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Habib Izadkhah
Rashid Behzadidoost

Challenging
Programming in
Python: A Problem
Solving Perspective
Challenging Programming in Python: A Problem
Solving Perspective
Habib Izadkhah · Rashid Behzadidoost

Challenging Programming
in Python: A Problem
Solving Perspective
Habib Izadkhah Rashid Behzadidoost
Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science
University of Tabriz University of Tabriz
Tabriz, Iran Tabriz, Iran

ISBN 978-3-031-39998-5 ISBN 978-3-031-39999-2 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39999-2

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2024

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse
of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and
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does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
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Preface

Programming is a fascinating field that requires creativity, problem-solving skills,

and curiosity. Python is a popular and versatile programming language that is widely
used in various domains, from data science and machine learning to web develop-
ment and scientific computing. Python’s clean syntax, vast ecosystem of libraries, and
dynamic nature make it an ideal language for solving complex problems. Program-
ming forces individuals to think logically and precisely, as the process of reaching
the output must be formulated accurately. Therefore, it is essential to have books
that provide programmers with the ability to solve challenging problems. On the
other hand, books are also necessary to improve human thinking and reasoning skills
to solve problems in daily life and work. Creative thinking and logical reasoning
are crucial for solving problems, and this book aims to achieve two general goals:
(1) improving thinking and reasoning skills by investigating and programming chal-
lenging problems and (2) enhancing Python programming skills by presenting chal-
lenging problems and solving them step by step. This book is for those who want
to take their Python skills to the next level and tackle challenging programming
problems. From a programming perspective, this book is beneficial for individuals
with elementary, intermediate, and advanced Python programming skills and anyone
who wishes to learn a programming language proficiently enough to solve complex
problems. The basics of Python are instructed from the ground up in this book, with
numerous examples, and challenging problems with Python codes, algorithms, and
notes. We have attempted to achieve the two goals by presenting and solving 90
challenging problems from various areas. Each chapter focuses on a specific type
of challenge, increasing the reader’s interest in following the challenging problems
further. This book is divided into eight chapters, starting with the basics of learning
Python programming language in Chap. 1, followed by presenting the necessary
Python basics for programming challenging problems in Chap. 2. The subsequent
chapters focus on specific types of challenges, such as math-based challenges in
Chap. 3, number-based challenges in Chap. 4, string-based challenges in Chap. 5,
game-based challenges in Chap. 6, count-based challenges in Chap. 7, and miscella-
neous challenges in Chap. 8. This book’s audience includes students from all fields,
ranging from zero to advanced levels, as well as teachers and individuals interested

v
vi Preface

in improving their Python programming skills. Additionally, this book is useful for
students planning to participate in programming competitions. After learning the
topics presented in this book, the learner will be capable of coding challenging
problems in Python.

Tabriz, Iran Habib Izadkhah

Rashid Behzadidoost
Contents

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Why Python? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Non-library Based . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Enhancing Programming Skills and Creative Thinking
Through Challenging Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Prerequisite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Target Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Python Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1 How to Run a Python Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Data Types in Python . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2.1 Boolean Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.2 Integer Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.3 Decimal Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2.4 String Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.3 Data Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.4 List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.4.1 List Built-in Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2 List Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.5 Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.5.1 Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.6 Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.6.1 Changing List Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.7 Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.7.1 Set Built-in Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.7.2 Set Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2.8 Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.8.1 Nested Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.8.2 Dictionary Built-in Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2.8.3 Dictionary Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

vii
viii Contents

2.9 Tuple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.9.1 Nested Tuple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.9.2 Tuple Built-in Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.9.3 Tuple Constructor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.9.4 Range Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.10 Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2.11 Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
2.12 Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2.12.1 For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2.12.2 Comprehensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
2.13 Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2.13.1 Variable Scopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.13.2 Lambda Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
2.13.3 Handling the Control Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
2.14 Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
2.15 Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
2.16 Recursion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
3 Math .......................................................... 77
3.1 Josephus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
3.2 Reaching a Point in Lattice Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
3.3 Brussel Choice Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3.4 Inverse Collatz Conjecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
3.5 Counting Possible Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
3.6 Nearest S-gonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
3.7 Finding Fulcrum Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
3.8 Counting Sphere Pyramid Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
3.9 Grouping Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
3.10 Median of Triple Medians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
3.11 Smallest Seven-Zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
3.12 Postfix Evaluate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
3.13 Stable State in Bulgarian Solitaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
3.14 Computing the Rectangular Towers in Manhattan Skyline . . . . . . . 105
3.15 Cut Rectangular into Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
3.16 Eliminating Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
3.17 Leibniz Triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
3.18 Collatzy Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
3.19 Sum of Two Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
3.20 Has Three Summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
3.21 Perfect Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
3.22 Lunar Multiplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
3.23 n-th Term of Recaman Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
3.24 Van Eck Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
3.25 Non-consecutive Fibonacci Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
3.26 Fibonacci Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Contents ix

3.27 Finding the Most Point Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

3.28 Is a Balanced Centrifuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
4 Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
4.1 Cyclop Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
4.2 Is a Domino Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
4.3 Extract Increasing Digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
4.4 Expand Integer Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
4.5 Collapse Integer Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
4.6 Left-Handed Dice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
4.7 Bonus to Repeated Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
4.8 Nearest First Smaller Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
4.9 First Preceding by K Smaller Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
4.10 n-th Term of Calkin Wilf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
4.11 Reverse Ascending Subarrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
4.12 Smallest Integer Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
4.13 Sorting Cycles of a Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
4.14 Obtaining Numbers in Balanced Ternary System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
4.15 Is Strictly Ascending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
4.16 Priority Sorting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
4.17 Sorting Positives, Keep Negatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
4.18 Numbers First, Characters Second . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
4.19 Sorting Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
4.20 Sorting by Alphabetical Order and Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
4.21 Sorting by Digit Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
5 String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
5.1 Pancake Scramble into Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
5.2 Reverse Vowels into Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
5.3 Word Shape from a Text Corpus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
5.4 Word Height from a Text Corpus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
5.5 Color Combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
5.6 McCulloch Second Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
5.7 Champernowne Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
5.8 Combining the Strings into One New String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
5.9 Unscrambling the Given Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
5.10 Auto-Correcter Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
5.11 Correct Verb Form in Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
5.12 Subsequent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
5.13 Possible Words from a Text Corpus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
6 Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
6.1 Winner in Card Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
6.2 Hand Shape in Bridge Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
6.3 Contract Bridge Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
6.4 Same Hand Shape Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
x Contents

6.5 Number Round Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

6.6 Reaching Stable State in Candy Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
6.7 Oware Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
6.8 Safe Squares in Chessboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
6.9 Safe Squares Not Threaten with Bishops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
6.10 Reaching Knight Jump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
6.11 Capturing Maximum Checkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
6.12 Safe Rooks with Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
6.13 Highest Score in Crag Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
6.14 Optimal Crag Score with Multiple Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
7 Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
7.1 Counting Number of Carries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
7.2 Counting Growl of Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
7.3 Counting Consecutive Summers for a Polite Number . . . . . . . . . . . 254
7.4 Counting Occurrence of Each Digit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
7.5 Counting Maximal Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
7.6 Counting Dominator Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
7.7 Counting Troikas from Integer Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
7.8 Counting Intersected Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
8 Miscellaneous Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
8.1 Riffling Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
8.2 Calculate Smaller Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
8.3 Keep Frequent Items at Most n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
8.4 Collision Time of Frogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
8.5 Positioning in Wythoff Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
8.6 Fractran Interpreter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
About the Authors

Dr. Habib Izadkhah is an associate professor at the Department of Computer

Science, University of Tabriz, Iran. He worked in the industry for a decade as a
software engineer before becoming an academic. His research interests include algo-
rithms and graphs, software engineering, and bioinformatics. More recently, he has
been working on developing and applying deep learning to a variety of problems,
dealing with biomedical images, speech recognition, text understanding, and gener-
ative models. He has contributed to various research projects, authored a number of
research papers in international conferences, workshops, and journals, and also has
written five books, including Source Code Modularization: Theory and Techniques
from Springer and Deep Learning in Bioinformatics from Elsevier.

Rashid Behzadidoost is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at the University

of Tabriz, Iran. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Computer Science,
specializing in artificial intelligence, and natural language processing. Rashid has a
deep passion for coding and enjoys solving challenging problems. He has obtained
his skills through years of study, practice, and teaching. He has taught several courses
on computer sciences including challenging programming, microprocessor, and data
structure at the University of Tabriz.

xi
Chapter 1
Introduction

This chapter discusses the objectives, applications, and necessities of this book.

1.1 Why Python?

Python is a high-level programming language with a simple syntax compared to other

programming languages. In addition, Python is a general-purpose, cross-platform,
multi-paradigm, object-oriented language that supports dynamic data types. Python
is easy to understand, and even individuals with a basic understanding of program-
ming can learn Python quickly. The primary reason for this simplicity is that Python
programming language statements are similar to the English language, making the
learning process straightforward. Python has an interactive coding environment that
makes working with the language and testing command execution while learning
easy. Being cross-platform is a significant advantage of Python because it can be
used on various operating systems such as Mac, Windows, Linux, and even iOS and
Android. One of the most significant advantages of Python is that it offers extensive
libraries for most work areas. In fact, the library provides many ready-made code
pieces that programmers can use in their work. For instance, to connect Python to a
database, there is no need to specify all the details of the database connection by cod-
ing. Instead, to connect to the database, one only needs to call the library’s name. All
of these features make Python an excellent language to learn. Furthermore, Python
has numerous real-world applications, such as web development, game development,
data science, and artificial intelligence. In addition to its simplicity and versatility,
Python is also a popular choice among developers due to its active and supportive
community. As an open-source language, Python has a vast community of devel-
opers who contribute to its growth and development. This community provides a
wealth of resources, including documentation, forums, and tutorials, making it eas-
ier for new learners to get started and for experienced developers to find solutions to
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024 1
H. Izadkhah and R. Behzadidoost, Challenging Programming in Python: A Problem
Solving Perspective, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39999-2_1
2 1 Introduction

their problems. Additionally, this community is continually updating and improving

Python through new packages, libraries, and frameworks, ensuring that the language
remains relevant and up-to-date in an ever-changing technological landscape. This
supportive and dynamic community is another reason why Python is an excellent
language to learn.

1.2 Non-library Based

Most published Python books typically either cover the language’s syntax with basic
examples or focus on packages for problem-solving. However, using libraries and
simple exercises to understand Python’s structure can often be insufficient in provid-
ing developers with the necessary skills to tackle complex problems.
We believe that such approaches are inadequate for professional programmers who
are dealing with complex programs. Therefore, this book takes a different approach
by discussing problems that are not library-based (although standard libraries are
used in some programs), and presents solutions through detailed step-by-step algo-
rithms, hints, examples, and commented code. This approach is designed to equip
programmers with the necessary skills to solve more complex problems, leading to
an improvement in their overall programming abilities.

1.3 Enhancing Programming Skills and Creative Thinking

Through Challenging Problems

Solving challenging problems is an effective way to improve programming skills

and foster creative thinking. Programmers must first identify a problem, devise a
solution, and then translate it into an algorithm before implementing it in a specific
programming language. By tackling difficult problems, programmers learn how to
approach complex issues systematically and improve their programming skills. This
book aims to enhance the power of thinking and reasoning among programmers
and deepen their understanding of the Python language by presenting 90 challenges
that are coded step-by-step. These challenges are grouped into chapters on math,
numbers, strings, games, counting, and miscellaneous topics. Each chapter contains
a set of challenges with examples, hints, and Python code solutions. The number
of challenges in each chapter is as follows: (1) math—28, (2) numbers—21, (3)
strings—13, (4) games—14, (5) counting—8, and (6) miscellaneous—6.
1.5 Target Audience 3

1.4 Prerequisite

In addition to the chapters on challenging problems, a separate chapter on Python

basics has been included to simplify the programming process for the presented
challenges. This chapter provides examples and notes to teach everything necessary
to understand the basics of Python and to tackle the challenges. Therefore, there are
no prerequisites for studying this book.

1.5 Target Audience

This book presents and solves 90 challenges that can benefit a diverse range of people,
including computer science and engineering students, as well as anyone who wants
to master the Python language. The presented problems cover various fields, making
it suitable for a wide range of people. Moreover, this book enhances the power
of thinking and reasoning irrespective of the programming language. It can serve
as a valuable resource for teaching Python in universities or schools. Additionally,
software developers and participants in ACM or other competitions can benefit from
this book to improve their programming skills.
Chapter 2
Python Basics

This chapter provides an overview of the fundamental concepts and knowledge of

Python required for this book. It includes instructions for installing and running a
simple Python program, covers the concept of variables and the basic data types
of boolean, integer, float, string, and the sequence type of range. The chapter also
discusses data structures such as lists, arrays, matrices, dictionaries, and sets, as well
as various types of if statements with examples. It covers loop statements, including
for and while loops, as well as nested loops, and provides examples for each type.
Finally, the chapter provides examples for creating built-in functions, user-defined
functions, lambda functions, modules, and generators. Note that this chapter does
not cover all statements and modules of Python.

