When working with functions in Python, two terms often come up: parameters and arguments. Though they’re frequently used interchangeably, they refer to two different concepts. Understanding the difference between parameters and arguments is essential to writing clear and effective functions.

This guide explains what parameters and arguments are, how they differ, and how they work together in Python functions—with plenty of practical examples.

1. Parameters: The Placeholders in Function Definitions

Parameters are the variables listed inside the parentheses in a function definition. They act as placeholders for the values that the function will receive when it is called.

# Example 1: Function with two parameters
def greet(name, language):
    print(f"Hello {name}, welcome to {language} programming!")

In the example above, name and language are parameters. They define the expected input when the function is called.

2. Arguments: The Actual Values Passed

Arguments are the real values you provide to a function when calling it. These values get assigned to the function’s parameters.

# Example 2: Passing arguments to a function
greet("Ankit", "Python")

Here, "Ankit" and "Python" are arguments that replace the parameters name and language respectively.

3. Key Differences Between Parameters and Arguments

4. Types of Arguments in Python

4.1 Positional Arguments

Values are assigned to parameters based on their position.

# Example 3: Positional arguments
def subtract(a, b):
    return a - b

print(subtract(10, 4))  # Output: 6

4.2 Keyword Arguments

You can also assign values using parameter names.

# Example 4: Keyword arguments
print(subtract(b=4, a=10))  # Output: 6

4.3 Default Arguments

Default values are used if no argument is provided.

# Example 5: Default argument
def greet_user(name="Guest"):
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")

greet_user()         # Output: Hello, Guest!
greet_user("Riya")   # Output: Hello, Riya!

4.4 Variable-Length Arguments

Python allows you to pass a variable number of arguments using *args and **kwargs.

# Example 6: *args
def print_scores(*scores):
    for score in scores:
        print(score)

print_scores(85, 90, 78)

# Example 7: **kwargs
def show_profile(**info):
    for key, value in info.items():
        print(f"{key}: {value}")

show_profile(name="Rahul", age=25, city="Mumbai")

5. Recap with an Analogy

Think of a function as a machine:

• Parameters are the labeled slots where inputs go.
• Arguments are the actual materials you feed into those slots.

6. Summary

• Parameters are variables in the function definition.
• Arguments are values passed when calling the function.
• Use *args for multiple positional arguments.
• Use **kwargs for multiple keyword arguments.

7. Final Thoughts

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