How do I write a function that returns another function?

python function functional-programming currying

Julian Das · Jan 10, 2013 · Viewed 87.1k times · Source

In Python, I'd like to write a function make_cylinder_volume(r) which returns another function. That returned function should be callable with a parameter h, and return the volume of a cylinder with height h and radius r.

I know how to return values from functions in Python, but how do I return another function?

Answer

Try this, using Python:

import math
def make_cylinder_volume_func(r):
    def volume(h):
        return math.pi * r * r * h
    return volume

Use it like this, for example with radius=10 and height=5:

volume_radius_10 = make_cylinder_volume_func(10)
volume_radius_10(5)
=> 1570.7963267948967

Notice that returning a function was a simple matter of defining a new function inside the function, and returning it at the end - being careful to pass the appropriate parameters for each function. FYI, the technique of returning a function from another function is known as currying.

How do I write a function that returns another function?

Answer

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