Loops or Iterative Control

Structures
- By Jagannadham Ch
 Loop Control Structures
• In earlier programs, each instruction was executed only once.
• However, many programs require a group of instructions to be executed repeatedly until a specific condition is
satisfied, This process is known as looping or iteration.
• A loop is a control structure that allows the computer to execute a set of statements repeatedly, either a fixed number of
times or while a condition remains true.
• The repetition continues as long as the condition is true.
• When the condition becomes false, the loop terminates and control passes to the statement (if any) following the loop.
• A loop consists of two main parts:
o Control statement – checks the condition
o Body of the loop – contains the statements to be repeated
• Types of Loop Control Structures
• In Python, there are two main loop control structures:
o while loop
o for loop
o Note: The do–while loop exists in C language but is not used in Python.

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 While Loop Control Structures
• The while loop is generally used when the number of iterations are not known in advance.
• The while loop repeats one or more statements as long as a given condition is True.
• Syntax of while Loop

• Important Points
o The condition is tested before executing the loop body.
o If the condition is True, the statements inside the loop are executed.
o If the condition is False, the loop terminates and control moves outside the loop.
• Example: Print numbers from 1 to 10 using while loop
o Explanation:
Initially, i = 1, which satisfies the condition i <= 10.
The value of i is printed and then incremented.
This continues until i becomes 11, after which the condition becomes false and the loop stops.

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 Nested While Loops
• When one while loop is placed inside another while loop, it is called nested while loops.
• Factorial of first n natural numbers using nested while loop – Output

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 Printing patterns using a while
• We can generate a line of stars and a column of stars using a single while loop
• How to generate Right-angle triangle pattern :
o Logic
▪ Outer while → rows
▪ Inner while → columns

• Write a python program to generate the followings patterns

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 Infinite loop using while
• An infinite loop is a loop that keeps running forever because its stopping condition
is never met (or there is no condition at all).
• Usually this happens by mistake… sometimes it’s done on purpose (like in servers or
games)
• Condition is always True :
o True never becomes False, so the loop runs forever.
• Condition never changes :
o i is always 1, so i > 0 is always true → infinite loop.
• Common mistake causing infinite loop : forgot to increase
o i never changes, so the condition is always true.

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 while with else
• In Python, a while – else statement is a bit unique and very useful once you get it
• Syntax: The else block runs only if the loop finishes WITHOUT break

• while with else (no break) :

o The loop condition becomes false → else executes
• while with break (else will NOT run) :
o else is skipped because of break

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 Real-life style example (searching)
➢ Since 25 is not in the list, loop ends normally → else runs.

• Important points to remember

o else runs only when loop ends naturally
o else does NOT run if:
▪ break is used
▪ program exits
o Works the same way with for–else too

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 Practice Problems
• Write a program to calculate the sum and average of the first 100 natural numbers using a while
loop.
• Write a program to print 30 asterisks (*) in a horizontal line.
• Write a program to calculate the sum and average of numbers from m to n using a while loop.
• Write a program to read numbers until -1 is encountered. Also count the number of positive,
negative, and zero values, and find the sum and average of positive and negative numbers.
• Write a program to find the sum of even numbers and the sum of odd numbers from m to n
using a while loop.
• Write a program to check whether a given number is an Armstrong number or not.
• Write a program to check whether a given number is perfect number or not
• Write a program to convert a decimal number to binary and a binary number to decimal.
• Write a program to find the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of two positive integers using a
while loop.

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 For Loop Control Structure
• The for loop is used to repeat a statement or group of statements a fixed number of times.
• It is generally used when the number of iterations is known in advance.
• In Python, the for … in statement is used to iterate over:
o sequences (list, tuple, string)
o other iterable objects
• This process is called traversal.
• Syntax of for Loop
• Key Features
o The sequence is specified only once.
o Values from the sequence are assigned to the loop variable one by one.
o The loop continues until the last element of the sequence is reached.
o Indentation is used to separate the loop body from the rest of the program.
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 Flowchart and Example

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 The range() Function
• The range() function is a built-in function in Python used to generate a sequence of
numbers.
• Syntax :
range(beg , end,[step])
• Characteristics
o The sequence starts from begin and ends at end - 1.
o The step argument is optional and default step value is 1.
o The step value can be positive or negative, but not zero.
• Forms of range()
Form Syntax Example

single parameter range(stop) range(5) → 0 to 4

double parameters range(start, stop) range(2, 6)

Triple parameters range(start, stop, step) range(1, 10, 2)

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 • Forms of range() Examples :

• Explanation
o range(10) generates numbers from 0 to 9
o range(1, 10) generates numbers from 1 to 9
o range(1, 10, 2) generates numbers from 1 to 9 with a step of 2

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 Nested For Loops
• When a for loop is placed inside another loop, it is called nesting of for loops.
o The inner and outer loops can be of the same or different types.
o One loop must be completely inside the other.
o Similar to nested if statements, loops can also be nested.
• Syntax :

• Example: -

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 Infinite Loop using for in Python
• An infinite loop is a loop that never stops executing unless it is forcibly terminated (for example, by
pressing Ctrl + C)
• Normally, for loops run for a fixed number of times, but they can become infinite if we use them
incorrectly.
• Infinite for loop using [Link]()
o [Link](1) generates numbers endlessly: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...
o The loop never ends → infinite loop
• Infinite loop with range()
o This loop runs for an extremely long time
o Practically behaves like an infinite loop
• With iter() and int type
o iter(int, 1) keeps calling int() which always returns 0
o Condition 0 != 1 is always true → infinite loop
• Note : Infinite loops can freeze your program if not handled properly.

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 for Loop with else
• In Python, a for loop can have an else block.
o The else block executes only if the loop completes normally
o The else block does NOT execute if the loop is terminated by break
• Syntax :

• for–else without break:

• for–else with break:

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 Practical Use – Checking Prime Number
• Here:
o The for loop checks the divisibility of a given number.
o The break statement is not executed, which causes the
else block to run.
o This is a classic real-world use of the for–else construct.

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 Practice Problems
• Write a program to calculate the sum and average of the first 100 natural numbers using a
for loop.
• Write a program to print all even numbers between 1 and 20.
• Write a program to print the multiplication table of a given number n.
• Write a program to display the squares, square roots, cubes, and cube roots of numbers
from 1 to 10.
• Write a program to find the factorial of a given number using a for loop.
• Write a program to find the maximum number from a given set of numbers.
• Write a program to generate the first n Fibonacci numbers, where n is entered by the user.
• Write a program to generate all prime numbers up to n, where n is entered by the user.
• Write a program to compute the value of pow(x, n).
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 Unconditional (Jump) Control Structures
• In some situations, the flow of control may be transferred without testing any
condition.
• While executing loops, it may be necessary to:
o exit the loop immediately
o skip the remaining statements of the loop
• Python provides the following jump statements: break , continue , pass
• The break Statement
o Terminates the loop immediately, it can be used in both for and while loops.

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• The continue Statement
o Skips the remaining statements in the current iteration.
o Transfers control to the next iteration of the loop.

• The pass Statement

o A do-nothing statement.
o Used when a statement is syntactically required but no action is needed.

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Thank ‘U’