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Solution Review: Factorial of a Number

Explore how to implement a factorial function in Python by handling edge cases and using loops and conditionals. This lesson helps you build foundational skills in Python syntax useful for data science tasks.

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Solution

Python 3.5
def factorial(n):
    # Cover base cases
    if n==0 or n==1:
        return 1
    if n < 1:
        return -1
    
    # multiply all postiive integers below n 
    product = 1
    while(n > 1):
        product = product * n
        n = n-1
    
    return product
print(factorial(5))

Explanation

The function starts with handling the edge cases. We know that for n==0 and n==1, we need to return 1. Therefore, we write an if statement with an or in between the ...