Question

The __________ loop is ideal for situations that require a counter.

Short answer

Answer: The ideal loop for situations that require a counter is the "for" loop. It allows us to iterate over a sequence within a specific range and is perfect for keeping track of the number of iterations. To use a for loop effectively in such situations, use the 'range' function to specify the starting and ending values, and if needed, the step value. Then, update the desired variable within the loop accordingly to perform the required calculations.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the loop type ideal for situations requiring a counter

The ideal loop for situations that require a counter is the "for" loop. For loops allow us to iterate over a sequence (like a list, tuple, or string) within a specific range, making it perfect for situations where we need to keep track of the number of iterations.

Understand the basic structure of a for loop

A for loop has the following structure: ``` for variable in sequence: # Code to be executed ``` Here, the "variable" represents the current element in the sequence and is updated with each iteration. The "sequence" could be a range, list, tuple, or any other iterable object, and the code block to be executed is indented under the loop definition.

Create a basic for loop with a counter

To create a basic for loop with a counter, you can use the 'range' function. Here's an example of how to create a loop that counts from 1 to 5: ``` for counter in range(1, 6): print(counter) ``` In this loop, 'counter' is the loop variable and acts as the counter, taking values from 1 to 5.

Use the for loop with a specific step value

When using the for loop as a counter, you can specify a 'step value' by providing a third parameter to the range function. For example, if you want to create a loop that counts from 1 to 10 in steps of 2, you would write: ``` for counter in range(1, 11, 2): print(counter) ``` In this loop, 'counter' will take values 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, as the step value is 2.

Apply a for loop with a counter in practice

Let's apply the for loop with a counter in a practical example. Suppose we want to calculate the sum of the first 100 natural numbers. We could use a for loop with a counter like this: ``` sum_of_numbers = 0 for counter in range(1, 101): sum_of_numbers += counter print("The sum of the first 100 natural numbers is:", sum_of_numbers) ``` In this example, the loop iterates from 1 to 100, and on each iteration, the value of 'counter' is added to the variable 'sum_of_numbers'. By the end of the loop, 'sum_of_numbers' will hold the sum of the first 100 natural numbers.