What is the difference between a named argument and a positional argument in Python?
Antek N

In Python, when passing arguments to a function, you can use both named arguments and positional arguments. Here's a detailed explanation of the differences between named arguments and positional arguments: Positional Arguments: - Definition: Positional arguments are arguments that are passed to a function based on their position or order in the function's parameter list. The function matches the arguments to the parameters based on their respective positions. - Usage: Positional arguments are commonly used when the order of the arguments is crucial and known in advance. The arguments are passed to the function without explicitly specifying their names. - Example:

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def greet(name, age):
    print("Hello", name, "you are", age, "years old.")

greet("Alice", 25)

In this example, the functiongreet() takes two positional arguments:name andage. When calling the function, the arguments are passed in the same order as the parameters:"Alice" corresponds toname, and25 corresponds toage. The function output will be "Hello Alice, you are 25 years old." Named Arguments: - Definition: Named arguments are arguments that are passed to a function using the parameter name followed by the argument value, separated by an equal sign (=). The function matches the arguments to the parameters based on their respective names. - Usage: Named arguments are useful when you want to specify only certain arguments by their names, especially in functions with multiple parameters. They allow you to provide arguments in any order, making the function call more readable and less prone to errors. - Example:

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def greet(name, age):
    print("Hello", name, "you are", age, "years old.")

greet(age=25, name="Alice")

In this example, the functiongreet() is called with named arguments:name="Alice" andage=25. The arguments are passed in a different order than the parameter list. However, since the arguments are named, the function correctly assigns"Alice" toname and25 toage. The function output will be the same as before: "Hello Alice, you are 25 years old." Summary: In summary, positional arguments are passed to a function based on their position or order in the parameter list, while named arguments are passed using the parameter names followed by the argument values. Positional arguments rely on the correct order of arguments, while named arguments provide more flexibility and readability by allowing arguments to be specified by their names. Both positional and named arguments have their uses, and the choice between them depends on the specific requirements of the function and the desired level of flexibility and readability in the function call.

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