[Tutor] Problems understanding code output

[Dave Angel]

On 07/10/2013 05:05 PM, ska at luo.to wrote:
> def printMax(a, b):
>     if a > b:
>         print(a, 'is maximum')
>     elif a == b:
>         print(a, 'is equal to', b)
>     else:
>         print(b, 'is maximum')
> printMax(3, 4) # directly give literal values
> x = 5
> y = 7
> printMax(x, y) # give variables as arguments
>
>
>
> How the code above values to:
>
> 4 is maximum
> 7 is maximum
>
> and not to:
>
> 5 is maximum
> 7 is maximum
>
> This is going a little over my head, please advice, what am I missing in
> here?
>


You're calling the function twice, and two lines are printed out. 
You're questioning why the first time it prints "5 is maximum."

The arguments to the function the first time are 3 and 4.  The larger of 
those is 4.  How would it manage to come up with a 5 for that call?

Perhaps you'd see it easier if you temporarily added another print at 
the beginning of printMax():

def printMax(a, b):
     print("Comparing %d to %d" % a, b)
     if a > b:
   .......




-- 
DaveA