Mechanical Engineering

Department

Computer Programming
(MEng 1052)

Lecture 4

Functions
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Prepared by: Addisu D. & Beza T.

March, 2015

Introduction
A function is defined as a group of instruction used to achieve a

specific task.
When we write larger programs we have to have a way of
breaking problems down into smaller sub-problems.
C++, like most programming languages, has facilities to include
separate subparts inside of a program. In C++ these subparts are
called functions.
Functions decrease the complexity of a program. A program
having multiple functions can be easily debugged than a program
that is large and runs without a single function. So a function
reduces the size of a program and increases the program
modularity.
Functions would make the program easier to understand, write,
test, and debug.
Every C++ program has at least one function, main().

Introduction
Advantages of functions
Increase program modularity
Reduction in the amount of work & development time
Program and function debugging is easier
Division of work is simplified

Reduction in the size of the program due to code

reusability
Functions can be accessed repeatedly without
redevelopment, which in turn promotes reuse of code

Types of function
Functions are of two types:
Predefined functions (Library/built-in function)
2. User defined function
1.

Predefined functions
C++ comes with libraries of predefined functions that you can

use in your programs.

Library functions are pre-written functions or built in
functions. Many activities in C++ use library functions.
Use of all library functions requires the inclusion of a header
file, which contains function prototypes and constant
definitions.
We have already seen the use of #include<iostream> in all of
the examples so far.
The name inside the angular brackets < > is the name of a file
known as a header file. A header file for a library provides the
compiler with certain basic information about the library, and
an include directive delivers this information to the compiler.

Predefined functions
This enables the linker to find object code for the functions in

the library so that it can correctly link the library to your

program.
For example, the library iostream contains the definitions of
cin and cout, and the header file for the iostream library is
called iostream.
The other most commonly used library in C++ is the math
library which contains the definition of many mathematical
functions, and the header file for this library is cmath.
If your program uses a predefined function from some library,
then it must contain a directive that names the header file for
that library, such as the following:
#include<cmath>
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Some Predefined Functions

Some Predefined Functions

Some Predefined Functions

Predefined functions
Notice that the absolute value functions abs and labs are in the

library with header file cstdlib, so any program that uses either of
these functions must contain the following directive:
#include<cstdlib>
If you want to produce the absolute value of a number of type

int, you use abs; if you want to produce the absolute value of a
number of type long, you use labs; and if you want to produce
the absolute value of a number of type double, you use fabs.
abs and labs are in the library with header file cstdlib, while fabs
is in the library with header file cmath.
fabs is an abbreviation for floating-point absolute value.
Recall that numbers with a fraction after the decimal point, such
as numbers of type double, are often called floating-point
numbers.
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Predefined functions
Another example of a predefined function is pow, which is

in the library with header file cmath. The function pow can
be used to do exponentiation in C++.
For example, if you want to set a variable result equal to xy,
you can use the following:
result = pow(x, y);
Hence, the following three lines of program code will

output the number 9.0 to the screen, because (3.0)2.0 is 9.0:

double result, x = 3.0, y = 2.0;
result = pow(x, y);
cout << result;

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Function Call
A function call is an expression consisting of the function name

followed by arguments enclosed in parentheses. If there is more

than one argument, the arguments are separated by commas.
A function call is an expression that can be used like any other
expression of the type specified for the value returned by the
function.

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Example

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PROGRAMMER-DEFINED FUNCTIONS
Declaring and Defining Functions
Using functions in your program requires that you first declare

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the function and then define the function.

Function declaration tells the compiler the name, return type,
and parameters of the function.
The definition tells the compiler how the program works.
No function can be called from any other function that hasnt
first been declared.
The declaration of a function is called its prototype.
Many of the built-in functions you use will have their function
prototypes already written in the files you include in your
program by using #include.
For functions you write yourself, you must include the
prototype.

Function Declaration
Function declarations are normally placed before the main part

of your program.

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Example: A Function Definition

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Function Declaration
The description of the function is given in two parts that are

called the function declaration and the function definition.

The function declaration (also known as the function
prototype) describes how the function is called.
C++ requires that either the complete function definition or the
function declaration appears in the code before the function is
called.
In the above sample function program given the function
declaration is
double total_cost(int number_par, double price_par);

The function declaration tells you everything you need to know

in order to write a call to the function.

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Function Declaration
It tells you the name of the function, in this case total_cost.
It tells you how many arguments the function needs and

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what type the arguments should be; in this case, the

function total_cost takes two arguments, the first one of
type int and the second one of type double.
The identifiers number_par and price_par are called formal
parameters.
The names of the formal parameters can be any valid
identifiers.
The first word in a function declaration specifies the type
of the value returned by the function.
Thus, for the function total_cost, the type of the value
returned is double.

Function call
In the above sample program the function call is in the

following line:
bill = total_cost(number, price);
The function call is the expression on the right-hand side of
the equal sign.
The function name is total_cost, and there are two arguments:
The first argument is of type int, the second argument is of
type double.
The compiler does not care whether theres a comment along
with the function declaration, but you should always include a
comment that explains what value is returned by the function.