2.1 How to Run a Python Program

This book uses Python version 3.9 and Windows 10 operating system. An integrated
development environment (IDE) is a programming environment that offers useful
features for programmers such as an editor, debugger, and code completion. The
use of an IDE simplifies Python coding. There are several popular IDEs available,
including Pycharm, Jupyter, and Spyder. The choice of IDE depends on personal
preference, as most IDEs use a Python interpreter, and their differences are mainly
in appearance and features. In this book, Spyder IDE is used for Python programming,
which requires the installation of Anaconda. Anaconda is an open-source distribution
that enables users of Windows, Linux, and other operating systems to code in Python
and R programming languages. The installation of Anaconda is a straightforward
process, like any other software, requiring only a few simple clicks. Figure 2.1 depicts
how the Anaconda must be installed. Once Anaconda is installed on Windows 10,
Spyder can be accessed by searching for ‘Spyder’ in the Windows search bar until

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024 5

H. Izadkhah and R. Behzadidoost, Challenging Programming in Python: A Problem
Solving Perspective, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39999-2_2
6 2 Python Basics

2
1

3 4

5
6

Fig. 2.1 Steps to install Anaconda

the Spyder icon is displayed. Clicking on the icon will open the Spyder environment,
as depicted in Fig. 2.2.
It is important to note that Spyder requires the installation of Anaconda, as men-
tioned earlier in the chapter.
Figure 2.3 depicts the Spyder environment that specifies the function of each
block, also, the F5 key can be used to run the written code.
2.1 How to Run a Python Program 7

Fig. 2.2 Opening Spyder

Fig. 2.3 Spyder environment

8 2 Python Basics

2.2 Data Types in Python

Before discussing the supported data types in Python, it is important to understand

the concepts of objects and variables. Python is an object-oriented programming
language, meaning that everything in Python is an object. Object orientation enables
programmers to perform tasks by defining various objects with unique attributes.
In Python, a variable is essentially a word that acts as a pointer to an object. When
an object is assigned to a variable, the variable is created automatically and does not
need to be defined beforehand. It is imperative to follow certain rules while writing
a variable in Python, such as naming conventions and avoiding reserved keywords.
1. A variable in Python must follow specific naming conventions. It should start
with a letter or an underscore, and can be followed by any combination of letters,
digits, and underscores. For example, ‘_sel’ or ‘tryj’ are valid variable names.
2. Python is a case-sensitive language. This means that variables with different
capitalization, such as ‘Tryj’ and ‘tryj’, are treated as distinct and cannot be used
interchangeably.
3. Certain words in Python, known as reserved words or keywords, have special
meanings within the language and cannot be used as variable names. These
words are reserved for specific purposes and cannot be repurposed. Please refer
to Table 2.1 for a list of reserved words in Python.
Unlike statically typed languages, where variable types are determined at compile
time, in Python, the type of a variable is determined at runtime based on the value
assigned to it. This means that there is no need to explicitly declare the type of a
variable before using it, as the interpreter infers the type based on the value it holds.
This feature makes Python a highly flexible and dynamic language, allowing for
rapid development.

Table 2.1 The keywords in Python programming language

False None True and as
assert break class continue def
del elif else except finally
for from global if import
in is lambda nonlocal not
or pass raise return try
while with yield
2.2 Data Types in Python 9

2.2.1 Boolean Type

In the real world, there are numerous objects that can exist in only two distinct states.
For example, an electronic device can be switched on or off, an individual can agree
or disagree with a particular stance, or a concept can have two opposing states. In
Python, the ‘True’ keyword signifies that the state is true, while the ‘False’ keyword
signifies that the state is false. In actuality, ‘True’ is equivalent to the numerical value
of 1, while ‘False’ is equivalent to 0.

2.2.2 Integer Type

In practice, integers are the most commonly used numeric type in real-life applica-
tions. They are widely used for counting odd and even numbers, tallying monetary
values, and similar tasks. For instance, the following code shows the addition of two
integer values:
1 x=2+3
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 5
There are several points to note regarding the code provided. Firstly, in line 1, a
variable named x is defined and assigned an integer value. Secondly, in line 2, the
print (x) statement is used to display the value stored within the variable x. Thirdly,
line 3 is a comment. In Python, comments are used to add annotations in the source
code for the purpose of improving its readability. Comments in Python are denoted
by the symbol #. It is worth noting that no explicit declaration for the variable x
is needed in Python. This is due to Python’s dynamic-typing feature, which allows
variables to be defined without specifying their type beforehand.
In the next some examples are provided in the below. Computing the remainder
of two numbers with notation % is performed, as follows:
1 x=2%3
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 2
Computing the multiplication of two numbers with notation ∗ is performed, as fol-
lows:
1 x=2*3
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 6
Computing the Division of two numbers with notation / is performed, as follows:
1 x=1/2
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 0.5
10 2 Python Basics

Computing the Division of two numbers with notation // is performed, where if the
result is decimal, their floor is taken, as follows:
1 x=1//2
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 0
Computing the power of two numbers with notation ∗∗ is performed, as follows:
1 x=2**3
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 8
Computing the minus of two numbers with notation − is performed, as follows:
1 x=2−3
2 print(x)
3 # Output: −1
In the next, the comparison operators on integers will be described. For the following
examples, the result is ‘True’ or ‘False’. For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a < b leads
to a true state if a is less than b, as follows:
1 a=4
2 b=8
3 z=a<b
4 print(z)
5 # Output: True
For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a > b leads to a true state if a is grater than b, as
follows:
1 a=4
2 b=8
3 z=a>b
4 print(z)
5 # Output: False
For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a <= b leads to a true state if a is less than or equal
to b, as follows:
1 a=4
2 b=8
3 z=b<=a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: False
For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a >= b leads to a true state if a is greater than or
equal to b, as follows:
1 a=4
2 b=8
2.2 Data Types in Python 11

3 z=b>=a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: True
For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a == b leads to a true state if a is equal to b, as
follows:
1 a=4
2 b=8
3 z=b=a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: False
For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a! = b leads to a true state if a is unequal to b, as
follows:
1 a=4
2 b=8
3 z=b!=a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: True
In the next, the logical operators on integers will be described. For the following
examples, the result is ‘True’ or ‘False’. For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a and b
leads to a true state if a and b true, as follows:
1 a=True
2 b=False
3 z= b and a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: False

1 a=True
2 b=True
3 z= b and a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: True
For the variables of ‘a’ and ‘b’, a or b leads to a true state if a or b is true, as follows:
1 a=True
2 b=False
3 z= b or a
4 print(z)
5 # Output: True

1 a=False
2 b=False
3 z= b or a
12 2 Python Basics

4 print(z)
5 # Output: False
For the variable of ‘a’, not (a) reverse the state ‘a’, as follows:
1 a=False
2 z= not(a)
3 print(z)
4 # Output: True
5 a=True
6 print(z)
7 # Output: False
In the above code, the value of variable a has changed once.

2.2.3 Decimal Type

Decimal numbers are an important data type in Python, with a wide range of appli-
cations in everyday life. They are commonly used in scientific calculations, as well
as in calculations involving weights, lengths, times, and financial transactions. Dec-
imal numbers are particularly useful when precision is of utmost importance. For
instance, the multiplication of two decimal numbers in Python can be performed
using the operator ∗, as shown in the following code:
1 x=1.2*3.6
2 print(x)
3 # Output: 4.32
4 ################
5 x=0.2*4
6 print(x)
7 # Output: 0.8

Note
Note: All operators instructed for the integer numbers can be used for the
decimal numbers in Python.

2.2.4 String Type

In Python, strings are a fundamental data type used to represent text. They can
contain any character that Python supports and can be written using single quotes,
2.2 Data Types in Python 13

double quotes, or triple quotes. The use of single or double quotes is interchangeable,
with the only difference being that in a single-quoted string, double quotes can be
included and vice versa. Triple quotes, on the other hand, enable the creation of
strings spanning multiple lines. The following example shows how the strings in
Python are used.
1 x= ' Learning '
2 y= ' ' learning ' '
3 z= ' ' ' ' ' '
4 Learning
5 ''' '''
6 W= ' ' '
7 Learning
8 '''

2.2.4.1 Strings are Iterable and Indexable

In Python, an iterable object is any object that can be looped over using a loop
construct such as the for loop. In addition to strings, other iterable objects in Python
include lists, sets, tuples, dictionaries, and more.

Note
Note: Unlike strings, lists, sets, and other iterable objects, integer and decimal
types are not iterable in Python. If an attempt is made to loop over an integer
or decimal in Python, a TypeError will be raised by the Python interpreter.

String objects can be indexed, which means that individual characters within a
string can be accessed and manipulated using their position in the string. Indexing
is a common method for addressing elements within iterable objects in Python, and
is typically done using a numerical or string-based index. It is important to note
that in Python, the index of any object within an iterable is zero-based, meaning
that the first element has an index of 0, the second element has an index of 1, and
so on. The process of indexing in Python is demonstrated in Fig. 2.4. This figure
shows the string ‘university’ and its corresponding index positions highlighted in red
and orange. The red numbers represent direct indexing, where the position of each
character is indexed from left to right, starting at 0. The orange numbers represent
reverse indexing, where the position of each character is indexed from right to left,
starting at −1. In Python, for indexing objectname[n] is used, where objectname
is a variable that points to an iterable object, and n is a positive or negative integer or
14 2 Python Basics

Fig. 2.4 Indexing the string

object in Python

a string. For a string object, n is a positive or negative integer. The following example
shows how the strings in Python are indexed.
1 x= ' University '
2 c=x[1]
3 print(c)
4 # output : n
5 c=x[−2]
6 print(c)
7 # t
8 '''
In addition to indexing notation, Python also provides a powerful method for address-
ing one or more elements within an iterable object, known as slicing. In Python, the
slicing notation is written as objectname[n1 : n2 : s], where objectname is a vari-
able that points to an iterable object, n1 and n2 are positive or negative integers
representing the start and end indices for slicing, and s indicates the interval between
the indices of the iterable object. The following example shows how the strings in
Python are sliced.
1 x= ' University '
2 c=x[1:3]
3 print(c)
4 # output : ni
5 c=x[2:7]
6 print(c)
7 # output : ivers
8 c=x[0:7]
9 print(c)
10 # output : Univers
11 c=x[:7]
12 print(c)
13 # output : Univers
14 c=x[4:]
15 print(c)
16 # output : ersity
17 ' ' ' ' ' 'The s t a r t and end addresses are not specified ,
18 so the whole string object is considered . ' ' ' ' ' '
19 c=x [ : : ]
20 print(c)
2.2 Data Types in Python 15

21 # output : University
22 c=x[ : : 2 ]
23 print(c)
24 # output : Uiest
25 # Reversing a string
26 c=x[::−1]
27 print(c)
28 # ytisrevinU
29 '''
In the above examples, it can be seen that if the start address is not specified,
slicing from the zero indexes is started, and if the end address is not specified, slicing
from the last index is done. Also, if the start and end addresses are not specified, the
whole string is considered. In the above examples, with x[:: 2] from the zero index
until the last index slicing is considered such that just the elements that are located in
the even indexes are selected. Additionally, to reverse a string in Python, the slicing
notation x[:: −1] can be used. This notation extracts the entire string starting from
the last index (−1) and moving towards the first index (0) with a step size of 1,
effectively reversing the order of the original string.

Note
Note: The indexing and slicing of all iterable objects in Python is the same.

In the next, the common operations in the strings can be applied with some exam-
ples being described. In all examples for the strings, stringobject is a variable that
points to a string object. For the variables of s1 and s2, notation + concat s1 and s2,
as follows:
1 s1= ' learning '
2 s2= ' data '
3 s3=s1+s2
4 print(s3)
5 # Output: learningdata
6 # defining a string that contains just a space
7 s0= ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
8 s3=s1+s0+s2
9 print(s3)
10 # Output: learning data
16 2 Python Basics

The operator ∗ can be used to repeat a given string object multiple times. The syntax
for repeating a string is stringobject ∗ n, where stringobject is a variable that points
to a string object, and n is a positive integer indicating the number of times to repeat
the string. The following example illustrates how operator ∗ is used for the strings.
1 s1= ' learning '
2 s2=s1*3
3 # Output: learninglearninglearning
With \n, a new line in the string is generated, as follows:
1 s1= '#lea234rni ' 'ng\ nscience '
2 print(s1)
3 # Output: #lea234rning
4 science
In the above example, it can be seen that anything that Python encoding supports can
be written, and a new line is generated. With \t, a new tab in the string is generated,
as follows:
1 s1= '#lea234rni ' 'ng\ tscience '
2 print(s1)
3 # Output: #lea234rni ' 'ng science

2.2.4.2 String Built-in Functions

Note
Note: A function is a block of code that performs a specific task and can
be called and executed multiple times throughout a program. Functions are a
fundamental concept in programming, allowing for the creation of modular,
reusable code that can be easily maintained and updated.

Note
Note: Built-in functions in Python are pre-defined functions that are part of the
Python language and can be executed just by referencing their name. These
functions are part of the Python Standard Library and provide a wide range of
functionality for common programming tasks, such as working with strings,
lists, and other data types.
2.2 Data Types in Python 17

Note
Note: An argument is any data that is passed to a function when it is called and
executed. This data can take many forms, such as integers, strings, lists, tuples,
dictionaries, or other objects. A parameter, on the other hand, is a variable
defined in the function that is used to receive and process the arguments passed
to the function. When calling a function in Python, one or more arguments can
be passed to the function as needed, and these arguments are then received by
the parameters of function and processed accordingly.

The string object has some built-in functions the most common ones with some
examples being described.

2.2.4.3 Count

The stringobject.count (g, s, e) (three parameters), counts the number of appear-

ances of g, where stringobject is a variable that points to a string object, g is a string
object, s determines from what indexing counting is started and e determines until
what index counting is continued; s and e are optional, means they can be unused.
The following example shows how count function is used.
1 s= '#lea234rni ' 'ng\ nscience '
2 c=s . count( ' i ' )
3 print(c)
4 # Output: 2
5 c=s . count( ' i ' ,10)
6 print(c)
7 # Output: 1
8 c=s . count( ' i ' ,20)
9 print(c)
10 # Output: 0
11 c=s . count( ' i ' ,2022)
12 print(c)
13 # Output: 0
In the above example, it can be seen that if s and e are not specified from the zero index
until the last index, counting is performed. The built-in function count returns zero
if g does not appear in stringobject or s and e is the out of range of stringobject
like s.count (‘i’,2022) because the length of s is 21.

Note
Note: If the start and end indexes are not specified, all indexes of an object are
considered.
18 2 Python Basics

2.2.4.4 Startswith

The function of star tswith takes three parameters g, s and e, if stringobject

starts with g, returns True and else returns False, and the format to use it, is
stringobject.star tswith(g, s, e). The following example shows how star tswith
function is used.
1 s= ' learnscience '
2 c=s . startswith ( ' l ' ,)
3 print(c)
4 # Output: True
5 c=s . startswith ( 'w' ,)
6 print(c)
7 # Output: False

2.2.4.5 Endswith

Function of endswith takes three parameters g, s and e, if stringobject ends with g,

returns True and else returns False, and the format to use it, is stringobject.endswith
(g, s, e). The following example shows how star tswith function is used.
1 s= ' learnscience '
2 c=s . endswith( ' e ' ,)
3 print(c)
4 # Output: True
5 c=s . endswith( 'w' ,)
6 print(c)
7 # Output: False

2.2.4.6 Find

Function of f ind takes three parameters g, s and e, if stringobject find g,

returns its index in stringobject and else returns −1, and the format to use it,
is stringobject. f ind(g, s, e). The following example shows how f ind function is
used.
1 s= ' learnscience '
2 c=s . find ( ' t ' )
3 print(c)
4 # Output: −1
5 c=s . find ( ' i ' )
6 print(c)
7 # Output: 7
2.2 Data Types in Python 19

8 c=s . find ( ' rn ' )

9 print(c)
10 # Output: 3

2.2.4.7 Index

Function of index takes three parameters g, s and e, if stringobject find g, returns

its index in stringobject and else raises a ValueError, and the format to use it, is
stringobject.index(g, s, e). The following example shows how index function is
used.
1 s= ' learnscience '
2 c=s . index( ' i ' )
3 print(c)
4 # Output: 7
5 s= ' learnscience '
6 c=s . index( 'm' )
7 print(c)
8 # Output: ValueError: substring not found

Note
Note: The only difference between built-in functions of find and index is that
if the string is not found find returns −1 while index raises an error.

2.2.4.8 Encoding

Function of encoding takes two optional parameters encoding, and err or s, and
converts stringobject to an encoded sequence. Specifying the type of encod-
ing is with encoding parameter, and err or s determines if a character can not be
encoded, what should be replaced instead of the character. By default, the encod-
ing format is U T F − 8, but it can be changed to other formats. To use encode,
stringobject.encode() is used. The following example shows how encode func-
tion is used.
1 s= ' LearnScience '
2 c=s . encode()
3 print(c)
4 # b indicates i t is a byte string
5 #Output: b 'LearnScience '
6 # i f a character can not be encoded, i t will be ignored .
20 2 Python Basics

7 c=s . encode(encoding= ' ' ascii ' ' , errors= ' ' ignore ' ' )
8 print(c)
9 #Output: b 'LearnScience '
10 ' ' ' i f a character can not be encoded,
11 i t will raise a ValueError .
12 ' ' '
13 c=s . encode(encoding= ' ' ascii ' ' , errors= ' ' s t r i c t ' ' )
14 print(c)
15 #Output: b 'LearnScience '

2.2.4.9 Replace

This function replaces a given string with another string given. The r eplace takes two
string parameters of nw and pr , and optional parameter n, and stringobject.r epl-
cae( pr, nw, n), says how many times nw is replaced by pr that by default all string
that equal to pr are replaced. The following example shows how r eplace function
is used.
1 s= ' LearnScience '
2 c=s . replace ( 'n ' , ' * ' )
3 print(c)
4 #Output: Lear*Scie*ce
5 s= ' LearnScience '
6 c=s . replace ( 'n ' , ' * ' ,1)
7 print(c)
8 #Output: Lear*Science

Note
Note: The replace function doesn’t change the original string.

2.2.4.10 Strip

With stri p, any specified object is removed at the beginning or the end of string.
To use it, stringobject.stri p(char s) is used where char s is an optional parameter
that can be any string, by default, chars are space. The following example shows how
islower function is used.
1 s= ' ' ' as as as Univer sitY as s as as ' ' '
2 r=s . strip ( ' as ' )
3 print( r )
2.2 Data Types in Python 21

4 #Output: as as Univer sitY as s as

5 s= ' ' ' Univer sitY '''
6 r=s . strip ( ' as ' )
7 print( r )
8 #Output:Univer sitY
9 s= ' ' ' Univer sitY ' ' '
10 r=s . strip ( ' as ' )
11 print( r )
12 #Output:Univer sitY

2.2.4.11 Join

With join, an arbitrary string object to each element of an iterable object (like string
and list) is added. To use it, stringobject. join(). The following example shows
how join function is used.
1 s1= ' learning '
2 s2= ' ** '
3 r=s2 . join (s1)
4 print( r )
5 #Output: l **e**a**r**n** i **n**g
6 s1= ' learning '
7 r= ' ' ' ' ' ' . join (s1)
8 print( r )
9 #Output: l e a r n i n g
10 s1= ' learning '
11 r= ' ' '$b ' ' ' . join (s1)
12 print( r )
13 #Output:l$be$ba$br$bn$bi$bn$bg

2.2.4.12 Split

With split, the string with a separator is splitted into a list. The stringobject.split-
(sep, m) is used to split, where sep and m are optional, and sep is a string that the
stringobject based on sep splitting is done, and m determines how many times the
split must be done. The following example shows how the split function is used. By
default, sep is a space and m is the maximum number of splitting.
1 s1= ' ' ' learning computer science ' ' '
2 r=s1 . s p l i t ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output:[ ' learning ' , 'computer ' , ' science ']
5 s1= ' ' ' learning computer science ' ' '
22 2 Python Basics

6 r=s1 . s p l i t ( 'n ' )

7 print( r )
8 #Output:[ ' lear ' , ' i ' , 'g computer scie ' , 'ce ']
9 s1= ' ' ' learning computer science ' ' '
10 r=s1 . s p l i t ( 'n ' ,1)
11 print( r )
12 #Output:[ ' lear ' , ' ing computer science ']
In the next, some functions for the string objects are described so that no arguments
are sent to them.

2.2.4.13 Capitalize

It capitali ze the first character (element) of a given string. The following example
shows how capitali ze function is used.
1 s= ' bulGarian '
2 r=s . capitalize ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output: BulGarian
5 s= ' Global '
6 r=s . capitalize ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: Global

2.2.4.14 Swapcase

With swapcase, if the first character of a given string is a lower case, capitalize it,
and if the first character of a given string is a upper case, lower it. The following
example shows how swapcase function is used.
1 s= ' bulGarian '
2 r=s . swapcase()
3 print( r )
4 #Output: BulGarian
5 s= ' Global '
6 r=s . swapcase()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: global
2.2 Data Types in Python 23

2.2.4.15 Isalnum

With isalnum, if the characters of a given string are alphabet letters, numbers or
both, True is returned, else False is returned. The following example shows how
isalnum function is used.
1 s= ' bulGarian '
2 r=s . isalnum ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output: True
5 s= '#Global '
6 r=s . isalnum ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: False
9 s= '#Global2023 '
10 r=s . isalnum ()
11 print( r )
12 #Output: True

2.2.4.16 Isnumeric

With isnumeric, if the characters of a given string are numeric, True is returned, else
False is returned. The following example shows how isnumeric function is used.
1 s= ' '
2 r=s . isnumeric ()
3 print( r )
4 s= '202220232024 '
5 r=s . isnumeric ()
6 print( r )
7 #Output: True
8 s= ' bulGarian '
9 r=s . isnumeric ()
10 print( r )
11 #Output: False
12 s= '#Global '
13 r=s . isnumeric ()
14 print( r )
15 #Output: False
16 s= '#Global2023 '
17 r=s . isnumeric ()
18 print( r )
19 #Output: False
24 2 Python Basics

2.2.4.17 Isalpha

With isalpha, if the characters of a given string are alphabet letters, True is returned,
else False is returned. The following example shows how isalpha function is used.
1 s= ' bulGarian '
2 r=s . isalpha ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output: True
5 s= '#Global '
6 r=s . isalpha ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: False
9 s= '#Global2023 '
10 r=s . isalpha ()
11 print( r )
12 #Output: False

2.2.4.18 Islower

With islower , if the characters of a given string are in a lower case, True is returned,
else False is returned. The following example shows how islower function is used.
1 s= ' bulgarian '
2 r=s . islower ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output: True
5 s= '#global '
6 r=s . islower ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: False
9 s= '#Global2023 '
10 r=s . islower ()
11 print( r )
12 #Output: False

2.2.4.19 Isupper

With isupper , if the characters of a given string are in an upper case, True is returned,
else False is returned. The following example shows how isupper function is used.
1 s= ' bulGarian '
2 r=s . isupper ()
2.2 Data Types in Python 25

3 print( r )
4 #Output: False
5 s= '#global '
6 r=s . isupper ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: False
9 s= 'GLOBAL'
10 r=s . isupper ()
11 print( r )
12 #Output: True

2.2.4.20 Isspace

With isspace, if the characters of a given string are spaces, True is returned, else
False is returned. The following example shows how isspace function is used.
1 s= ' ' ' ' ' '
2 r=s . isspace ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output: True
5 s= '#global '
6 r=s . isspace ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: False
9 s= 'world '
10 r=s . isspace ()
11 print( r )
12 #Output: False

2.2.4.21 Upper

With upper , the characters of a given string are changed to upper case. The following
example shows how upper function is used.
1 s= ' ' ' world ' ' '
2 r=s . upper ()
3 print( r )
4 #Output:WORLD
5 s= ' UniversitY '
6 r=s . upper ()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: UNIVERSITY
26 2 Python Basics

2.2.4.22 Lower

With lower , the characters of a given string are changed to lower case. The following
example shows how lower function is used.
1 s= ' ' 'worLD ' ' '
2 r=s . lower()
3 print( r )
4 #Output:world
5 s= ' UniversitY '
6 r=s . lower()
7 print( r )
8 #Output: university
9 s= 'PYTHON'
10 r=s . lower()
11 print( r )
12 #Output: python

2.2.4.23 Type Conversion

The process of converting an object from one data type to another is known as type
conversion. Python provides built-in functions for converting between different data
types such that the type of an integer is represented by int, the decimal is represented
by f loat, and the string is represented by str . Also, the type name of any object in
Python with t ype(objectname) is taken. The following examples indicate how to
t ype function is used.
1 s= ' ' 'worLD ' ' '
2 r=type( s )
3 print( r )
4 #Output: <class ' str '>
5 s= '123 '
6 r=type( s )
7 print( r )
8 #Output:<class ' str '>
9 s=4
10 r=type( s )
11 print( r )
12 #Output: <class ' int '>
13 s=8.
14 r=type( s )
15 print( r )
16 #Output: <class ' float '>
17 s=2/4
2.2 Data Types in Python 27

18 r=type( s )
19 print( r )
20 #Output: <class ' float '>
To convert a value to another type, int (value), f loat (value), or str (value) is used,
where value is a specified object. Take a look at the following examples to see how
the conversion is made.
1 c0= ' 4.2 '
2 print(type(c0))
3 # Output: <class ' str '>
4 # Converting str to float type
5 c1=float (c0)
6 print(type(c1))
7 # Output: <class ' float '>
8 c0=4
9 print(type(c0))
10 # Output: <class ' int '>
11 # Converting int to float type
12 c1=float (c0)
13 print(type(c1))
14 # Output: <class ' float '>
15 c0=4.2
16 print(type(c0))
17 # Output: <class ' float '>
18 # Converting float to int type
19 c1=int (c0)
20 print(type(c1))
21 <class ' int '>
22 c0= 'Country '
23 '''
24 An error raises to convert
25 string l i t e r a l s to int or float
26 '''
27 c1=int (c0)
28 print(type(c1))
29 '''
30 Output: ValueError: invalid l i t e r a l
31 for int () with base 10: 'Country '
32 '''
33 c1=float (c0)
34 print(type(c1))
35 '''
36 Output: ValueError: could not
37 convert string to float : 'Country '
38 '''
28 2 Python Basics

39 c0=80
40 c1=81.9
41 c2=str (c0)
42 c3=str (c1)
43 print(type(c2))
44 print(type(c3))
45 # Output: <class ' str '>
46 # Output: <class ' str '>

2.3 Data Structures

Data is one of the most important entities in computer science. Data structures are
used to organize, store, and retrieve data efficiently. The choice of data structure
determines the format and organization of the stored data, and influences how the
data is stored in memory. In the following sections, we will describe some common
data structures in Python, including lists, arrays, matrices, sets, and dictionaries,
along with examples of how they can be used.

