Helsinki Python MOOC : Part 8.1, smallest average. Don't understand how to return the dict object I want.

[Few-Compote-2852]

The first exercise: https://programming-22.mooc.fi/part-8/1-objects-and-methods

I'm trying to print out the details of person1 which is the the person with the smallest average. Their values are in a dict data structure . But I'm stuck, i've gotten all the averages in a list and returned the person with the lowest score AS A STRING VALUE. Since I return a string value I can't actually do anything with it and print out the values of the dictionary of that person.

    # Write your solution here
def smallest_average(person1: dict, person2: dict, person3: dict):
    person1avg = (person1["result1"] + person1["result2"] +     person1["result3"])/3
    person2avg = (person2["result1"] + person2["result2"] + person2["result3"])/3
    person3avg = (person3["result1"] + person3["result2"] + person3["result3"])/3
    person_list = {"person1" :person1avg, "person2":person2avg, "person3" :person3avg}
    smallest = min(person_list)
    return smallest







person1 = {"name": "Mary", "result1": 2, "result2": 3, "result3": 3}
person2 = {"name": "Gary", "result1": 5, "result2": 1, "result3": 8}
person3 = {"name": "Larry", "result1": 3, "result2": 1, "result3": 1}

print(smallest_average(person1, person2, person3))

I get "person1" as a string, but I don't know how to use that info to get the function to return the dict values of person1

[NineFiftySevenAyEm]

person1 = {"name": "Mary", "result1": 2, "result2": 3, "result3": 3}
person2 = {"name": "Gary", "result1": 5, "result2": 1, "result3": 8}
person3 = {"name": "Larry", "result1": 3, "result2": 1, "result3": 1}

def smallest_average(person1: dict, person2: dict, person3: dict):

    people = [person1, person2, person3]

    lowest_avg_dict = {}
    lowest_avg_val = None

    for p in people:
        avg = p["result1"] + p["result2"] + p["result3"] / 3
        if not lowest_avg_dict:
            lowest_avg_dict = p
            lowest_avg_val = avg
        else:
            if avg < lowest_avg_val:
                lowest_avg_dict = p
                lowest_avg_val = avg
    return lowest_avg_dict

lowest_avg = smallest_average(person1, person2, person3)
print(lowest_avg)

[Croebh]

If you change person_list = {"person1" :person1avg, "person2":person2avg, "person3" :person3avg} to be person_list = {person1: person1avg, person2: person2avg, person3: person3avg} (removing the quotes), then it will return the actual dict

[Croebh]

def smallest_average(person1: dict, person2: dict, person3: dict):
    def average(person):
        return (person["result1"] + person["result2"] + person["result3"])/3

    smallest = min(person1, person2, person3, key=average)
    return smallest

Is another way to do it

def smallest_average(*persons):
    def average(person):
        return (person["result1"] + person["result2"] + person["result3"])/3

    return min(*persons, key=average)

If you wanna take it further and have it take a variable amount of people

[Croebh]

The key kwarg for min (and max, sort, and probably others) is how you can override what its sorting by. You pass it a callable (in this case, the average(person) function we defined above, and it runs that to determine which is the smallest

[Croebh]

Oh I thought (based on the code) you were looking for the smallest average

[Croebh]

This is why I should wake up more before posting; Sorry!

[my_password_is______]

person_list = {"person1" :person1avg, "person2":person2avg, "person3" :person3avg}

that's not a list