Flow control

Introduction to Flow Control

Flow control refers to the mechanism that determines the order in which instructions in your program are executed. By default, in Python (and most programming languages), code executes line by line, from top to bottom. However, programs often need to make decisions and repeat tasks based on certain conditions. This is where flow control comes in.


Importance of flow control in programming:

Imagine a program checking user input. Based on the input (yes or no), the program needs to execute different parts of the code. Flow control allows us to write code that behaves differently depending on various conditions.

Many tasks involve repetitive actions. Flow control allows us to write code that executes a block of instructions multiple times, saving you from writing the same code repeatedly.

Flow control helps structure your code logically, making it more efficient and easier to understand and maintain.


Different types of flow control in Python:

Python provides two main types of flow control mechanisms, the conditional statement and Loops

1. Conditional Statements: 

These statements allow you to execute different code blocks based on whether certain conditions are true or false. The most common conditional statement is the if statement, along with its variations like else and elif (else if).

2. Loops: 

These statements allow you to execute a block of code repeatedly until a certain condition is met. Python offers two main loop types:
  • while loop: This loop continues executing its code block as long as a specified condition remains True.
  • for loop: This loop iterates over a sequence of elements (like a list or string), executing its code block for each element.

By combining these flow control mechanisms, you can create powerful and versatile programs in Python.

It's time to take a quiz!

Test your knowledge and see what you've just learned.

What is the main purpose of flow control in programming?

To execute all instructions in order
To organize code into functions
To determine the order of instruction execution
To compile the code into machine language
Check Answer

Which of the following is a common conditional statement in Python?

when
if
do
for
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What type of loop continues executing as long as a condition is True?

while loop
for loop
do while loop
nested loop
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What does a for loop iterate over in Python?

A fixed number of times
A range of values
A sequence of elements
An indefinite number of times
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Why is flow control important in programming?

It is only used in advanced programming
It allows for decision-making and repetition
It makes code harder to understand
It limits code execution to one time
Check Answer