2.4 List

A linked list is a data structure where each element is linked to the next element, or
to the next and previous elements, and the elements in memory are not necessarily
stored consecutively. In Python, the list data structure is widely used and can be used
to implement other data structures such as matrices and arrays. Lists in Python are
used to store a sequence of elements, which can be of any data type supported by
Python. Lists have the following important features in Python:
1. Storing duplicate elements
There is no limit to store duplicate elements.
2. Storing heterogeneous elements Elements such as strings, integers, and strings
can be stored in a list.
3. Being sortable
A list can be sorted. For example, sort it from lower to upper, or alphabetically.
4. Being changeable
Lists are mutable data structures, which means that their content can be modified
after they are created. Once data is stored in a list, it can be changed as many
times as needed.
5. Being Iterable
A list is an iterable object that can be indexed.
In Python, lists are created using square brackets [], with the list elements separated
by commas inside the brackets. The following examples depict how the list is used.
2.4 List 29

Fig. 2.5 Example of list

structure in Python

1 l s t =[2 ,3.1 , '− ' ]

2 print( l s t )
3 # Output: [2 , 3.1 , −]
4 print(type( l s t ))
5 # Output: <class ' l i s t '>
In the above example, lst is a variable point to a list object that contains the elements
of 2, 3.1, ‘−’. Figure 2.5 depicts an example of a list structure in Python. Alike the
string, a list is an object and iterable, so it can be indexed in a direct way and reverse
way. Figure 2.5 depicts red numbers are the indexes in a direct way, and orange
numbers in a reverse way, and it can be seen that different data types are stored in a
list.

2.4.1 List Built-in Functions

The list object in Python provides a number of built-in functions for working with
lists, including functions for inserting, removing, counting, indexing, and more. Here
are some examples of how these functions can be used. In all examples, lst is a
variable that points to a list object, obj is any object, and iter obj is an iterable
object.

2.4.1.1 Append

With append, an object is inserted into the end of a list each time, To use it,
lst.append(obj) is used. The following examples indicate how to append func-
tion is used.
1 l s t =[2 ,3.1 , '− ' ]
2 l s t .append(77)
3 print( l s t )
4 # Output: [2,3.1, ' −' ,77]
5 lst0 =[101,102,9]
6 l s t .append( lst0 )
7 print( l s t )
8 # Output: [2 , 3.1,'−',77 [101, 102, 9]]
9 l s t .append(9.9)
10 print( l s t )
30 2 Python Basics

11 # Output: [2 , 3.1,'−',77 [101, 102, 9] ,9.9]

2.4.1.2 Extend

With extend, an iterable object is inserted into the end of a list each time. To use
it, lst.extend(iter obj) is used. With this definition, int object and float do not work
with extend function. As a solution, float and int objects must be converted to type
string and then they can work the extend function. The following examples indicate
how to extend function is used.
1 s= ' ' learning ' '
2 l s t =[]
3 l s t . extend( s )
4 # Output: [ ' l ' , ' e ' , 'a ' , ' r ' , 'n ' , ' i ' , 'n ' , 'g ']
5 s= ' ' learning ' '
In python, if a string is inserted with extend function, each character is inserted into
an index. To insert a string into an index of a list with the extend function, the string
must split as follows:
1 s= ' ' learning ' '
2 l s t =[]
3 l s t . extend( s . s p l i t ( ) )
4 # Output: [ ' ' learning ' ']
Other example are as follows:
1 lst0=[ ' theta ' ]
2 l s t =[]
3 r= ' learning '
4 l s t . extend( lst0 )
5 l s t . extend( r )
6 print( l s t )
7 # Output: [ ' theta ' , ' l ' , 'e ' , 'a ' , ' r ' , 'n ' , ' i ' , 'n ' , 'g ']
The extend() function in Python is used to add elements from an iterable object to
the end of a list. However, if a non-iterable object such as an integer or float is passed
to the extend() function, Python will raise a TypeError because the object cannot be
iterated over.
1 l s t =[]
2 l s t . extend(9)
3 # Output: TypeError: ' int ' object is not iterable
4 l s t =[]
5 l s t . extend(9.87)
6 # Output: TypeError: ' float ' object is not iterable
2.4 List 31

In the above examples, Python raises the errors, because int and float are not iterable.
Take a look at the following other examples.
1 l s t =[]
2 l s t . extend ([9])
3 # Output: [9]
4 l s t .append([9])
5 # Output: [[9]]

2.4.1.3 Insert

If an object must be inserted into a specific position, the insert function must be
used. To use it, lst.insert (ind, obj) is used, where ind is an integer that specifies
the index that the object must be inserted. The following examples indicate how to
insert function is used.
1 l s t =[1,8,9, '8 ' ,7 ,6]
2 l s t . insert(−2, ' objj ' )
3 print( l s t )
4 # Output: [1 , 8, 9, '8 ' , ' objj ' , 7, 6]
5 l s t =[1,8,9, '8 ' ,7 ,6]
6 l s t . insert (1 , ' data ' )
7 print( l s t )
8 # Output: [1 , ' data ' , 8, 9, '8 ' , ' objj ' , 7, 6]
9 l s t . insert (4 ,7)
10 print( l s t )
11 # Output: [1 , ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , ' objj ' , 7, 6]
As another example, consider Code 2.1. When inserting an object in position or index
zero, the new object is inserted in the index of zero and the old object is inserted in
the index or position one.
Code 2.1 Python code to insert the objects into a list in a reverse order
1 current_sublist =[]
2 current_sublist . insert (0 ,5)
3 current_sublist . insert (0 ,7)
4 current_sublist . insert (0,220)
5 '''
6 The output is:
7
8 [220, 7, 5]
9 '''
If an object is to be inserted at the same index, the previous object should be shifted
one position after the current one.
32 2 Python Basics

Note
Note: append, extend, and insert are used to put data into a list, where the
append and extend functions put the data to the end of a list each time, and
append works with objects, while extend works with iterable objects. The
insert function is used to put an object into a specified index.

2.4.1.4 Count

This function is used to count the number of appearances of a given object, if is

found the object, the number of its appearance is returned, else zero is returned, to
use lst.count (obj) is used. The following examples indicate how to count function
is used.
1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , ' objj ' , 7, 6]
2 c=l s t . count(7)
3 print(c)
4 # Output: 2
5 c=l s t . count( 'x)
6 print (c)
7 #Output:0

2.4.1.5 Index

Function of index takes three parameters obj, s and e, if lst find gobj, returns its
index in lst and else raises a ValueError, The format to use it, is lst.index(obj, s, e),
where s is the start address, and e is the end address to find the index. The following
example shows how index function is used.
1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, 8, 7, 6]
2 c=l s t . index(8)
3 print(c)
4 # Output: 2
5 c=l s t . index(8 ,3 ,6)
6 print(c)
7 # Output: 5

2.4.1.6 Clear

To clear all content of the list object, clear function is used. No argument is sent to
clear function. The following example indicates how clear function can be used.
2.4 List 33

1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]

2 l s t . clear ()
3 print( l s t )
4 # Output: []
There is another way to clear a list object.
1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2 l s t =[]
3 print( l s t )
4 # Output: []

2.4.1.7 Remove

To remove a specific object, r emove function is used. To use it, lst.r emove(obj) is
used. If the object is not in lst, an error is raised. The following examples indicate
how r emove function is used.
1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2 l s t .remove(8)
3 print( l s t )
4 # Output: [1 , ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7]
5 l s t .remove(76)
6 print( l s t )
7 # Output: ValueError: l i s t .remove(x ): x not in l i s t

2.4.1.8 Pop

To remove a specific object, pop function is used. To use it, lst. pop(ind) is used,
where ind is an optional parameter that specifies the index object is to be removed.
The default value for pop is equal to the index of the last item, and if the entered
index is not in the range index of lst, an error is raised. The following examples
indicate how pop function is used.
1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2 l s t .pop(8)
3 # Output: IndexError: pop index out of range
4 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
5 l s t .pop(3)
6 print( l s t )
7 # Output: [1 , ' data ' , 8, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
34 2 Python Basics

Note
Note: remove and pop are used to delete objects into a list, where remove
deletes an object by its object and pop deletes an object by its index. The
clear() function is a built-in method of the list object that is used to remove all
elements from a list, leaving it empty.

2.4.1.9 Reverse

To reverse the objects of a list, r ever se function is used. No argument is sent to

r ever se function. The following example indicates how r ever se function can be
used.
1 l s t =[1, ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2 l s t . reverse ()
3 # Output: [1 , ' data ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]

2.4.1.10 Copy

Consider the following example.

1 lst1 =[1, ' learn ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2 lst2=lst1
3 lst1 .remove( ' learn ' )
4 print( lst1 )
5 # Output: [1 , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
6 print( lst2 )
7 # Output: [1 , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
In the above example, it can be seen that every change to lst1, also will be applied
to lst2. In fact, with an assignment, a distinct copy is not to be created. To this end,
copy function is used that has no parameter. The following examples indicate how
copy function is used.
1 lst1 =[1, ' learn ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2 lst2=lst1 .copy()
3 lst1 .remove( ' learn ' )
4 print( lst1 )
5 # Output: [1 , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
6 print( lst2 )
7 # Output: [1 , ' learn ' , 8, 9, 7, '8 ' , 7, 6]
2.4 List 35

2.4.1.11 Nested List

A nested list is a list of lists; or a list/lists are into another list. The following example
creates a nested list.
1 nlst=[
2 [5.69 ,8 ,4.6] ,
3 [ 'x ' , ' a ' ,0.88] ,
4 [66, 7.7 , '8 ' ]]
All built-in functions can be applied to the nested lists. Take a look at the following
example.
1 nlst=[
2 [5.69 ,8 ,4.6] ,
3 [ 'x ' , ' a ' ,0.88] ,
4 [66, 7.7 , '8 ' ]]
5 # ind=nlst . index([66 , 7.7 , '8 '])
6 # Output: 2
In a nested list, all lists that are in other lists, have their indexes. The more nested,
the more indices must be used to access the elements of a nested list. Take a look at
the following examples.
1 nlst=[
2 [5 ,8 ,4] ,
3 [ 'x ' , ' a ' ,0.88 , ' r ' ] ,
4 [66, 7.7 ,[10 ,9 ,8] ,4] ]
5 # To access the f i s t l i s t and i t s second element
6 val=nlst [1]
7 print( val )
8 # Output: [ 'x ' , 'a ' ,0.88 , ' r ']
9 val=nlst [0][1]
10 print( val )
11 # Output: 8
12 val=nlst [2][3]
13 print( val )
14 # Output: [10, 9, 8]
15 val=nlst [2][2][1]
16 print( val )
17 # Output: 9
36 2 Python Basics

In the above examples, it can be seen that to access a nested list more than an index
must be used. With details, to access element 9 located in [66, 7.7, [10, 9, 8], 4], in
the above nested list, [2][2][1] is used, where [2] points to [66, 7.7, [10, 9, 8], 4],
[2][2] points to [10, 9, 8], and [2][2][1] points to 9.

2.4.2 List Constructor

Function of list () as input takes an optional iterable object, and converts it to a list
object, to use it, list (iter obj) is used. In a simple statement, each element of iter obj
is placed in an index of the list. Take a look at the following examples. All built-in
functions for the list that is created with [] can be applied to the list constructor.
1 l s t=l i s t ( ' learning ' )
2 print( l s t )
3 # Output: [ ' l ' , 'e ' , 'a ' , ' r ' , 'n ' , ' i ' , 'n ' , 'g ']
4 l s t=l i s t ( '1234 ' )
5 print( l s t )
6 # Output: [ '1 ' , '2 ' , '3 ' , '4 ']

2.5 Array

An array consists of data of the same type, whose elements can be accessed using its
indices. The elements in an array are stored sequentially in memory as opposed to a
list, which means that accessing the elements in the array is faster. In Python, there
is no special command to use an array, but a list is used. In other words, as the data
in the array must be of the same type, then only the data of the same type is used in
the list. In this regard, all built-in functions for the list can be applied to the arrays.
Take a look at the following examples.
1 # Creating an array of integers with the size of 6
2 arr =[1 ,4 ,5 ,7 ,9]
3 # Accessing to an element
4 print( arr =[0])
5 # Output: 1
6 # Creating an array of strings with the size of 6
7 arr=[ 'v ' , ' c ' , 'g ' , 'n ' ]
8 d=arr[0]+arr [2]
9 print(d)
10 # Output: vg
2.6 Matrix 37

2.5.1 Sort

Sort is a built-in function of the list, but sort can be applied to data of the same
type, so it applies to an array. With sor t (r ever se, key) function, the elements in
ascending or descending order are sorted. In the sort function, r ever se and key are
optional parameters such that r ever se is a binary value, and if it is False, sorts in
ascending order, else (T r ue) sorts in descending order, by default r ever se is equal to
False. The parameter of key determines the sorting criteria. The following examples
indicate how sor t function is used.
1 arr =[3,86,5,7,2,9]
2 # Sorting in ascending order
3 arr . sort ()
4 print( arr )
5 # Output: [2 , 3, 5, 7, 9, 86]
6 arr . sort ( reverse=True)
7 print( arr )
8 # Output: [86, 9, 7, 5, 3, 2]
9 arr=arr . sort ( reverse=True)
10 print( arr )
11 # Output: None
If the sorting is assigned to a variable, N one is returned, where N one means no
value and has the type of N oneT ype.

