Learn Single Return Value | Function Return Value Specification

A single return value of a function in Python refers to returning a single object or value from a function. This type of return value has been used in previous sections.


              12345
            
def add_numbers(a, b):
    return a + b

result = add_numbers(3, 5)
print(result)  # outputs: 8

The function add_numbers takes two arguments, adds them, and returns a single value — their sum. In this example, the result is stored in the variable result and printed to the console.

Note

The join() function in Python combines elements of an iterable, such as a list, into a single string, using a specified separator.
For example, ", ".join(["a", "b"]) returns "a, b".


              1234
            
# Example of join()
words = ["red", "green", "blue"]
combined = ", ".join(words)
print(combined)

Note

The strip() method removes leading and trailing whitespace by default, or any characters you specify, from both the start and end of the string. For example, " text ".strip() returns "text" without spaces, and "a,b,c,".strip(",") removes commas from the ends, returning "a,b,c".


              1234
            
# Example of strip()
raw_text = ",a,b,c,"
cleaned_text = raw_text.strip(',')
print(cleaned_text)

Task

Swipe to start coding

Imagine that each of your friends has given you their own shopping list. To make shopping easier, you need to combine all the lists into a single list of items — formatted as a single string.

Follow these steps:

Initialize a variable named merged_list as an empty string to store the final combined result.
Loop through each list inside the shopping_lists argument.
Inside the loop, merge all items of the current list into a single string using the join() method with a comma and space separator ', '.
After each merged list, append a comma and space to separate it from the next one.
Before returning the result, use the strip(', ') method to remove the extra comma and space at the end.
Return the final merged shopping list string.

Solution

Everything was clear?

Thanks for your feedback!

Section 4. Chapter 1

single

Ask AI

Ask anything or try one of the suggested questions to begin our chat

Suggested prompts:

Can you explain how the join() function works in this example?

What does the strip() function do in the second code sample?

Can you show more examples of functions returning a single value?

Awesome!

Completion rate improved to 4.17

Swipe to show menu

A single return value of a function in Python refers to returning a single object or value from a function. This type of return value has been used in previous sections.


              12345
            
def add_numbers(a, b):
    return a + b

result = add_numbers(3, 5)
print(result)  # outputs: 8

The function add_numbers takes two arguments, adds them, and returns a single value — their sum. In this example, the result is stored in the variable result and printed to the console.

Note

The join() function in Python combines elements of an iterable, such as a list, into a single string, using a specified separator.
For example, ", ".join(["a", "b"]) returns "a, b".


              1234
            
# Example of join()
words = ["red", "green", "blue"]
combined = ", ".join(words)
print(combined)

Note


              1234
            
# Example of strip()
raw_text = ",a,b,c,"
cleaned_text = raw_text.strip(',')
print(cleaned_text)

Task

Swipe to start coding

Follow these steps:

Initialize a variable named merged_list as an empty string to store the final combined result.
Loop through each list inside the shopping_lists argument.
Inside the loop, merge all items of the current list into a single string using the join() method with a comma and space separator ', '.
After each merged list, append a comma and space to separate it from the next one.
Before returning the result, use the strip(', ') method to remove the extra comma and space at the end.
Return the final merged shopping list string.

Solution

Switch to desktop for real-world practiceContinue from where you are using one of the options below

Everything was clear?

Thanks for your feedback!

Section 4. Chapter 1

single