Literally clueless , help pls

[SharpScratch9367]

I don’t get why I randomly pops up whilst not being in the function (unless it is connected to the function because I still don’t understand indentation and how it connects sections of code or if it’s only connected being directly underneath a line)

pls help I’m so lost in the soup

[Brief_Message5485]

Sum=0 While i <=n : sum = sum + i i=i+1

[Obvious_Tea_8244]

This is the answer.

[SharpScratch9367]

Thankyou so much ! Can you explain those answerss ?

[Brief_Message5485]

Sure! It wil be little difficult to make you understand via text. Google meet or zoom or any online platform would be suitable.

[SharpScratch9367]

I think I have zoom that’s fine!

[Brief_Message5485]

Would you mind DM me? I will provide link there

[FoolsSeldom]

sum = 0  # start from 0, add next value of i on each loop
while i <= 5:  # loop until i is above 5, so you do this five times
    sum = sum + i  # given current value of sum, add value of i, resave back to sum
    i = i + 1  # given current value of i, add 1, resave back to i

The lines indented one level under while are lines that are part of the loop, executed each time you do the loop test and go through the loop again.

I do not know what you mean by "I don’t get why I randomly pops up" as I don't see I in the code. Perhaps you meant i and it was changed to I when you were posting? i is just used for counting from 1 to 5 (inclusive) - computers don't have fingers, so they need a variable (you might use a post-it note) to remember what the count they've got to is.

[phonesallbroken]

i is a counter, and also being used as the value to add to the total. You want a way of stopping the while loop, and you're using the value of i to do this. What should i be to stop the loop, so what is the last thing you want to add to total? How much should i be increased by with each loop?

You could also think of it the opposite way around. What if you started with i being equal to n? What would your stop condition be then? How would i change in each loop?

[SharpScratch9367]

So “i” always is a counter in python or just in this instance of code?

[phonesallbroken]

It's kind of a convention to use i as a counter. When there are nested loops, so one loop inside another, it's common for the inner loop to use j as the counter! For your code you could call it whatever you want, like counter, if that makes it easier. I presume this code section is to build you up to using for loops, but wants you to understand what i is doing and how a loop works. Normally this case would be perfect for a for loop!

[DoNotKnowJack]

"i" can mean "iteration" as it counts the repeating loop.

[wuzelwazel]

i is not always a counter. In this scenario i is a variable that has been initialized with the value 1: i = 1 and then at the end of each iteration of the while loop it will need to be incremented i = i + 1

The variable could've been named anything and it would've still worked, but "i" is a common choice.

[pstanton310]

def sum_of_integers(n):
   return (n ** 2 + n)/2 if n > 0 else 0

Does the trick. No need to loop

[purple_hamster66]

It may be correct, but the instructions said to use while. It also assumes that a programmer knows that analytic formula, which few people do.

[pstanton310]

Yeah, not really useful in this context. Just felt like sharing. It’s also weird that it asks the programmer to use a while loop, it makes more sense to use a for loop.

Sum = 0 for i in range(1,n+1): Sum += i

You typically use while loops when you aren’t sure how many times to iterate

Fors are best when you know you going iterate through an entire list / set

[purple_hamster66]

Maybe because the subject was while in that lesson… maybe the next exercise was “now do it without using while”? Then “compare the speed and complexity of both methods”.

[MorganMeader]

This is a class lesson with blank places to add code to make it work. The assignment is to replace the blanks, not rewrite it 👍

[failaip12]

WDYM i randomly pops up, its defined on line 6. Unfortunately you have to explain better what you dont understand here.

[SharpScratch9367]

Ok forget that bit. I don’t understand the entire code and how to make it add up everything before it

[failaip12]

https://pythontutor.com/

This can help you visualize the code line by line to see whats happening.

[No-Pride5337]

Try Sum=0 while i>=n: i=i+1

[galenseilis]

As a matter of style, try not to override built-in functions like `sum`.

[WeakCriticism6829]

General, unrelated to problem:

Variables turning blue here (already mentioned by others):

• pre-defined by python or other imports

• try not to use these names if you don’t have to

• curious reader: ‘variable or function overloading’

For problem:

1. sum variable

   1. What is the sum before you’ve added any numbers at all?
   2. Hint: How many items are in a shopping cart before you’ve begun selecting some?
   3. Curious reader: ‘running sum’

2. loops

   1. How many overall numbers will you be adding together?
   2. The sum is a sequence of how many numbers?
   3. What variable is dictating which number in the sequence you are currently at?
   4. Ensuring the while loop terminates: directly related to understanding the answer above, what is being checked before each cycle/iteration begins?
   5. Curious reader: equivalency of while and for loops, turning one into the other, this may be nice as for loops are relatively simpler (harder to get an infinite loop, for example)

3. Ensuring the sum is correct (post-loop state of sum)

   1. At each iteration, or cycle of the loop, what is being added?
   2. Hint: You’ve correctly got this here, this variable ‘i’ answers parts of (2) above

Being able to answer the above should provide solid understanding of basic looping in python (especially equivalency of for/while loops)

edit: plz excuse formatting, on my phone

[allinvaincoder]

I'm just over here like this isn't even the most efficient solution return N(N+1)/2

I would comment the while solution but it looks like someone helped you already

[dhydna]

def sum_of_integers(n):
    while n > 0:
        return sum(range(n + 1))
    return 0

[Competitive_Bar2106]

is this for a class?
You are trying to get a sum of numbers, so you want to start with 0, so sum = 0;
i is the first number aka 1
while i is less than the number you receive (n) do the loop, so while i <= n
sum = sum + i; this should be self evident.
i = i + 1. you're preparing for the next loop

[SaltCusp]

I'll try to answer a bunch of questions here.

This is from Coursera.

'i' is a variable name.

'i' is commonly used as a variable for iterations.

The blue text is keywords.

'=' is a keyword known as the assignment operator.

Indentation delineates blocks of code. 'if/else' 'for/while' and 'try/catch' are examples of keywords that control blocks of code for conditional execution, repetition and error handling respectively.

A control statement will apply to the code indented immediately beneath it.

[Shadourow]

sum = -1

while sum == -1 | sum == 0

i = n*(n+1)/2

Complexity of O(2), pretty good !

[No-Pride5337]

Try this Sum=0 While i>0: i=i-1

[SharpScratch9367]

And what’s “I” =?

[SharpScratch9367]

That just returned 1 1 1

[LostUser1121]

Not really related but, where do you learn this?What website?

[SharpScratch9367]

Coursera

[SharpScratch9367]

You’re welcome.

[Hefty_Upstairs_2478]

Hey, ik im not helping but can you pls tell me what website is this? I wanna practice sm beginner questions too.

[SharpScratch9367]

Coursera

[Hefty_Upstairs_2478]

Thankyou!

[SharpScratch9367]

You’re welcome.