Mastering Control Flow: Using While Loops and Conditionals to Meet Specific Conditions

Within the logic of the Blackjack game, there is a condition that must be met. After the user picks his cards, it is time for the computer to play. The computer has to ask for a card when the sum of its deck is less than 16. The original logic was:

Input:

Output: computer’s final score = 16

The computer took a third card: “2” and added it to its deck. However, because the condition was evaluated only once, the total sum of the deck was 16, not meeting the required condition.

After that, the program printed: “finalscore()” and the “winner()” function. Then converted the value of the flag: “dealing_cards” to false, ending the program and declaring a winner.

We could use a ‘while loop’ to fix this part of the code. This loop will be executed as long as the condition is not met. In this case, we want to make sure that the computer requests more cards until we reach 17 or more. The following is the final version:

Input:

Output: computer’s final score = 18

The computer asked for 4 more cards: [5, 3, 3, 3], from the original 2 cards: [2, 2] to meet the described condition.

Below is a more detailed look at the concepts, benefits, and issues.

Using a While Loop with Conditionals: Ensuring Conditions are Met

When writing code, it’s common to encounter situations where you need to repeatedly check and fulfill a certain condition. In such cases, combining a while loop with conditional statements (if, elif, else) can be an effective approach. This technique is particularly useful when the condition might not be met on the first attempt, and the code needs to keep trying until the condition is satisfied.

The Basics of while Loops and Conditionals

  • While Loop: A while loop repeatedly executes a block of code as long as a specified condition is true.
  • Conditionals (if, elif, else): These statements allow you to execute different blocks of code based on specific conditions.

Benefits of Combining while Loops with Conditionals

  1. Ensures Condition Fulfillment: The loop guarantees that the condition will be met before moving on. This is especially useful in scenarios like card games, user input validation, and network requests.
  2. Code Efficiency: By combining a while loop with conditionals, you avoid redundant code and make the logic clear and concise.
  3. Improved Readability: The intent of the code is clearer when using structured loops and conditions, making it easier for others to understand and maintain.
  4. Flexibility: You can handle a variety of conditions and scenarios by appropriately combining while loops with if, elif, and else statements.

Potential Pitfalls

  1. Infinite Loops: Ensure that the loop has a clear exit condition. An infinite loop can occur if the condition is never met or if there is no mechanism to change the loop’s condition.
  2. Complexity: Overusing nested loops and conditionals can make the code complex and harder to debug. Keep the logic straightforward whenever possible.


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *