Min-maxing
Define a function named largest_difference
that takes a list of numbers as its only parameter.
Your function should compute and return the difference between the largest and smallest number in the list.
For example, the call largest_difference([1, 2, 3])
should return 2
because 3 - 1
is 2
.
You may assume that no numbers are smaller or larger than -100
and 100
.
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==== SOLUTION ====
You can implement the `largest_difference` function in Python by finding the maximum and minimum values in the list and then computing their difference.
Here’s how you can do it:
“`python
def largest_difference(numbers):
       # Find the maximum and minimum values in the list
       max_num = max(numbers)
       min_num = min(numbers)
     # Compute and return the difference
      return max_num – min_num
# Test the function
print(largest_difference([1, 2, 3])) # Output: 2
“`
Explanation:
1. `def largest_difference(numbers):`: This line defines a function named `largest_difference` that takes a single parameter `numbers`, which is a list of numbers.
2. `max_num = max(numbers)`: This line finds the maximum value in the list `numbers` using the `max()` function.
3. `min_num = min(numbers)`: Similarly, this line finds the minimum value in the list `numbers` using the `min()` function.
4. `return max_num – min_num`: This line computes the difference between the maximum and minimum values and returns it.
So, when you call `largest_difference([1, 2, 3])`, it returns `2` because the difference between the largest number `3` and the smallest number `1` is `2`.
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