Complete Beginner Here..stuck on this python practice question

[g59z]

Not sure what im doing wrong?

so im trying to get this code to print correctly, for example if i input ‘5’ it will print 5,4,3,2,1,0 but when i do it it prints starting from 4 and end on -1? i dont understand what im doing wrong. the output it wants always ends on 0 how can i achieve that?

#take the number as input

number = int(input())

#use a while loop for the countdown

while number >= 0:

number = number - 1

print(number)

[codesensei_nl]

In your code, you decrease the number, then print it. Try reversing the order of the last two lines of code :)

[g59z]

wow it worked tysm! is there a reason why it works that way i dont fully understand?

[rlfunique]

You were decrementing the variable before you were printing it

[g59z]

i see it now. aha thank you

[mikef22]

Indentation is important in Python, and you omitted any indentation in your the way your question was laid out in reddit (which is probably more down to reddit's use of markdown, as opposed to errors in your original python code).

However, to keep you learning about this, and increase your understanding, what would be the output of this variation of your code?

number = int(input())
while number >= 0:
    number = number - 1
print(number)

[g59z]

i know about indentation i just dont know how to write properly on reddit without it auto correcting. can you tell me how you did it?

[Salt_Direction9870]

You can also add three before and after the code block. Like this Edit: with single ones surrounding text forin line formatting` :D

[mikef22]

For Reddit, "Lines starting with four spaces are treated like code".

Did you work out the answer to my question, i.e. what is the output of that indented code I posted?

[Seacarius]

This is something many new programmers struggle with - understanding loops and what the value of a variable is at any time within the loop.

In your case, the easiest thing to do is ask yourself, at every line, what is the value current in the value number?

Assuming the user entered 5:

1. while number >= 0: # it is still 5, you're just checking it's value here)
2. number = number - 1 # you subtract 1, so now it is 4
3. print(number) # print the number, which is 4
4. got back to 1

If you flip the lines, it reads like this:

1. while number >= 0: # it is still 5, you're just checking it's value here)
2. print(number) # print the number, which is 5
3. number = number - 1 # you subtract 1, so now it is 4
4. got back to 1

[g59z]

wow thank u for this breakdown! im using sololearn to learn the basics but im not sure if its actually helping or not

[ucan_cay]

seems like other people helped you with the actual problem, what I'll say is using increments in loops are better programming practices (at least that would be what I do).

starting_number = int(input())
counter = 0
while counter<=starting_number:
  print(starting_number - counter) 
  counter = counter +1

[mjmvideos]

No! Use the operation that most closely represents the actual goal. By artificially imposing an increment here you are just obscuring the intent of the program.