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Python Python Basics (2015) Number Game App Squared

Posted by Christopher Kell
Christopher Kell
3,499 Points

Squared challenge

I keep getting a TypeError: can't multiply sequence by non-int of type 'str'. do I have to make a variable to fix this problem?

squared.py 
# EXAMPLES
# squared(5) would return 25
# squared("2") would return 4
# squared("tim") would return "timtimtim"
def squared(x):
    try:
        return int(x*x)
    except ValueError:
        return str(x)*len(str(x))

1 Answer

Alexander Davison
Alexander Davison
65,469 Points

You have done every well! It took me a while to find out the error. You must actually change x to ints separately.

Also, you don't have to do this but it's usually cleaner to not change the value to a type if you know it's going to be that type. That means to make your code cleaner you should get rid of the str() function calls completely (remember you don't have to do that it just makes the code cleaner :smile:)

Try this:

# EXAMPLES
# squared(5) would return 25
# squared("2") would return 4
# squared("tim") would return "timtimtim"
def squared(x):
    try:
        return int(x) * int(x)
    except ValueError:
        return x * len(x)

Good luck! ~Alex

Christopher Kell
Christopher Kell
3,499 Points

That worked very well thank you! Great advise also.

Alexander Davison
Alexander Davison
65,469 Points

No problem :)