2.6 Matrix

A matrix is a two-dimensional data structure in which data is organized into rows

and columns. Each element in the matrix is identified by its row and column index.
In Python, matrices are commonly implemented using nested lists, where each inner
list represents a row of the matrix. To be a valid matrix, each row of the nested list
must contain the same number of elements, and the elements should be of the same
data type. In this regard, all built-in functions can be applied to the matrices. To
address to elements of a matrix, mat[x][y] is used, where mat is a matrix, [x] is
used to access the row of a matrix, and [y] is used to access the columns of a matrix.
The following examples indicate how the matrix can be used.
1 ' ' ' ' ' ' Creating a matrix 3 * 4 of integers ,
2 i t has 3 rows, and four columns.
3 The f i r s t row: [5 ,8 ,4 ,6] ,
4 for the f i r s t row, column 0, 1,2 and 3 are
5 5,8,4,6 respectively .
6 The second row: [88,4,32,41] , for the second row,
7 column 0, 1,2 and 3 are
38 2 Python Basics

8 88,4,32,41, respectively .
9 The third row: [66, 3 ,19 ,4] , for the third row,
10 column 0, 1,2 and 3 are
11 66, 3,19,4, respectively .
12 ' ' ' ' ' '
13 mat=[
14 [5 ,8 ,4 ,6] ,
15 [88,4,32,41] ,
16 [66, 3,19,4] ]

1 #Creating a matrix 2 * 3 of strings

2 mat=[
3 [ 'd ' , ' f ' , 'g ' ] ,
4 [ ' t ' , 'g ' , 'm' ] ]
5 #Creating a matrix 2 * 3 of float type
6 mat=[
7 [5.8 ,4.6 ,1.0] ,
8 [8.8 , 3,29.25] ]
The following examples are performed for a matrix.
1 mat=[
2 [5.8 ,4.6 ,2.9] ,
3 [8.8 , 3,29.25] ]
4 c=mat[1]
5 print(c)
6 # Output: [8.8 , 3,29.25]
7 c=mat[1][2]+mat[1][0]
8 print(c)
9 # Output: 38.05
10 # All built−in functions can be applied to the matrices too .
11 c=mat[0]. count(mat[0][1])
12 print(c)
13 # Output: 1

2.6.1 Changing List Elements

In a list, the items can be changed.

1 arr =[3,4,9,6,0,330]
2 arr[0]=81
3 arr[4]=23
4 print( arr )
5 # Output: [81, 4, 9, 6, 23, 330]
2.7 Set 39

2.7 Set

A set object is a built-in data structure in Python that represents a collection of unique
elements. Similar to a list or tuple, a set can contain elements of different data types,
and the elements are not stored in any particular order. Some key features of sets in
Python include:
1. Non-indexable
In contrast to a list object, the set object can not be addressed by an index.
2. Unchangeable
Elements of a set can be added or removed, but not changed by another value.
3. A set cannot have duplicate elements. Sets are used for math, from a practical
point of view, sets are used to perform mathematical operations, and remove
duplicate elements. To create a set in Python, an open curly bracket ‘{’ and a
closed curly bracket ‘}’ are used with initializing value to it, or a set () is used.
The following examples indicate how a set object is used. In all examples, se is a set
object, and iter obj is an iterable object.
1 se={3,4,7,6,0,9,3,7}
2 print( se )
3 # Output: {0, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9}
4 se={7,6, ' learn ' , ' a ' , 'b ' , ' a '}
5 print( se )
6 # Output: { ' learn ' , 6, 7, 'b ' , 'a '}
Notice that with {}, a dictionary is created not a set.

2.7.1 Set Built-in Functions

Set object in Python has some built-in functions that are to be described in the next.

2.7.1.1 Add

With add function, an element to a set is added, To use it, se.add(elem) is used,
where elem can not be a list object or set object. The following examples indicate
how add function in a set is used.
1 se={3,4,7,6,0,9,3,7}
2 se .add(21)
3 # Output: {0, 3, 4, 21, 6, 7, 9}
4 se .add(43.4)
5 print( se )
6 # Output: {0, 3, 4, 21, 6, 7, 9, 43.4}
40 2 Python Basics

7 se .add( ' eta ' )

8 print( se )
9 # Output: {0, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, ' eta ' , 21, 43.4}
10 s1={79, 'you '}
11 se .add(s1)
12 # Output: TypeError: unhashable type : ' set '
13 l s t =[ 'nba ' ,40 , '79 ' ]
14 se .add( l s t )
15 # Output: TypeError: unhashable type : ' l i s t '

2.7.1.2 Update

To include a list or a set se.update(iter obj) is used. The following examples indicate
how update function in a set is used.
1 se={0, 3, 4, 21, 6, 7, 9}
2 s1={79, 'you '}
3 se . update(s1)
4 print( se )
5 # Output: {0, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 79, 21, 'you '}
6 l s t =[ 'nba ' ,40 , '79 ' ]
7 se . update( l s t )
8 print( se )
9 '''
10 Output: {0, 3, 4, 6, 7, 'nba ' , 9, 40, '79 ' , 79, 21, 'you '}
11 ' ' '

2.7.1.3 Clear

To clear a set clear , se.clear () is used. No argument is sent to clear function. The
following example indicates how clear function in a set can be used.
1 se={0, 3, 4, 21, 6, 7, 9}
2 se . clear ()
3 print( se )
4 # Output: set ()

