need to execute a loop a specific number of times.

This is ideal for handling tasks that involve a predictable repetition pattern, such as restocking shelves or scheduling sales in a grocery store setting.

Let's see how Alex utilizes the range() function to manage routine tasks in our grocery store scenario efficiently:

Syntax and Arguments

The range() function lets you create a sequence of numbers for looping. You can use it with up to three arguments:

range(start, stop, step)

start: the number where the sequence begins; defaults to 0 if you leave it out;
stop: the number where the sequence ends, but this number is not included;
step: how much to count up (or down) each time; defaults to 1 if you leave it out.

You can use just one, two, or all three arguments to control how your loop counts.

A Single Argument

When the range() function is given a single argument, it treats this as the stop parameter.

In our example, it generates a sequence of 7 elements starting from 0 and ending at 6. The loop iterates over these elements, representing the first 7 days the store is open.


              123
            
# Announce store opening every day for 7 days
for day in range(7):
    print(f"Good morning! The store is now open on day {day}.")

Note

The sequence starts at 0 and ends at 6. This happens because Python often starts counting from 0, which reduces the need to adjust indexing in many situations.

Two Arguments

When two arguments are provided, like 25 (start) and 32 (stop), range() generates a sequence from 25 to 31 (since the stop value is excluded from the sequence).


              123
            
# Planning seasonal sale days in the last week of December
for day in range(25, 32):
    print(f"Seasonal sale on December {day}.")

Note

Three Arguments

By adding a third argument to range(), you introduce a step value, which defines the increment between each number in the sequence.


              123
            
# Schedule staff shifts every three hours throughout a 12-hour day
for hour in range(1, 13, 3):
    print(f"Staff shift starts at hour {hour}.")

Example Application

You can use the range() function to loop through each day of the week and assign a task for that day. This helps you organize what needs to be done in the grocery store all week long.


              12345678910111213141516171819
            
# List of simple daily tasks for a week
tasks = [
    "Fruits",
    "Dairy",
    "Meat",
    "Veggies",
    "Bakery",
    "Displays",
    "Sales Report"
]

# List of weekdays for each task
weekdays = [
    "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday", "Sunday"
]

# Print the task for each weekday
for day in range(7):
    print(f"{weekdays[day]}: {tasks[day]}")

Task

Swipe to start coding

Use two lists — weekdays and daily_promotions — to print the promotion assigned to each day of the week.

Use a for loop with the range() function to iterate through the list indices.
In each iteration:
- Get the current weekday from the weekdays list.
- Get the corresponding promotion from daily_promotions using the same index.
Print both values in the specified format.

Output Requirements

For each day, print:
<weekday>: Promotion on <promotion>

Ensure both lists have the same number of items to avoid indexing errors.

Solution

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Everything was clear?

Thanks for your feedback!

Section 5. Chapter 5

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