Question

What will the following code display? for number in range(2, 6): print(number)

Short answer

```python for number in range(2, 6): print(number) ``` Answer: The output of the code will be: ``` 2 3 4 5 ```

Step-by-step solution

Understand the range() function

The range() function in Python generates a sequence of numbers. The syntax is as follows: range(start, stop, step) - 'start' is the starting value of the sequence (included), and it defaults to 0 if not specified. - 'stop' is the ending value of the sequence (excluded). - 'step' is the difference between each number in the sequence, and it defaults to 1 if not specified. In the given code snippet, the range function is called with two arguments (2, 6), so the start value is 2, the stop value is 6, and the default step value is 1.

Iterate through the range using the for loop

The code snippet has a for loop that iterates through the range from step 1. The loop variable 'number' will take on each value in the range generated by range(2, 6): 2, 3, 4, 5

Print the value of the loop variable in each iteration

Inside the for loop, the print(number) statement is executed. It will print the current value of the loop variable 'number' in each iteration.

Determine the output of the code

Based on the analysis in steps 1-3, the output of the code will be the sequence of numbers obtained by iterating through the range: 2 3 4 5

Key concepts

For Loop in Python

The 'for loop' in Python is a fundamental control flow tool that allows programmers to iterate over a sequence of items. It's used to execute a block of code multiple times, which is useful for tasks that require repetition, such as processing the items in a list or generating a sequence of numbers. From the given exercise, we learn that the 'for loop' takes a variable, which we named 'number', and assigns to it sequential values from a range of numbers, executing its block of code with each value.

In a 'for loop', we can iterate over a variety of iterable objects such as lists, tuples, dictionaries, and strings. However, for sequence generation, we generally use the 'range' function, as it lets us specify the start and end points, along with the increment between successive numbers. An example loop might look like this:

for i in range(0, 5):  print(i)

Here, 'i' will take the values of 0 to 4 during the iteration, and the result will be each of those numbers printed on a new line.

Sequence Generation

Sequence generation in Python is typically accomplished using the 'range' function. The function is versatile and can be fine-tuned to generate sequences of numbers that fit various programming needs. The exercise highlights the basic use of 'range', with the start and stop parameters provided. By default, 'range' will start with the first parameter and end just before the second parameter, incrementing by one in each step.

A deeper look reveals various ways 'range' can be used:

• To create a sequence including only even numbers:

  range(2, 11, 2)

  which generates 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
• To create a descending sequence:

  range(5, 0, -1)

  which generates 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Understanding how to effectively generate sequences is key to leveraging the full power of iteration in Python.

Iteration in Programming

Iteration is a core concept in programming that refers to the process of repeating a set of instructions until a specific condition is met. This process can be implemented using various iterative structures such as 'for loops', 'while loops', and recursive functions. Iteration enables programmers to perform computations on data sets of any size, from counting through a range of numbers, as shown in our exercise, to performing operations on every item in a large dataset.

In Python, the 'for loop' provides a clear and concise way to iterate over sequences. It's particularly powerful because of its readability and ease of use. For instance, in our problem, the 'for loop' repeats four times, once for each number in the generated sequence (2 through 5), and stops before reaching 6, which was specified as the stopping parameter in 'range'. Iteration in programming is essential for any task that requires repetitive action, and Python's loops and functions make it easier to write efficient and readable code.