Starting Out With Python (Gaddis) Chapter 5 Questions and Answers Already Passed

Starting Out With Python (Gaddis) Chapter 5 Questions and Answers Already Passed What will happen if a recursive function has no base case? It will result in infinite recursion and eventually cause a stack overflow error. What is the purpose of a function header? To define the function’s name, parameters, and any default values. What is the purpose of a function docstring? To provide a description of what the function does. How can you access the docstring of a function? Using the `__doc__` attribute of the function. What does it mean to pass an argument by value? The function gets a copy of the argument, and changes inside the function do not affect the original value. 2 What does it mean to pass an argument by reference? The function gets access to the actual argument, and changes inside the function can affect the original value. What is a local variable? A variable declared inside a function, accessible only within that function. What is a global variable? A variable declared outside any function, accessible throughout the program. Why is it recommended to avoid excessive use of global variables? Because they make the code harder to debug and maintain. How can you pass multiple arguments to a function? By separating the arguments with commas inside the parentheses. What is the default value for a function parameter? 3 A predefined value that is used if no argument is provided during the function call. How do you specify a default parameter in a function? Assign a value to the parameter in the function definition. What is the purpose of a void function? To perform a task without returning a value. Can a function call another function? Yes, functions can call other functions. What is recursion in Python? A process where a function calls itself. When should you use recursion? When a problem can be broken down into smaller subproblems of the same type. What is the base case in recursion? 4 The condition that stops the recursive calls. How can you return multiple values from a function? By returning a tuple containing the values. What is a keyword argument? An argument passed to a function by explicitly specifying the parameter name. What is a positional argument? An argument passed to a function based