Functional Assignment

Just like object-oriented programming, functional programming is a immense topic which we are only going to approach tangentially. Rather than learning functional programming in the abstract, (which python is arguably not a good fit for anyway) we are going to practice using some of python's functional features.

Once you are done with the following tasks, open a new PR and ping the instructors to solicit feedback (include @opensourcecourse/instructors in a comment).

Also, remember to install the required packages into your python environment:

python -m pip install -r https://raw.githubusercontent.com/opensourcecourse/utils/main/requirements.txt

Task 1: Function registration (5 points)

Look at task_1.py and fill in the implementation. Running pytest test_task_1.py will let you know if it is correct.

Task 2: Decorative logging (5 points)

Open task_2.py and fill in the implementation for print_input_output (bind_args_kwargs is already complete). Again, use pytest and test_task_2.py to check your work.

Task 3: Simple DataClasses (5 points)

Take a look at python's data classes. They are an excellent option for making basic data containers and even offer (shallow) immutability. Next, open task_3.py and create a simple dataclass.

Task 4: Recursive Rascality (10 points)

One natural fit for recursion is parsing tree or graph-like data structures. Here we will traverse a truncated family tree of several famous American politicians.

Take a look at task_4.py and fill in the implementation for count_people. This function's docstring describes its intended behavior.

Note: recursion is not always a good fit for tree/graph traversal, especially when breadth first search is the best option, as in finding the shortest path between two nodes. In the latter case a queue structure is a more natural fit but not in the scope of this assignment.