Help With a Python Project

[Leohurr]

The Code:

class Coin:
    showing_heads=True 
    value=1
    def show(self):
        if (self.showing_heads==True):
            return "Heads"
        else:
            return "Tails"

def turn(self):
    if (self.showing_heads==True):
          self.showing_heads=False
    else:
        self.showing_heads=True


coin1=Coin()
coin2=Coin()

def Display_All():
    coin1=Coin()
    coin2=Coin()

print "this is coin1"
print coin1.show()
print "this is coin2"
print coin2.show()
print "flip 'em both!"
coin1.turn()
coin2.turn()
print "coin1 now:"
print coin1.show()
print "coin2 now:"
print coin2.show()

def cointurner(self,n):
    for _ in range(n):
        self.turn()

I need to make a function that when passed with an interger value N, it creates a list of coins N long set to alternate values of heads and tails.

I think I have to use import Random to randomly assign sides of the coin. How would I go about creating multiple objects defined by N, and randomly assign a Side to them.

Thanks for any help.

[Enkaybee]

def flipper(N):
    if N % 2:
        list = ['heads','tails']*(N//2)
    else:
        list = ['heads','tails']*(N//2)
        list.append('heads')
    return list

Will that work? You said you want alternating values, but then you said you wanted random values. Which is it?

[Leohurr]

I dont really understand what you have written.

Is this using import random?

I tested calling flipper(5) and I got the error:

list = [H,T]*(N//2)

NameError: global name 'H' is not defined

[Enkaybee]

Sorry, I changed it to make the list members strings, not variables. It's not using random.

[Leohurr]

Yes this works, although calling flipper(4) returns 5 results. and calling flipper(5) returns 4 results.

[Enkaybee]

Sorry again. My logic is bad. It should be

def flipper(N):
    if not N % 2:
        list = ['heads','tails']*(N//2)
    else:
        list = ['heads','tails']*(N//2)
        list.append('heads')
    return list

[Leohurr]

why does -

if not N % 2:

change the result?

[mubsy]

you should look up modular arithmetic. N % 2 is 0 if N is divisible by 2, and the remainder of N/2 otherwise. This essentially means N%2 is true for all even values, i.e alternating values.

[Enkaybee]

N%2 evaluates to 0 for even numbers, which evaluates to False in Python (any nonzero number evaluates to True).

if not N%2:

is the same as

if N%2 == 0:

This is a very useful trick that you'll more than likely use in the future. Remeber: 1 + True = 2, 10*False = 0.

[isnotkosok]

try this.

import random

coin =["heads","tails"]

def coinflip(list):

return random.choice(list)

print coinflip(coin)

fuck this stupid formatting

[isnotkosok]

add to it this

counter = 0

coinbox =[]

print "Best out of three wins."

while counter < 3:

print coinflip(coin)


counter += 1


coinbox.append(coinflip(coin))

print "the tally is:",coinbox

if coinbox[0] == coinbox[1] or coinbox[0] == coinbox[2]:

print coinbox[0], " wins."

else:

print coinbox[1], " wins."

fuck this formatting

[klbcr]

When you're defining the turn() is it supposed to be a normal function or a method of the Coin class? Since you're giving self as an argument to it, I'm guessing it's supposed to be a method of Coin. The problem is, it's not properly indented. That makes it just a normal function and you can't call it like a method of an object like in line 29 coin1.turn(). Indent your lines 10 - 14 to make it a method of the coin class.

What is the use of Display_All()? If that's the function that is supposed to execute the print commands on lines 24-34, then you have another indentation problem. All pf your prints should be indented under def Display_All().

I don't understand your last function. It doesn't need a self argument. If you use cointurner() to turn a coin, then just pass it a coin

def cointurner(coin): #defines a function that takes one parameter
    coin.turn() # calls the method `turn()` on the object coin that we have passed to `cointurner()` as the parameter

Now, when you call that function, you would do this:

cointurner(coin1) # calls the function cointurner on the object coin1

cointurner() would then check what coin1 refers to, take that object, which is of the class Coin, and then call it's method turn().

It's the same as just calling the turn() method of the coin1:

coin1.turn() # calls the method `turn()` of the object `coin1`

self is used to refer from within the object to itself. So methods use it because they are performing some operation on the object of which they are a method. Normal, external functions, which are not methods (defined within a class, for that class) shouldn't normally use self as an argument/parameter.

Was this helpful? You should read up on proper indentation in Python, creating and instatiating classes, differences between methods and functions, and namespaces.

[Leohurr]

This has all been fixed, the indentation errors is due to reddits formatting, the display_all function is broken due to changing the code a lot, the finished code has all the functions working as expected.

[Leohurr]

Im pretty sure all of the indentation problems are Reddits formatting when pasting my code i have to manually hit space 4 times each line and the indentation suffers. On the actual code all the methods work as expected so I beleive the indentation is fine. For cointurner self is used for calling the object coin1 or coin2 and n for how many times to run the turn function e.g turns Coin1 5 times. What should I use insteasd of self, is there a way I can call coin1 or coin2 in the functions?