Python Function Return Values

What is a Return Value?

A return value is the output that a function sends back to the part of the program where it was called. The return statement ends the function execution and "returns" the result.

Why Use Return?

Using return lets your function give back a result that can be stored in a variable, used in expressions, or passed to other functions. Without return, a function does some work but does not produce a reusable output.

return का उपयोग करने से आपका function ऐसा परिणाम देता है जिसे किसी variable में संग्रहित किया जा सकता है, expression में इस्तेमाल किया जा सकता है या अन्य functions को दिया जा सकता है। बिना return के, function सिर्फ काम करता है लेकिन पुनः उपयोग योग्य आउटपुट नहीं देता।

When is Return Useful?

Return is useful when you want your function to:

Send back calculated values
Process data and provide results to use elsewhere
Make your code modular and reusable

Examples with Explanation

Example 1: Simple Return Value

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

result = add(5, 3)
print(result)

The function returns the sum of a and b, which is stored in 'result' and printed.

Output:

Example 2: Return Without Value

def greet():
    print('Hello!')

result = greet()
print(result)

Function prints 'Hello!' but returns nothing, so 'result' is None.

Output:

Hello!
None

Example 3: Returning Multiple Values

def get_stats(numbers):
    return min(numbers), max(numbers), sum(numbers)

min_val, max_val, total = get_stats([2, 5, 1, 7])
print(min_val, max_val, total)

Function returns multiple values as a tuple, which are unpacked into variables.

Output:

1 7 15

Example 4: Early Return to Exit Function

def check_positive(num):
    if num <= 0:
        return 'Not Positive'
    return 'Positive'

print(check_positive(10))
print(check_positive(-5))

Return stops function execution early and sends back a value.

Output:

Positive
Not Positive

Example 5: Returning a Function Result

def square(x):
    return x * x

def double_square(x):
    return 2 * square(x)

print(double_square(4))

Functions can return results of other functions to build complex operations.

Output: