functions do not add any
computational power to the language
na
function definition simply encapsulates other statements
still, the capacity to define and
use functions is key to solving complex problems, as well as to developing reusable code
nencapsulating
repetitive tasks can shorten and simplify code
nfunctions
provide units of computational abstraction – user can ignore details
nfunctions
are self-contained, so can easily be reused in different applications
n
when is it worthwhile to define a function?
nif a
particular computation is complex—meaning that it requires extra variables and/or multiple lines to define
nif
you have to perform a particular computation repeatedly within a page
n
when defining a function, you must
identify
nthe
inputs
nthe
computation to be performed using those inputs
nthe
output