2.7.1.4 Union

With union, the union of a set with an iterable object is taken, To use it, se.union
(iter obj) is used. The following examples indicate how union function in a set is
used.
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irrelevantly; “but my family have just written me that they won’t
stand for it. So I suppose I’ll have to go into tenement work here in
the city instead.” With a visible effort she jerked her mind back again
to the feverish question in Rae Malgregor’s eyes. “Oh, you want to
know where I got my motto?” she asked. A flash of intuition
brightened suddenly across her absent-mindedness. “Oh,” she
smiled, “you mean you want to know just what the incident was that
first made me decide to devote my life to humanity?”
“Yes,” snapped Rae Malgregor.
A little shyly Helene Churchill picked up her copy of Marcus
Aurelius and cuddled her cheek against its tender morocco cover.
“Really?” she questioned with palpable hesitation—“really, you
want to know? Why, why—it’s rather a—sacred little story to me. I
shouldn’t exactly want to have anybody—laugh about it.”
“I’ll laugh if I want to,” attested Zillah Forsyth, forcibly, from the
other side of the room.
Like a pugnacious boy’s, Rae Malgregor’s fluent fingers doubled
up into two firm fists.
“I’ll punch her if she even looks as though she wanted to,” she
signaled surreptitiously to Helene.
Shrewdly for an instant the city girl’s narrowing eyes challenged
and appraised the country girl’s desperate sincerity. Then quite
abruptly she began her little story.
“Why, it was on an Easter Sunday, oh, ages and ages ago,” she
faltered. “Why, I couldn’t have been more than nine years old at the
time.” A trifle self-consciously she turned her face away from Zillah
Forsyth’s supercilious smile. “And I was coming home from a
Sunday-school festival in my best white muslin dress, with a big pot
of purple pansies in my hand,” she hastened somewhat nervously to
explain. “And just at the edge of the gutter there was a dreadful
drunken man lying in the mud, with a great crowd of cruel people
teasing and tormenting him. And because—because I couldn’t think
of anything else to do about it, I—I walked right up to the poor old
creature, scared as I could be, and—and I presented him with my
pot of purple pansies. And everybody of course began to laugh—to
scream, I mean—and shout with amusement. And I, of course,
began to cry. And the old drunken man straightened up very oddly
for an instant, with his battered hat in one hand and the pot of
pansies in the other, and he raised the pot of pansies very high, as
though it had been a glass of rarest wine, and bowed to me as
reverently as though he had been toasting me at my father’s table at
some very grand dinner. And ‘Inasmuch,’ he said. Just that
—‘Inasmuch.’ So that’s how I happened to go into nursing,” she
finished as abruptly as she had begun. Like some wonderful
phosphorescent manifestation her whole shining soul seemed to
flare forth suddenly through her plain face.
With honest perplexity Zillah Forsyth looked up from her work.
“So that’s how you happened to go into nursing?” she quizzed
impatiently. Her long straight nose was all puckered tight with
interrogation. Her dove-like eyes were fairly dilated with slow-
dawning astonishment. “You—don’t—mean,” she gasped—“you don’t
mean that just for that?” Incredulously she jumped to her feet and
stood staring blankly into the city girl’s strangely illuminated
features. “Well, if I were a swell like you,” she scoffed, “it would take
a heap sight more than a drunken man munching pansies and rum
and Bible texts to—to jolt me out of my limousines and steam-yachts
and Adirondack bungalows.”
Quite against all intention, Helene Churchill laughed. She did not
often laugh. Just for an instant her eyes and Zillah Forsyth’s clashed
together in the irremediable antagonism of caste, the plebeian’s
scornful impatience with the aristocrat equaled only by the
aristocrat’s condescending patience with the plebeian.
It was no more than right that the aristocrat should recover her
self-possession first.
 “Never mind about your understanding, Zillah dear,” she said
softly. “Your hair is the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my life.”
Along Zillah Forsyth’s ivory cheek an incongruous little flush of
red began to show. With much more nonchalance than was really
necessary she pointed toward her half-packed trunk.
“It wasn’t Sunday-school I was coming home from when I got my
motto,” she remarked dryly, with a wink at no one in particular. “And,
so far as I know,” she proceeded with increasing sarcasm, “the man
who inspired my noble life was not in any way particularly addicted
to the use of alcoholic beverages.” As though her collar was
suddenly too tight, she rammed her finger down between her stiff
white neck-band and her soft white throat. “He was a New York
doctor,” she hastened somewhat airily to explain. “Gee! but he was a
swell! And he was spending his summer holidays up in the same
Maine town where I was tending soda-fountain. And he used to drop
into the drug store nights after cigars and things. And he used to tell
me stories about the drugs and things, sitting up there on the
counter, swinging his legs and pointing out this and that—quinine,
ipecac, opium, hashish—all the silly patent medicines, every sloppy
soothing-syrup! Lordy! he knew ’em as though they were people—
where they come from, where they’re going to, yarns about the
tropics that would kink the hair along the nape of your neck, jokes
about your own town’s soup-kettle pharmacology that would make
you yell for joy. Gee! but the things that man had seen and known!
Gee! but the things that man could make you see and know! And he
had an automobile,” she confided proudly. “It was one of those
billion-dollar French cars, and I lived just round the corner from the
drug store; but we used to ride home by way of—New Hampshire.”
Almost imperceptibly her breath began to quicken.
“Gee! those nights!” she muttered. “Rain or shine, moon or
thunder, tearing down those country roads at forty miles an hour,
singing, hollering, whispering! It was him that taught me to do my
hair like this instead of all the cheap rats and pompadours every
other kid in town was wearing,” she asserted quite irrelevantly; then
stopped with a furtive glance of suspicion toward both her listeners
and mouthed her way delicately back to the beginning of her
sentence again. “It was he that taught me to do my hair like this,”
she repeated, with the faintest possible suggestion of hauteur.
For one reason or another along the exquisitely chaste curve of
her cheek a narrow streak of red began to show again.
“And he went away very sudden at the last,” she finished
hurriedly. “It seems he was married all the time.” Blandly she turned
her wonderful face to the caressing light. “And—I hope he goes to
hell,” she added.
With a little gasp of astonishment, shock, suspicion, distaste,
Helene Churchill reached out an immediate conscientious hand to
her.
“O Zillah,” she began, “O poor Zillah dear! I’m so sorry! I’m so—”
Absolutely serenely, through a mask of insolence and ice, Zillah
Forsyth ignored the proffered hand.
“I don’t know what particular call you’ve got to be sorry for me,
Helene Churchill,” she drawled languidly. “I’ve got my character,
same as you’ve got yours, and just about nine times as many good
looks. And when it comes to nursing—” Like an alto song pierced
suddenly by one shrill treble note, the girl’s immobile face sharpened
transiently with a single jagged flash of emotion. “And when it
comes to nursing? Ha! Helene Churchill, you can lead your class all
you want to with your silk-lined manners and your fuddy-duddy
book-talk; but when genteel people like you are moping round all
ready to fold your patients’ hands on their breasts and murmur, ‘Thy
will be done,’ why, that’s the time that little ‘Yours Truly’ is just
beginning to roll up her sleeves and get to work.”
With real passion her slender fingers went clutching again at her
harsh linen collar. “It isn’t you, Helene Churchill,” she taunted, “that’s
ever been to the Superintendent on your bended knees and begged
for the rabies cases and the small-pox! Gee! you like nursing
because you think it’s pious to like it; but I like it because I like it!”
From brow to chin, as though fairly stricken with sincerity, her whole
bland face furrowed startlingly with crude expressiveness. “The smell
of ether,” she stammered, “it’s like wine to me. The clang of the
ambulance gong? I’d rather hear it than fire-engines. I’d crawl on
my hands and knees a hundred miles to watch a major operation. I
wish there was a war. I’d give my life to see a cholera epidemic.”
As abruptly as it came, the passion faded from her face, leaving
every feature tranquil again, demure, exaggeratedly innocent. With
saccharine sweetness she turned to Rae Malgregor.
“Now, little one,” she mocked, “tell us the story of your lovely life.
Having heard me coyly confess that I went into nursing because I
had such a crush on this world, and Helene here brazenly affirm that
she went into nursing because she had such a crush on the world to
come, it’s up to you now to confide to us just how you happened to
take up so noble an endeavor. Had you seen some of the young
house doctors’ beautiful, smiling faces depicted in the hospital
catalogue? Or was it for the sake of the Senior Surgeon’s grim, gray
mug that you jilted your poor plowboy lover way up in the Annapolis
Valley?”
“Why, Zillah,” gasped the country girl—“why, I think you’re
perfectly awful! Why, Zillah Forsyth! Don’t you ever say a thing like
that again! You can joke all you want to about the flirty young
internes,—they’re nothing but fellows,—but it isn’t—it isn’t respectful
for you to talk like that about the Senior Surgeon. He’s too—too
terrifying,” she finished in an utter panic of consternation.
“Oh, now I know it was the Senior Surgeon that made you jilt
your country beau,” taunted Zillah Forsyth, with soft alto sarcasm.
“I didn’t, either, jilt Joe Hazeltine,” stormed Rae Malgregor,
explosively. Backed up against her bureau, eyes flaming, breast
heaving, little candy-box cap all tossed askew over her left ear, she
stood defying her tormentor. “I didn’t, either, jilt Joe Hazeltine,” she
reasserted passionately. “It was Joe Hazeltine that jilted me; and
we’d been going together since we were kids! And now he’s married
the dominie’s daughter, and they’ve got a kid of their own ’most as
old as he and I were when we first began courting each other. And
it’s all because I insisted on being a trained nurse,” she finished
shrilly.
With an expression of real shock, Helene Churchill peered up
from her lowly seat on the floor.
“You mean,” she asked a bit breathlessly—“you mean that he
didn’t want you to be a trained nurse? You mean that he wasn’t big
enough, wasn’t fine enough, to appreciate the nobility of the
profession?”
“Nobility nothing!” snapped Rae Malgregor. “It was me scrubbing
strange men with alcohol that he couldn’t stand for, and I don’t
know as I exactly blame him,” she added huskily. “It certainly is a
good deal of a liberty when you stop to think about it.”
Quite incongruously her big childish blue eyes narrowed suddenly
into two dark, calculating slits.
“It’s comic,” she mused, “how there isn’t a man in the world who
would stand letting his wife or daughter or sister have a male nurse;
but look at the jobs we girls get sent out on! It’s very confusing.”
With sincere appeal she turned to Zillah Forsyth. “And yet—and yet,”
she stammered, “and yet when everything scary that’s in you has
once been scared out of you, why, there’s nothing left in you to be
scared with any more, is there?”
“What? What?” pleaded Helene Churchill. “Say it again! What?”
“That’s what Joe and I quarreled about, my first vacation home,”
persisted Rae Malgregor. “It was a traveling salesman’s thigh. It was
broken bad. Somebody had to take care of it; so I did. Joe thought it
wasn’t modest to be so willing.” With a perplexed sort of defiance
she raised her square little chin. “But, you see, I was willing,” she
said. “I was perfectly willing. Just one single solitary year of hospital
training had made me perfectly willing. And you can’t un-willing a
willing even to please your beau, no matter how hard you try.” With
a droll admixture of shyness and disdain, she tossed her curly blond
head a trifle higher. “Shucks!” she attested, “what’s a traveling
salesman’s thigh?”
“Shucks yourself!” scoffed Zillah Forsyth. “What’s a silly beau or
two up in Nova Scotia to a girl with looks like you? You could have
married that typhoid case a dozen times last winter if you’d crooked
your little finger. Why, the fellow was crazy about you. And he was
richer than Crœsus. What queered it?” she demanded bluntly. “Did
his mother hate you?”
Like one fairly cramped with astonishment, Rae Malgregor
doubled up very suddenly at the waist-line, and, thrusting her neck
oddly forward after the manner of a startled crane, stood peering
sharply round the corner of the rocking-chair at Zillah Forsyth.
“Did his mother hate me?” she gasped. “Did—his—mother—hate
me? Well, what do you think? With me, who never even saw
plumbing till I came down here, setting out to explain to her, with
twenty tiled bath-rooms, how to be hygienic though rich? Did his
mother hate me? Well, what do you think? With her who bore him—
her who bore him, mind you—kept waiting down-stairs in the
hospital anteroom half an hour every day on the raw edge of a
rattan chair, waiting, worrying, all old and gray and scared, while
little, young, perky, pink-and-white me is up-stairs brushing her own
son’s hair and washing her own son’s face and altogether getting her
own son ready to see his own mother! And then me obliged to turn
her out again in ten minutes, flip as you please, ‘for fear she’d
stayed too long,’ while I stay on the rest of the night? Did his mother
hate me?”
As stealthily as an assassin she crept around the corner of the
rocking-chair and grabbed Zillah Forsyth by her astonished linen
shoulder.
“Did his mother hate me?” she persisted mockingly. “Did his
mother hate me? My God! Is there any woman from here to
Kamchatka who doesn’t hate us? Is there any woman from here to
Kamchatka who doesn’t look upon a trained nurse as her natural-
born enemy? I don’t blame ’em,” she added chokingly. “Look at the
impudent jobs we get sent out on! Quarantined up-stairs for weeks
at a time with their inflammable, diphtheretic bridegrooms while
they sit down-stairs brooding over their wedding teaspoons! Hiked
off indefinitely to Atlantic City with their gouty bachelor uncles!
Hearing their own innocent little sister’s blood-curdling death-bed
deliriums! Snatching their own new-born babies away from their
breasts and showing them, virgin-handed, how to nurse them
better! The impudence of it, I say, the disgusting, confounded
impudence—doing things perfectly, flippantly, right, for twenty-one
dollars a week—and washing—that all the achin’ love in the world
don’t know how to do right just for love!” Furiously she began to jerk
her victim’s shoulder. “I tell you it’s awful, Zillah Forsyth,” she
insisted. “I tell you I just won’t stand it!”
With muscles like steel wire, Zillah Forsyth scrambled to her feet,
and pushed Rae Malgregor back against the bureau.
“For Heaven’s sake, Rae, shut up!” she said. “What in creation’s
the matter with you to-day? I never saw you act so before.” With
real concern she stared into the girl’s turbid eyes. “If you feel like
that about it, what in thunder did you go into nursing for?” she
demanded not unkindly.
Very slowly Helene Churchill rose from her lowly seat by her
precious book-case and came round and looked at Rae Malgregor
rather oddly.
“Yes,” she faltered, “what did you go into nursing for?” The
faintest possible taint of asperity was in her voice.
Quite dumbly for an instant Rae Malgregor’s natural timidity
stood battling the almost fanatic professional fervor in Helene
Churchill’s frankly open face, the raw scientific passion, of very
different caliber, but of no less intensity, hidden craftily behind Zillah
Forsyth’s plastic features; then suddenly her own hands went
clutching back at the bureau for support, and all the flaming, raging
red went ebbing out of her cheeks, leaving her lips with hardly blood
enough left to work them.
“I went into nursing,” she mumbled, “and it’s God’s own truth—I
went into nursing because—because I thought the uniforms were so
cute.”
Furiously, the instant the words were gone from her mouth, she
turned and snarled at Zillah’s hooting laughter.
“Well, I had to do something,” she attested. The defense was like
a flat blade slapping the air.
Desperately she turned to Helene Churchill’s goading, faintly
supercilious smile, and her voice edged suddenly like a twisted
sword.
“Well, the uniforms are cute,” she parried. “They are! They are! I
bet you there’s more than one girl standing high in the graduating
class to-day who never would have stuck out her first year’s bossin’
and slops and worry and death if she’d had to stick it out in the
unimportant-looking clothes she came from home in. Even you,
Helene Churchill, with all your pious talk, the day they put your
coachman’s son in as new interne and you got called down from the
office for failing to stand when Mr. Young Coachman came into the
room, you bawled all night. You did, you did, and swore you’d chuck
your whole job and go home the next day if it wasn’t that you’d just
had a life-size photo taken in full nursing costume to send to your
brother’s chum at Vale! So there!”
With a gasp of ineffable satisfaction she turned from Helene
Churchill.
“Sure the uniforms are cute,” she slashed back at Zillah Forsyth.
“That’s the whole trouble with ’em. They’re so awfully,
masqueradishly cute! Sure I could have gotten engaged to the
typhoid boy. It would have been as easy as robbing a babe. But lots
of girls, I notice, get engaged in their uniforms, feeding a patient
perfectly scientifically out of his own silver spoon, who don’t seem to
stay engaged so specially long in their own street clothes, bungling
just plain naturally with their own knives and forks. Even you, Zillah
Forsyth,” she hacked—“even you, who trot round like the ‘Lord’s
anointed’ in your pure white togs, you’re just as Dutchy-looking as
anybody else come to put you in a red hat and a tan coat and a blue
skirt.”
Mechanically she raised her hands to her head as though with
some silly thought of keeping the horrid pain in her temples from
slipping to her throat, her breast, her feet.
“Sure the uniforms are cute,” she persisted a bit thickly. “Sure the
typhoid boy was crazy about me. He called me his ‘holy chorus girl.’ I
heard him raving in his sleep. Lord save us! What are we to any man
but just that?” she questioned hotly, with renewed venom. “Parson,
actor, young sinner, old saint—I ask you frankly, girls, on your word
of honor, was there ever more than one man in ten went through
your hands who didn’t turn out soft somewhere before you were
through with him? Mawking about your ‘sweet eyes’ while you’re
wrecking your optic nerves trying to decipher the dose on a poison
bottle! Mooning over your wonderful likeness to the lovely young
sister they never had! Trying to kiss your finger-tips when you’re
struggling to brush their teeth! Teasin’ you to smoke cigarettes with
’em when they know it would cost you your job!”
Impishly, without any warning, she crooked her knee and pointed
one homely, square-toed shoe in a mincing dancing step.
Hoidenishly she threw out her arms and tried to gather Helene and
Zillah both into their compass.
“Oh, you holy chorus girls!” she chuckled, with maniacal delight.
“Everybody all together, now! Kick your little kicks! Smile your little
smiles! Tinkle your little thermometers! Steady, there! One, two,
three! One, two, three!”
Laughingly, Zillah Forsyth slipped from the grasp.
“Don’t you dare ‘holy’ me!” she cried.
In real irritation Helene released herself.
 “I’m no chorus girl,” she said coldly.
With a shrill little scream of pain, Rae Malgregor’s hands went
flying back to her temples. Like a person giving orders in a great
