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Python Python Basics (2015) Number Game App Squared

Don't really know what's happening...

Don't really understand this code challenge... Please help!

squared.py
# EXAMPLES
def squared(game):
    try int(game):
        if int(game):
             return( game**2)
    except ValueError:
        return(game * len(game))




# squared(5) would return 25
# squared("2") would return 4
# squared("tim") would return "timtimtim"

2 Answers

Renato Guzman
Renato Guzman
51,421 Points

The code looks almost okay.

First, the try-except block has some syntax errors.

The block should be like:

try:
    something...
except ValueError:
    something...

So, the int conversion should be done inside try and not in the same line.

Then should try with the value "0". Since you are putting if int("0"), this will return False and the function will return None which is wrong.

It seems that you understood the challenge, but you just need a few tweaks.

Rich Zimmerman
Rich Zimmerman
24,063 Points

So in your try block, you want to convert it to an int. If it's not able to conver to an int, it will throw an error and jump to the except block. If it's able to convert to an int (meaning it wont throw an exception), you want to return the argument ** 2, or argument * argument (i.e. 5 * 5 or 5 ** 2)

If it cannot convert to an int, you want to return the argument times the length of the argument, so if you do

squared(tim)

It would return "timtimtim"

def squared(arg):
    try:
        return int(arg) ** 2
    except ValueError:
        return arg * len(arg)