Ludium - Learn by Doing

Time a Single Call

Assume you are given a function f that takes exactly one argument, and a value x that f accepts.

Write the function time_call(f, x), which runs f on x exactly once and returns a two-element tuple: the number of seconds that call took, followed by whatever f returned. The seconds must come from the system clock, and the call must be made by time_call itself — f arrives by name, not already called.

def c_to_f(c):
    return c*9.0/5 + 32

time_call(c_to_f, 37)   # (2.1457672119140625e-06, 98.60000000000001)

The first element will of course come out differently on every run and on every machine; only its meaning is fixed.

import time


def time_call(f, x):
    """Run f on the single input x exactly once. Return a two-element tuple:
    the seconds that call took, then the value f produced."""
    pass

import time


def time_call(f, x):
    """Run f on the single input x exactly once. Return a two-element tuple:
    the seconds that call took, then the value f produced."""
    pass

Scratchpad— run any Python to test ideas

# Scratchpad — run any Python here to test ideas.
# Anything you write below stays separate from the problem's tests.

print("hello, world")

# Scratchpad — run any Python here to test ideas.
# Anything you write below stays separate from the problem's tests.

print("hello, world")

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Visible tests · 2Examples — click to expand

the tuple carries the elapsed time, then the value

the first element is a non-negative number of seconds

Hidden tests · 3Bodies hidden — pass/fail only

Hidden test 1

Hidden test 2

Hidden test 3

Coding challenges on program efficiency: timing programs and counting operations

Time a Single Call

Coding challenges on program efficiency: timing programs and counting operations

Time a Single Call