panic, she turned authoritatively to her two room-mates, her fingers
all the while boring frenziedly into her temples.
“Now, girls,” she warned, “stand well back! If my head bursts,
you know, it’s going to burst all slivers and splinters, like a boiler.”
“Rae, you’re crazy,” hooted Zillah.
“Just plain vulgar—loony,” faltered Helene.
Both girls reached out simultaneously to push her aside.
Somewhere in the dusty, indifferent street a bird’s note rang out
in one wild, delirious ecstasy of untrammeled springtime. To all
intents and purposes the sound might have been the one final signal
that Rae Malgregor’s jangled nerves were waiting for.
“Oh, I am crazy, am I?” she cried, with a new, fierce joy. “Oh, I
am crazy, am I? Well, I’ll go ask the Superintendent and see if I am.
Oh, surely they wouldn’t try and make me graduate if I really was
crazy!”
Madly she bolted for her bureau, and, snatching her own motto
down, crumpled its face securely against her skirt, and started for
the door. Just what the motto was no one but herself knew.
Sprawling in paint-brush hieroglyphics on a great flapping sheet of
brown wrapping-paper, the sentiment, whatever it was, had been
nailed face down to the wall for three tantalizing years.
“No, you don’t!” Zillah cried now, as she saw the mystery
threatening meanly to escape her.
“No, you don’t!” cried Helene. “You’ve seen our mottos, and now
we’re going to see yours!”
Almost crazed with new terror, Rae Malgregor went dodging to
the right, to the left, to the right again, cleared the rocking-chair, a
scuffle with padded hands, climbed the trunk, a race with padded
feet, reached the door-handle at last, yanked the door open, and
with lungs and temper fairly bursting with momentum, shot down
the hall, down some stairs, down some more hall, down some more
stairs to the Superintendent’s office, where, with her precious motto
still clutched securely in one hand, she broke upon that dignitary’s
startled, near-sighted vision like a young whirlwind of linen and
starch and flapping brown paper. Breathlessly, without prelude or
preamble, she hurled her grievance into the older woman’s
grievance-dulled ears.
“Give me back my own face!” she demanded peremptorily. “Give
me back my own face, I say! And my own hands! I tell you, I want
my own hands! Helene and Zillah say I’m insane! And I want to go
home!”
Like a short-necked animal elongated suddenly to the cervical
proportions of a giraffe, the Superintendent of Nurses reared up
from her stoop-shouldered desk-work, and stared forth in speechless
astonishment across the top of her spectacles.
Exuberantly impertinent, ecstatically self-conscious, Rae
Malgregor repeated her demand. To her parched mouth the very
taste of her own babbling impudence refreshed her like the shock
and prickle of cracked ice.
“I tell you, I want my own face again, and my own hands!” she
reiterated glibly. “I mean the face with the mortgage in it, and the
cinders—and the other human expressions,” she explained. “And the
nice, grubby country hands that go with that sort of a face.”
Very accusingly she raised her finger and shook it at the
Superintendent’s perfectly livid countenance.
“Oh, of course I know I wasn’t very much to look at; but at least
I matched. What my hands knew, I mean, my face knew. Pies or
plowing or May-baskets, what my hands knew my face knew. That’s
the way hands and faces ought to work together. But you—you with
all your rules and your bossing, and your everlasting ‘’S-’sh! ’S-’sh!’
you’ve snubbed all the know-anything out of my face and made my
hands nothing but two disconnected machines for somebody else to
run. And I hate you! You’re a monster! You’re a—Everybody hates
you!”
Mutely then she shut her eyes, bowed her head, and waited for
the Superintendent to smite her dead. The smite, she felt sure,
would be a noisy one. First of all, she reasoned, it would fracture her
skull. Naturally then, of course, it would splinter her spine. Later, in
all probability, it would telescope her knee-joints. And never indeed,
now that she came to think of it, had the arches of her feet felt less
capable of resisting so terrible an impact. Quite unconsciously she
groped out a little with one hand to steady herself against the edge
of the desk.
But the blow when it came was nothing but a cool finger tapping
her pulse.
“There! There!” crooned the Superintendent’s voice, with a most
amazing tolerance.
“But I won’t ‘there, there!’” snapped Rae Malgregor. Her eyes
were wide open again now, and extravagantly dilated.
The cool fingers on her pulse seemed to tighten a little.
“’S-’sh! ’S-’sh!” admonished the Superintendent’s mumbling lips.
“But I won’t ‘’S-’sh! ’S-’sh!’” stormed Rae Malgregor. Never before
in her three years’ hospital training had she seen her arch-enemy,
the Superintendent, so utterly disarmed of irascible temper and
arrogant dignity, and the sight perplexed and maddened her at one
and the same moment. “But I won’t ‘’S-’sh! ’S-’sh!’” Desperately she
jerked her curly blond head in the direction of the clock on the wall.
“Here it’s four o’clock now,” she cried, “and in less than four hours
you’re going to try and make me graduate, and go out into the world
—God knows where—and charge innocent people twenty-one dollars
a week, and washing, likelier than not, mind you, for these hands,”
she gestured, “that don’t coördinate at all with this face,” she
grimaced, “but with the face of one of the house doctors or the
Senior Surgeon or even you, who may be ’way off in Kamchatka
when I need him most!” she finished, with a confused jumble of
accusation and despair.
Still with unexplainable amiability the Superintendent whirled
back into place in her pivot-chair, and with her left hand, which had
all this time been rummaging busily in a lower desk drawer,
proffered Rae Malgregor a small fold of paper.
“Here, my dear,” she said, “here’s a sedative for you. Take it at
once. It will quiet you perfectly. We all know you’ve had very hard
luck this past month, but you mustn’t worry so about the future.”
The slightest possible tinge of purely professional manner crept back
into the older woman’s voice. “Certainly, Miss Malgregor, with your
judgment—”
“With my judgment?” cried Rae Malgregor. The phrase was like a
red rag to her. “With my judgment? Great heavens! that’s the whole
trouble! I haven’t got any judgment! I’ve never been allowed to
have any judgment! All I’ve ever been allowed to have is the
judgment of some flirty young medical student or the house doctor
or the Senior Surgeon or you!”
Her eyes were fairly piteous with terror.
“Don’t you see that my face doesn’t know anything?” she
faltered, “except just to smile and smile and smile and say ‘Yes, sir,’
‘No, sir,’ ‘Yes, sir’?” From curly blond head to square-toed, common-
sense shoes her little body began to quiver suddenly like the advent
of a chill. “Oh, what am I going to do,” she begged, “when I’m ’way
off alone—somewhere in the mountains or a tenement or a palace,
and something happens, and there isn’t any judgment round to tell
me what I ought to do?”
Abruptly in the doorway, as though summoned by some purely
casual flicker of the Superintendent’s thin fingers, another nurse
appeared.
“Yes, I rang,” said the Superintendent. “Go and ask the Senior
Surgeon if he can come to me here a moment, immediately.”
 “The Senior Surgeon?” gasped Rae Malgregor. “The Senior
Surgeon?” With her hands clutching at her throat she reeled back
against the wall for support. Like a shore bereft in one second of its
tide, like a tree stripped in one second of its leafage, she stood
there, utterly stricken of temper or passion or any animating human
emotion whatsoever.
“Oh, now I’m going to be expelled! Oh, now I know I’m going to
be expelled!” she moaned listlessly.
Very vaguely into the farthest radiation of her vision she sensed
the approach of a man. Gray-haired, gray-suited, as grayly dogmatic
as a block of granite, the Senior Surgeon loomed up at last in the
doorway.
“I’m in a hurry,” he growled. “What’s the matter?”
Precipitously Rae Malgregor collapsed into the breach.
“Oh, there’s nothing at all the matter, sir,” she stammered. “It’s
only—it’s only that I’ve just decided that I don’t want to be a trained
nurse.”
With a gesture of ill-concealed impatience the Superintendent
shrugged the absurd speech aside.
“Dr. Faber,” she said, “won’t you just please assure Miss
Malgregor once more that the little Italian boy’s death last week was
in no conceivable way her fault—that nobody blames her in the
slightest, or holds her in any possible way responsible?”
“Why, what nonsense!” snapped the Senior Surgeon. “What—”
“And the Portuguese woman the week before that,” interrupted
Rae Malgregor, dully.
“Stuff and nonsense!” said the Senior Surgeon. “It’s nothing but
coincidence, pure coincidence. It might have happened to anybody.”
“And she hasn’t slept for almost a fortnight,” the Superintendent
confided, “nor touched a drop of food or drink, as far as I can make
out, except just black coffee. I’ve been expecting this breakdown for
some days.”
“And—the—young—drug-store—clerk—the—week—before—that,”
Rae Malgregor resumed with singsong monotony.
Bruskly the Senior Surgeon stepped forward and, taking the girl
by her shoulders, jerked her sharply round to the light, and, with
firm, authoritative fingers, rolled one of her eyelids deftly back from
its inordinately dilated pupil. Equally bruskly he turned away again.
“Nothing but moonshine!” he muttered. “Nothing in the world but
too much coffee dope taken on an empty stomach—‘empty brain,’ I’d
better have said. When will you girls ever learn any sense?” With
search-light shrewdness his eyes flashed back for an instant over the
haggard, gray lines that slashed along the corners of her quivering,
childish mouth. A bit temperishly he began to put on his gloves.
“Next time you set out to have a ‘brain-storm,’ Miss Malgregor,” he
suggested satirically, “try to have it about something more sensible
than imagining that anybody is trying to hold you personally
responsible for the existence of death in the world. Bah!” he
ejaculated fiercely. “If you are going to fuss like this over cases
hopelessly moribund from the start, what in thunder are you going
to do some fine day when, out of a perfectly clear and clean sky,
security itself turns septic, and you lose the President of the United
States or a mother of nine children—with a hang-nail?”
“But I wasn’t fussing, sir!” protested Rae Malgregor, with a timid
sort of dignity. “Why, it never had occurred to me for a moment that
anybody blamed me for anything.” Just from sheer astonishment her
hands took a new clutch into the torn, flapping corner of the motto
that she still clung desperately to even at this moment.
“For Heaven’s sake, stop crackling that brown paper!” stormed
the Senior Surgeon.
“But I wasn’t crackling the brown paper, sir! It’s crackling itself,”
persisted Rae Malgregor, very softly. The great blue eyes that lifted
to his were brimming full of misery. “Oh, can’t I make you
understand, sir?” she stammered. Appealingly she turned to the
Superintendent. “Oh, can’t I make anybody understand? All I was
trying to say, all I was trying to explain, was that I don’t want to be
a trained nurse—after all.”
“Why not?” demanded the Senior Surgeon, with a rather noisy
click of his glove fasteners.
“Because—my face is tired,” said the girl, quite simply.
The explosive wrath on the Senior Surgeon’s countenance
seemed to be directed suddenly at the Superintendent.
“Is this an afternoon tea?” he asked tartly. “With six major
operations this morning, and a probable meningitis diagnosis ahead
of me this afternoon, I think I might be spared the babblings of an
hysterical nurse.” Casually over his shoulder he nodded at the girl.
“You’re a fool,” he said, and started for the door.
Just on the threshold he turned abruptly and looked back. His
forehead was furrowed like a corduroy road, and the one rampant
question in his mind at the moment seemed to be mired hopelessly
between his bushy eyebrows.
“Lord!” he exclaimed a bit flounderingly, “are you the nurse that
helped me last week on that fractured skull?”
“Yes, sir,” said Rae Malgregor.
Jerkily the Senior Surgeon retraced his footsteps into the office
and stood facing her as though with some really terrible accusation.
“And the freak abdominal?” he quizzed sharply. “Was it you who
threaded that needle for me so blamed slowly and calmly and surely,
while all the rest of us were jumping up and down and cursing you
for no brighter reason than that we couldn’t have threaded it
ourselves if we’d had all eternity before us and all hell bleeding to
death?”
“Y-e-s,” said Rae Malgregor.
 Quite bluntly the Senior Surgeon reached out and lifted one of
her hands to his scowling professional scrutiny.
“God!” he attested, “what a hand! You’re a wonder. Under proper
direction you’re a wonder. It was like myself working with twenty
fingers and no thumbs. I never saw anything like it.”
Almost boyishly the embarrassed flush mounted to his cheeks as
he jerked away again. “Excuse me for not recognizing you,” he
apologized gruffly, “but you girls all look so much alike!”
As though the eloquence of Heaven itself had suddenly
descended upon a person hitherto hopelessly tongue-tied, Rae
Malgregor lifted an utterly transfigured face to the Senior Surgeon’s
grimly astonished gaze.
“Yes, yes, sir!” she cried joyously; “that’s just exactly what the
trouble is; that’s just exactly what I was trying to express, sir: my
face is all worn out trying to ‘look alike.’ My cheeks are almost
sprung with artificial smiles. My eyes are fairly bulging with unshed
tears. My nose aches like a toothache trying never to turn up at
anything. I’m smothered with the discipline of it. I’m choked with the
affectation. I tell you, I just can’t breathe through a trained nurse’s
face any more. I tell you, sir, I’m sick to death of being nothing but a
type. I want to look like myself. I want to see what life could do to a
silly face like mine if it ever got a chance. When other women are
crying, I want the fun of crying. When other women look scared to
death, I want the fun of looking scared to death.” Hysterically again,
with shrewish emphasis, she began to repeat: “I won’t be a nurse! I
tell you I won’t! I won’t!”
“Pray what brought you so suddenly to this remarkable
decision?” scoffed the Senior Surgeon.
“A letter from my father, sir,” she confided more quietly—“a letter
about some dogs.”
“Dogs?” hooted the Senior Surgeon.
 “Yes, sir,” said the White Linen Nurse. A trifle speculatively for an
instant she glanced at the Superintendent’s face and then back
again to the Senior Surgeon’s. “Yes, sir,” she repeated with
increasing confidence, “up in Nova Scotia my father raises hunting-
dogs. Oh, no special fancy kind, sir,” she hastened in all honesty to
explain, “just dogs, you know; just mixed dogs, pointers with curly
tails, and shaggy-coated hounds, and brindled spaniels, and all that
sort of thing; just mongrels, you know, but very clever. And people,
sir, come all the way from Boston to buy dogs of him, and once a
man came way from London to learn the secret of his training.”
“Well, what is the secret of his training?” quizzed the Senior
Surgeon with the sudden eager interest of a sportsman. “I should
think it would be pretty hard,” he acknowledged, “in a mixed gang
like that to decide just what particular game was suited to which
particular dog.”
“Yes, that’s just it, sir,” beamed the White Linen Nurse. “A dog, of
course, will chase anything that runs,—that’s just dog,—but when a
dog really begins to care for what he’s chasing, he—wags! That’s
hunting. Father doesn’t calculate, he says, on training a dog on
anything he doesn’t wag on.”
“Yes, but what’s that got to do with you?” asked the Senior
Surgeon, a bit impatiently.
With ill-concealed dismay the White Linen Nurse stood staring
blankly at the Senior Surgeon’s gross stupidity.
“Why, don’t you see?” she faltered. “I’ve been chasing this
nursing job three whole years now, and there’s no wag to it.”
“Oh, hell!” said the Senior Surgeon. If he hadn’t said “Oh, hell!”
he would have grinned. And it hadn’t been a grinny day, and he
certainly didn’t intend to begin grinning at any such late hour as that
in the afternoon. With his dignity once reassured, he then relaxed a
trifle. “For Heaven’s sake, what do you want to be?” he asked not
unkindly.
 With an abrupt effort at self-control Rae Malgregor jerked her
head into at least the outer semblance of a person lost in almost
fathomless thought.
“Why, I’m sure I don’t know, sir,” she acknowledged worriedly.
“But it would be a great pity, I suppose, to waste all the grand
training that’s gone into my hands.” With sudden conviction her limp
shoulders stiffened a trifle. “My oldest sister,” she stammered,
“bosses the laundry in one of the big hotels in Halifax, and my
youngest sister teaches school in Moncton. But I’m so strong, you
know, and I like to move things round so, and everything, maybe I
could get a position somewhere as general housework girl.”
With a roar of amusement as astonishing to himself as to his
listeners, the Senior Surgeon’s chin jerked suddenly upward.
“You’re crazy as a loon!” he confided cordially. “Great Scott! If
you can work up a condition like this on coffee, what would you do
on malted milk?” As unheralded as his amusement, gross irritability
overtook him again. “Will—you—stop—rattling that brown paper?”
he thundered at her.
As innocently as a child she rebuffed the accusation and ignored
the temper.
“But I’m not rattling it, sir!” she protested. “I’m simply trying to
hide what’s on the other side of it.”
“What is on the other side of it?” demanded the Senior Surgeon,
bluntly.
With unquestioning docility the girl turned the paper around.
From behind her desk the austere Superintendent twisted her
neck most informally to decipher the scrawling hieroglyphics. “Don’t
Ever Be Bumptious!” she read forth jerkily with a questioning,
incredulous sort of emphasis.
“Don’t ever be bumptious!” squinted the Senior Surgeon
perplexedly through his glass.
 “Yes,” said Rae Malgregor, very timidly. “It’s my motto.”
“Your motto?” sniffed the Superintendent.
“Your motto?” chuckled the Senior Surgeon.
“Yes, my motto,” repeated Rae Malgregor, with the slightest
perceptible tinge of resentment. “And it’s a perfectly good motto,
too. Only, of course, it hasn’t got any style to it. That’s why I didn’t
want the girls to see it,” she confided a bit drearily. Then palpably
before their eyes they saw her spirit leap into ineffable pride. “My
father gave it to me,” she announced briskly, “and my father said
that, when I came home in June, if I could honestly say that I’d
never once been bumptious all my three years here, he’d give me a
heifer. And—”
“Well, I guess you’ve lost your heifer,” said the Senior Surgeon,
bluntly.
“Lost my heifer?” gasped the girl. Big-eyed and incredulous, she
stood for an instant staring back and forth from the Superintendent’s
face to the Senior Surgeon’s. “You mean,” she stammered—“you
mean that I’ve been bumptious just now? You mean that, after all
these years of meachin’ meekness, I’ve lost?”
Plainly even to the Senior Surgeon and the Superintendent the
bones in her knees weakened suddenly like knots of tissue-paper. No
power on earth could have made her break discipline by taking a
chair while the Senior Surgeon stood, so she sank limply down to
the floor instead, with two great solemn tears welling slowly through
the fingers with which she tried to cover her face.
“And the heifer was brown, with one white ear; it was awful’
cunning,” she confided mumblingly. “And it ate from my hand, all
warm and sticky, like loving sand-paper.” There was no protest in her
voice, or any whine of complaint, but merely the abject submission
to fate of one who from earliest infancy had seen other crops
blighted by other frosts. Then tremulously, with the air of one who
just as a matter of spiritual tidiness would purge her soul of all sad
secrets, she lifted her entrancing, tear-flushed face from her strong,
sturdy, utterly unemotional fingers and stared with amazing
blueness, amazing blandness, into the Senior Surgeon’s scowling
scrutiny.

Plates in tint, engraved for THE CENTURY by H. C. Merrill and H. Davidson

“‘DON’T EVER BE BUMPTIOUS!’ SQUINTED THE SENIOR SURGEON PERPLEXEDLY
THROUGH HIS GLASS”
DRAWN BY HERMAN PFEIFER
❏
LARGER IMAGE
 “And I’d named her for you,” she said—“I’d named her Patience,
for you!”
Instantly then she scrambled to her knees to try and assuage by
some miraculous apology the horrible shock which she read in the
Senior Surgeon’s face.
“Oh, of course, sir, I know it isn’t scientific,” she pleaded
desperately. “Oh, of course, sir, I know it isn’t scientific at all; but up
where I live, you know, instead of praying for anybody, we—we
name a young animal for the virtue that that person seems to need
the most. And if you tend the young animal carefully, and train it
right, why—it’s just a superstition, of course, but—Oh, sir,” she
floundered hopelessly, “the virtue you needed most in your business
was what I meant! Oh, really, sir, I never thought of criticizing your
character!”
Gruffly the Senior Surgeon laughed. Embarrassment was in the
laugh, and anger, and a fierce, fiery sort of resentment against both
the embarrassment and the anger, but no possible trace of
amusement. Impatiently he glanced up at the fast-speeding clock.
“Good Lord!” he exclaimed, “I’m an hour late now!” Scowling like
a pirate, he clicked the cover of his watch open and shut for an
uncertain instant. Then suddenly he laughed again, and there was
nothing whatsoever in his laugh this time except just amusement.
“See here, Miss—Bossy Tamer,” he said, “if the Superintendent is
willing, go get your hat and coat, and I’ll take you out on that
meningitis case with me. It’s a thirty-mile run, if it’s a block, and I
guess if you sit on the front seat it will blow the cobwebs out of your
brain—if anything will,” he finished not unkindly.
Like a white hen sensing the approach of some utterly unseen
danger, the Superintendent seemed to bristle suddenly in every
direction.
“It’s a bit irregular,” she protested in her most even tone.
 “Bah! So are some of the most useful of the French verbs,”
snapped the Senior Surgeon. In the midst of authority his voice
could be inestimably soft and reassuring; but sometimes on the
brink of asserting said authority he had a tone that was distinctly
unpleasant.
“Oh, very well,” conceded the Superintendent, with some
waspishness.
Hazily for an instant Rae Malgregor stood staring into the
Superintendent’s uncordial face. “I’d—I’d apologize,” she faltered,
“but I don’t even know what I said. It just blew up.”
Perfectly coldly and perfectly civilly the Superintendent received
the overture.
“It was quite evident, Miss Malgregor, that you were not
altogether responsible at the moment,” she conceded in common
justice.
Heavily then, like a person walking in her sleep, the girl trailed
out of the room to get her coat and hat.
Slamming one desk-drawer after another, the Superintendent
drowned the sluggish sound of her retreating footsteps.
“There goes my best nurse,” she said grimly, “my very best
nurse. Oh, no, not the most brilliant one,—I didn’t mean that,—but
the most reliable, the most nearly perfect human machine that it has
ever been my privilege to see turned out, the one girl that, week in,
week out, month after month and year after year, has always done
what she’s told, when she was told, and the exact way she was told,
without questioning anything, without protesting anything, without
supplementing anything with some disastrous original conviction of
her own. And look at her now!” Tragically the Superintendent rubbed
her hand across her worried brow. “Coffee you said it was?” she
asked skeptically. “Are there any special antidotes for coffee?”
With a queer little quirk to his mouth, the gruff Senior Surgeon
jerked his glance back from the open window where, like the gleam
of a slim tomboyish ankle, a flicker of green went scurrying through
the tree-tops.
“What’s that you asked?” he quizzed sharply. “Any antidotes for
coffee? Yes, dozens of them; but none for spring.”
“Spring?” sniffed the Superintendent. A little shiveringly she
reached out and gathered a white knitted shawl about her
shoulders. “Spring? I don’t see what spring’s got to do with Rae
Malgregor or any other young outlaw in my graduating class. If
graduation came in November, it would be just the same. They’re a
set of ingrates, every one of them.” Vehemently she turned aside to
her card-index of names, and slapped the cards through one by one
without finding one single soothing exception. “Yes, sir, a set of
ingrates,” she repeated accusingly. “Spend your life trying to teach
them what to do and how to do it, cram ideas into those that
haven’t got any, and yank ideas out of those who have got too
many; refine them, toughen them, scold them, coax them,
everlastingly drill and discipline them: and then just as you get them
to a place where they move like clockwork, and you actually believe
you can trust them, then graduation day comes round, and they
think they’re all safe, and every single individual member of the class
breaks out and runs amuck with the one daredevil deed she’s been
itching to do every day the last three years! Why, this very morning I
caught the president of the senior class with a breakfast tray in her
hands stealing the cherry out of her patient’s grape-fruit, and three
of the girls reported for duty as bold as brass with their hair frizzed
tight as a nigger doll’s. And the girl who’s going into a convent next
week was trying on the laundryman’s derby hat as I came up from
lunch. And now, now—” the Superintendent’s voice became suddenly
a little hoarse—“and now here’s Miss Malgregor intriguing to get an
automobile ride with you!”
“Eh?” cried the Senior Surgeon, with a jump. “My God! is this an
insane asylum? Is it a nervine?” Madly he started for the door.
“Order a ton of bromides,” he called back over his shoulder. “Order a
car-load of them, fumigate the whole place with them, fumigate the
whole damned place!”
Half-way down the lower hall, all his nerves on edge, all his
unwonted boyish impulsiveness quenched nauseously like a candle-
flame, he met and passed Rae Malgregor without a sign of
recognition.
“God! How I hate women!” he kept mumbling to himself as he
struggled clumsily all alone into the torn sleeve lining of his
thousand-dollar mink coat.
Like a train-traveler coming out of a long, smoky, smothery
tunnel into the clean-tasting light, the White Linen Nurse came out
of the prudish, smelling hospital into the riotous mud-and-posie
promise of the young April afternoon.
The god of hysteria had certainly not deserted her. In all the full
effervescent reaction of her brain-storm, fairly bubbling with
dimples, fairly foaming with curls, light-footed, light-hearted, most
ecstatically light-headed, she tripped down into the sunshine as
though the great harsh granite steps that marked her descent were
nothing more nor less than a gigantic old horny-fingered hand
passing her blithely out to some deliciously unknown Lilliputian
adventure.
As she pranced across the soggy April sidewalk to what she
supposed was the Senior Surgeon’s perfectly empty automobile, she
became aware suddenly that the rear seat of the car was already
occupied.
Out from an unseasonable snuggle of sable furs and flaming red
hair a small peevish face peered forth at her with frank curiosity.
“Why, hello!” beamed the White Linen Nurse. “Who are you?”
With unmistakable hostility the haughty little face retreated into
its furs and its red hair.
“Hush!” commanded a shrill childish voice. “Hush, I say! I’m a
cripple and very bad-tempered. Don’t speak to me!”
 “Oh, my glory!” gasped the White Linen Nurse. “Oh, my glory,
glory, glory!” Without any warning whatsoever, she felt suddenly like
nothing at all, rigged out in an exceedingly shabby old ulster and an
excessively homely black slouch-hat. In a desperate attempt at
tangible tomboyish nonchalance, she tossed her head, and thrust
her hands down deep into her big ulster pockets. That the black hat
reflected no decent featherish consciousness of being tossed, that
the big threadbare pockets had no bottoms to them, merely
completed her startled sense of having been in some way blotted
right out of existence.
Behind her back the Senior Surgeon’s huge fur-coated approach
dawned blissfully like the thud of a rescue-party.
But if the Senior Surgeon’s blunt, wholesome invitation to ride
had been perfectly sweet when he prescribed it for her in the
Superintendent’s office, the invitation had certainly soured most
amazingly in the succeeding ten minutes. Abruptly now, without any
greeting, he reached out and opened the rear door of the car, and
nodded curtly for her to enter.
Instantly across the face of the Little Crippled Girl already
ensconced in the tonneau a single flash of light went zigzagging
crookedly from brow to chin, and was gone again.
“Hello, fat Father!” piped the shrill little voice. “Hello, fat Father!”
So subtly was the phrase mouthed, to save your soul you could not
have proved just where the greeting ended and the taunt began.
There was nothing subtle, however, about the way in which the
Senior Surgeon’s hand shot out and slammed the tonneau door
bang-bang again on its original passenger. His face was crimson with
anger. Bruskly he pointed to the front seat.
“You may sit in there with me, Miss Malgregor,” he thundered.
“Yes, sir,” crooned the White Linen Nurse.
As meek as an oiled machine she scuttled to her appointed place.
Once more in smothered giggle and unprotesting acquiescence she
sensed the resumption of eternal discipline. Already in just this trice
of time she felt her rampant young mouth resettle tamely into lines
of smug, determinate serenity. Already across her idle lap she felt
her clasped fingers begin to frost and tingle again like a cheerfully
non-concerned bunch of live wires waiting the one authoritative
signal to connect somebody, anybody, with this world or the next.
Already the facile tip of her tongue seemed fairly loaded and cocked
like a revolver with all the approximate “Yes, sirs,” and “No, sirs,”
that she thought she should probably need.
But the only immediate remarks that the Senior Surgeon
addressed to any one were addressed distinctly to the crank of his
automobile.
“Damn a chauffeur who gets drunk the one day of the year when
you need him most!” he muttered under his breath, as with the
same exquisitely sensitive fingers that could have dissected like a
caress the nervous system of a humming-bird, or reset unbruisingly
the broken wing of a butterfly, he hurled his hundred and eighty
pounds of infuriate brute strength against the calm, chronic,
mechanical stubbornness of that auto crank. “Damn!” he swore on
the upward pull, “Damn!” he gasped on the downward push,
“Damn!” he cursed and sputtered and spluttered. Purple with effort,
bulging-eyed with strain, reeking with sweat, his frenzied outburst
would have terrorized the entire hospital staff.
With an odd little twinge of homesickness, the White Linen Nurse
slid cautiously out to the edge of her seat so that she might watch
the struggle better. For thus, with dripping foreheads and knotted
neck-muscles and breaking backs and rankly tempestuous language,
did the untutored men-folk of her own beloved home-land hurl their
great strength against bulls and boulders and refractory forest trees.
Very startlingly, as she watched, a brand-new thought went
zigzagging through her consciousness.
Was it possible, was it even so much as remotely possible, that
the great Senior Surgeon, the great, wonderful, altogether
formidable, altogether unapproachable Senior Surgeon, was just a—
was just a—
Stripped ruthlessly of all his social superiority, of all his
professional halo, of all his scientific achievement, the Senior
Surgeon stood suddenly forth before her a mere man, just like other
men. Just exactly like other men? Like the sick drug clerk? Like the
new-born millionaire baby? Like the doddering old Dutch gaffer? The
very delicacy of such a thought drove the blood panic-stricken from
her face. It was the indelicacy of the thought that brought the blood
surging back again to brow, to cheeks, to lips, even to the tips of her
ears.
Glancing up casually from the roar and rumble of his abruptly
repentant engine, the Senior Surgeon swore once more under his
breath to think that any woman sitting perfectly idle and non-
concerned in a nine-thousand-dollar car should have the nerve to
flaunt such a furiously strenuous color.
Bristling with resentment and mink furs, he strode around the
fender and stumbled with increasing irritation across the White Linen
Nurse’s knees to his seat. Just for an instant his famous fingers
seemed to flash with apparent inconsequence toward one bit of
mechanism and another. Then, like a huge portentous pill floated on
smoothest syrup, the car slid down the yawning street into the
congested city.
Altogether monotonously in terms of pain and dirt and drug and
disease the city wafted itself in and out of the White Linen Nurse’s
well-grooved consciousness. From every filthy street corner sodden
age or starved babyhood reached out its fluttering pulse to her. Then
as suddenly sweet as a draft through a fever-tainted room, the
squalid city freshened into jocund, luxurious suburbs, with rollicking
tennis-courts, and flaming yellow Forsythia blossoms, and green-
velvet lawns prematurely posied with pale exotic hyacinths and great
scarlet splotches of lusty tulips.
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