[Tutor] Calculate 4**9 without using **

[Alex Kleider]

On 2017-03-04 19:06, Sri Kavi wrote:
> I'm sorry I confused you all. I was trying to reply to Tasha Burman, 
> but I
> was in digest mode and I didn't know how to turn it off. So far I've 
> been
> just a lurker here. I also don't know if it's a school assignment. 
> Here's
> how I would do it.
> 
> def power(base, exponent):
>     result = base
> 
>     for _ in range(1, exponent):
>         result *= base
> 
>     return result
> 
> Also, I'm still coming to grips with Python basics and programming in
> general, so I need your feedback.
> 
> 

Some new insites:

If you initialize result to 1 rather than base, it not only simplifies 
your range parameter to (exponent) rather than (1, exponent) but ALSO 
eliminates the need to treat exponent==0 as a special case.

So you've only got to deal with exponent<0.


def power(base, exponent):
     """ Returns base**exponent.
     As yet, does not cope with negative values of exponent.
     """
     result = 1
     if exponent<0:
         pass  # earlier posts have suggested what to do
     for _ in range(exponent):
         result *= base
     return result