This lesson introduces you to further topics you will utilize throughout this course. We will cover the exponent operator, constants, advanced math functions, and how to generate random numbers.
The exponent operator ** allows you to easily perform math expressions involving exponents. It looks similar to the multiplication operator, but contains two asterisks instead of one.
result = some_number ** 2 # number raised to the second power
Constants are similar to variables in that you can store values with them. However, once the constant is created, the value it references cannot change. There are instances where a value is not meant to be ever changed, such as PI, which never changes. If you try to change the value stored in a constant, the program will crash. You may ask “Why not just create a variable and never change it”? It’s important to try writing programs in such a way that you mitigate the potential for issues. Constants are a feature that ensure a value is not accidentally changed.
Speaking of PI, Python provides a number of built-in math constants and functions that we can use in our programs. We can calculate, exponents, square roots, round numbers, and many other things. In order to use these features, we need to learn how to write an import statement. We will learn about imports and modules later on, but for now, just know that we need to import the code for doing math into our program. The import statement will retrieve the code containing these constants and functions, and will make them available for us to use in our applications.
import math
Another interesting thing we do in programming is generate random numbers. This allows us to make dynamic games, autogenerate data, etc. The features for generating random numbers also need to be imported. It’s as simple as the statement above, import random.
You will notice that in order to use any constants or functions defined in these modules will use a slightly different syntax. For example, to use the constant pi, the syntax is math.pi. This syntax has is related to how we use imported code. Know that anything we use from the math module must be prefixed with math.. You will learn all specifics later on, but again, just try to memorize this syntax for now.
# Import the math and random modules
import math
import random
print("--- Cash Register Sales Tax Calculator ---")
SALES_TAX = 0.08 # Constant
# Uncomment the line below and try running the program.
# SALES_TAX = 0.09
subtotal = 10
tax = subtotal * SALES_TAX
print(f"Subtotal: ${subtotal}, Total: ${subtotal + tax}\n")
print("--- Circumference Calculator ---")
radius = float(input("Enter radius: "))
circumference = 2 * math.pi * radius # pi is a constant defined in the math module
print(f"Radius: {radius}, Circumference: {circumference}")
print(f"Rounded circumference: {round(circumference, 2)}\n") # round() is available without an import statement
print("--- More Math Operations ---")
# Exponent Operator
number = float(input("Input a number to get n cubed: "))
print(f"{number} cubed = {number ** 3}\n")
number = float(input("Input a number to get the square root of n: "))
print(f"Square root of {number} = {math.sqrt(number)}\n")
number = float(input("Input a decimal number to see different ways to round: "))
print(f"Round: {round(number)}, Floor: {math.floor(number)}, Ceil: {math.ceil(number)}\n")
print("- random.randint(low_number, high_number)")
print(f"Randomly generated number (1 to 10): {random.randint(1, 10)}\n")
print(f"Randomly generated number (1 to 10): {random.randint(1, 10)}\n")
print(f"Randomly generated number (1 to 10): {random.randint(1, 10)}\n")
--- Cash Register Sales Tax Calculator ---
Subtotal: $10, Total: $18.0
--- Circumference Calculator ---
Enter radius: 15
Radius: 15.0, Circumference: 94.24777960769379
Rounded circumference: 94.25
--- More Math Operations ---
Input a number to get n cubed: 7
7.0 cubed = 343.0
Input a number to get the square root of n: 81
Square root of 81.0 = 9.0
Input a decimal number to see different ways to round: 3.543
Round: 4, Floor: 3, Ceil: 4
- random.randint(low_number, high_number)
Randomly generated number (1 to 10): 6
Randomly generated number (1 to 10): 8
Randomly generated number (1 to 10): 9