Positional arguments

Definition

Positional arguments are arguments that are passed to a function in a specific order. The position of each argument determines which parameter it corresponds to.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Positional arguments must be provided in the exact order defined by the function.
2. They are required unless default values are specified for those parameters.
3. Mixing positional and keyword arguments is allowed, but positional arguments must come first.
4. Functions can accept a variable number of positional arguments using *args.
5. Confusion between positional and keyword arguments can lead to TypeErrors or unexpected behavior.

Review Questions

• What happens if you provide positional arguments in the wrong order?
• Can you mix positional and keyword arguments when calling a function? If so, what is the rule?
• How can a function accept an arbitrary number of positional arguments?

Related terms

Keyword Arguments:

Arguments that are passed to a function by explicitly naming each parameter and its value.

*args:

A syntax used in function definitions to allow for an arbitrary number of positional arguments.

**kwargs:

A syntax used in function definitions to allow for an arbitrary number of keyword arguments.