Real Python: Python's Built-in Functions: A Complete Exploration

Python has many built-in functions that you can use directly without importing anything. These functions cover a wide variety of common programming tasks that include performing math operations, working with built-in data types, processing iterables of data, handling input and output in your programs, working with scopes, and more.

In this tutorial, you’ll:

• Get to know Python’s built-in functions
• Learn about common use cases of Python’s built-in functions
• Use these functions to solve practical problems

To get the most out of this tutorial, you’ll need to be familiar with Python programming, including topics like working with built-in data types, functions, classes, decorators, scopes, and the import system.

Take the Quiz: Test your knowledge with our interactive “Python's Built-in Functions: A Complete Exploration” quiz. You’ll receive a score upon completion to help you track your learning progress:

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Interactive Quiz

Python's Built-in Functions: A Complete Exploration

Take this quiz to test your knowledge of the available built-in functions in Python. By taking this quiz, you'll deepen your understanding of how to use these functions and the common programming problems they cover, from mathematical computations to Python-specific features.

Built-in Functions in Python

Python has several functions available for you to use directly from anywhere in your code. These functions are known as built-in functions and they cover many common programming problems, from mathematical computations to Python-specific features.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn the basics of Python’s built-in functions. By the end, you’ll know what their use cases are and how they work. To kick things off, you’ll start with those built-in functions related to math computations.

Using Math-Related Built-in Functions

In Python, you’ll find a few built-in functions that take care of common math operations, like computing the absolute value of a number, calculating powers, and more. Here’s a summary of the math-related built-in functions in Python:

In the following sections, you’ll learn how these functions work and how to use them in your Python code.

Getting the Absolute Value of a Number: abs()

The absolute value or modulus of a real number is its non-negative value. In other words, the absolute value is the number without its sign. For example, the absolute value of -5 is 5, and the absolute value of 5 is also 5.

Python’s built-in abs() function allows you to quickly compute the absolute value or modulus of a number:

>>> fromdecimalimportDecimal>>> fromfractionsimportFraction>>> abs(-42)42>>> abs(42)42>>> abs(-42.42)42.42>>> abs(42.42)42.42>>> abs(complex("-2+3j"))3.605551275463989>>> abs(complex("2+3j"))3.605551275463989>>> abs(Fraction("-1/2"))Fraction(1, 2)>>> abs(Fraction("1/2"))Fraction(1, 2)>>> abs(Decimal("-0.5"))Decimal('0.5')>>> abs(Decimal("0.5"))Decimal('0.5')

In these examples, you compute the absolute value of different numeric types using the abs() function. First, you use integer numbers, then floating-point and complex numbers, and finally, fractional and decimal numbers. In all cases, when you call the function with a negative value, the final result removes the sign.

For a practical example, say that you need to compute the total profits and losses of your company from a month’s transactions:

>>> transactions=[-200,300,-100,500]>>> incomes=sum(incomeforincomeintransactionsifincome>0)>>> expenses=abs(... sum(expenseforexpenseintransactionsifexpense<0)... )>>> print(f"Total incomes: ${incomes}")Total incomes: $800>>> print(f"Total expenses: ${expenses}")Total expenses: $300>>> print(f"Total profit: ${incomes-expenses}")Total profit: $500

In this example, to compute the expenses, you use the abs() function to get the absolute value of the expenses, which results in a positive value.

Finding the Quotient and Remainder in Division: divmod()

Python provides a built-in function called divmod() that takes two numbers as arguments and returns a tuple with the quotient and remainder that result from the integer division of the input numbers: