Factorial in Python (original) (raw)

Published on 22 December 2018 (Updated: 15 May 2023)

Factorial in Python

Welcome to the Factorial in Python page! Here, you'll find the source code for this program as well as a description of how the program works.

Current Solution

import sys


def factorial(n):
    if n <= 0:
        return 1
    return n * factorial(n - 1)


def exit_with_error(msg=None):
    msg = msg or 'Usage: please input a non-negative integer'
    print(msg)
    sys.exit(1)


def main(args):
    try:
        n = int(args[0])
        if n < 0:
            exit_with_error()
        elif n >= 996:
            msg = f'{n}! is out of the reasonable bounds for calculation'
            exit_with_error(msg)
        print(factorial(n))
    except (IndexError, ValueError):
        exit_with_error()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main(sys.argv[1:])

Factorial in Python was written by:

Bharath
Jeremy Grifski
Parker Johansen

This article was written by:

Anuj Singh
Jeremy Grifski
rzuckerm

If you see anything you'd like to change or update, please consider contributing.

How to Implement the Solution

Let's look at the code for factorial.py.

The Main Function

Let us breakdown the code in smaller parts,

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main(sys.argv[1:])

This bit of code checks to see if this is the main module run. If true then it calls the main function and passes user input to it. In this case the user input would be a number like 0 or 1 or 50 or n (0<=n<996).

def main(args):
    try:
        n = int(args[0])
        if n < 0:
            exit_with_error()
        elif n >= 996:
            msg = f'{n}! is out of the reasonable bounds for calculation'
            exit_with_error(msg)
        print(factorial(n))
    except (IndexError, ValueError):
        exit_with_error()

This is the main function of this file. It parses the input into an integer, then calls our factorial function (and prints the results). It also deals with any errors which arise when the input n is such that it violates the property: (0<=n<996), i.e. n is greater than equal to 0 and less than 996.

Throw Errors

def exit_with_error(msg=None):
    msg = msg or 'Usage: please input a non-negative integer'
    print(msg)
    sys.exit(1)

This function prints a message if given (else default) and then exits the script with an error, sys.exit(1). If any non-zero value is returned then the program didn't complete properly. This function is called if the user input is either less than zero or greater than equal to 996.

Factorial

def factorial(n):
    if n <= 0:
        return 1
    return n * factorial (n - 1)

Finally, the real deal. This function takes a positive integer (less than 996) and returns the factorial of that number. This function factorial is a recursive function that calls itself repeatedly while decreasing the input parameter by one on each subsequent call, until the base case is reached (n <= 0).

Once the base case is reached the call-stack unfolds itself propagating the results to the subsequent calling function, which in this case will be the same function itself.

For example, if 3 is the input:

First we compare, if 3 <= 0
False
return 3 * factorial(3-1)
Call factorial(2)

Now, for 2 as the input:

First we compare, if 2 <= 0
False
return 2 * factorial(2-1)

meanwhile the original call would look like: return 3 * 2 * factorial(2-1)
Call factorial(1)

Now, for 1 as the input:

First we compare, if 1 <= 0
False
return 1 * factorial(1-1)

meanwhile the original call would look like: return 3 * 2 * 1 * factorial(1-1)
Call factorial(0)

Now, for 0 as the input:

First we compare, if 0 <= 0
True
return 1

Since we reached the base case, now we calculate the the values while moving up towards the original function call.

factorial(0) = 1  (base-case)

factorial(1) = 1 * factorial(1-1) = 1 * factorial(0) = 1 * 1 = 1

factorial(2) = 2 * factorial(2-1) = 2 * factorial(1) = 2 * 1 = 2

factorial(3) = 3 * factorial(3-1) = 3 * factorial(2) = 3 * 2 = 6

How to Run the Solution

If you want to run this program, you can download a copy of Factorial in Python.

Next, make sure you have the latest Python interpreter (latest stable version of Python 3 will do).

Finally, open a terminal in the directory of the downloaded file and run the following command:

python factorial.py 3

Alternatively, copy the solution into an online Python interpreter and hit run.