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Function definition
A function definition describes how the function computes

the value it returns.

If you think of a function as a small program within your
program, then the function definition is like the code for this
small program. In fact, the syntax for the definition of a
function is very much like the syntax for the main part of a
program.
A function definition consists of a function header followed
by a function body.
The function header is written the same way as the function
declaration, except that the header does not have a semicolon
at the end. This makes the header a bit repetitious, but thats
OK.
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Function definition
The function body consists of declarations and executable

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statements enclosed within a pair of braces.

Thus, the function body is just like the body of the main part of
a program.
When the function is called, the argument values are plugged
in for the formal parameters and then the statements in the
body are executed.
The value returned by the function is determined when the
function executes a return statement.
A return statement consists of the keyword return followed by
an expression.
return (subtotal + subtotal*TAX_RATE);

Function definition
When this return statement is executed, the value of the

following expression is returned as the value of the function

call:
(subtotal + subtotal*TAX_RATE)
The parentheses are not needed. The program will run
exactly the same if the return statement is written as
follows:
return subtotal + subtotal*TAX_RATE;
However, on larger expressions, the parentheses make the
return statement easier to read.

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Function Prototype and Function Definition

The prototype for the FindArea ( ) function is on line 4.
Compare the prototype with the definition of the function on

line 25. Note that the name, the return type, and the parameter
types are the same. If they were different, a compiler error
would have been generated.
In fact, the only required difference is that the function
prototype ends with a semicolon and has no body.
Also note that the parameter names in the prototype are length
and width, but the parameter names in the definition are l and w.
The names in the prototype are not used; they are there as

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information to the programmer. When they are included, they

should match the implementation when possible. This is a
matter of good programming style and reduces confusion, but it
is not required, as you see here.

Function Prototype and Function Definition

The body of the function is always enclosed in braces, even when

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it consists of only one statement, as in this case.

The definition of a function consists of the function header and its
body. The header is exactly like the function prototype, except
that the parameters must be named, and there is no terminating
semicolon.
The body of the function is a set of statements enclosed in braces.
A function prototype tells the compiler the return type, name, and
parameter list.
Functions are not required to have parameters, and if they do, the
prototype is not required to list their names, only their types.
A prototype always ends with a semicolon (;).

Function Prototype and Function Definition

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Function Prototype and Function Definition

A function definition must agree in return type and parameter

list with its prototype. It must provide names for all the
parameters, and the body of the function definition must be
surrounded by braces.
All statements within the body of the function must be
terminated with semicolons, but the function itself is not ended
with a semicolon; it ends with a closing brace.
If the function returns a value, it should end with a return
statement, although return statements can legally appear
anywhere in the body of the function. Every function has a
return type

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Analysis
On lines 7 and 8, two float variables are declared, one to hold the
temperature in Fahrenheit and one to hold the temperature in
degrees Celsius.
The user is prompted to enter a Fahrenheit temperature on line
10, and that value is passed to the function Convert ( ).
Execution jumps to the first line of the function Convert ( ) on
line 20, where a local variable, also named TempCel, is declared.
Note that this local variable is not the same as the variable
TempCel on line 8. This variable exists only within the function
Convert ( ). The value passed as a parameter, TempFer, is also
just a local copy of the variable passed in by main ( ).
This function could have named the parameter FerTemp and the
local variable CelTemp, and the program would work equally
well. You can enter these names again and recompile the program
to see this work.

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Analysis
The local function variable TempCel is assigned the value that

results from subtracting 32 from the parameter TempFer,

multiplying by 5, and then dividing by 9..
This value is then returned as the return value of the function,

and on line 12 it is assigned to the variable TempCel in the

main ( ) function. The value is printed on line 14.
As an exercise, try entering the program again with other

variable names as illustrated below:

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Local Variables
Variables that are declared within the body of a function

definition are said to be local to that function or to have that

function as their scope.
Variables that are declared within the main part of the program
are said to be local to the main part of the program or to
have the main part of the program as their scope.
When we say that a variable is a local variable without any
mention of a function and without any mention of the main
part of the program, we mean that the variable is local to some
function definition.
If a variable is local to a function, then you can have another
variable with the same name that is declared in the main part of
the program or in another function definition, and these will be
two different variables, even though they have the same name.
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Example-Function with local variables

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Global Variables
Variables defined outside of any function have global scope
and thus are available from any function in the program,
including main ( ).
Local variables with the same name as global variables do
not change the global variables. However, a local variable
with the same name as a global variable hides the global
variable.
If a function has a variable with the same name as a global
variable, the name refers to the local variable-not the global-when used within the function.

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Example-Global variable

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More Sample programs and

Exercises

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A program which reads two numbers and

multiplies those numbers using function.

The following program finds the larger of two accepted numbers from
the user.

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Exercise

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Exercise
Write a function declaration and a function definition for a

function that takes three arguments, all of type int, and that
returns the sum of its three arguments.

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Exercises
1.

2.

3.
4.

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Write a function declaration and a function definition for a

function that takes one argument of type int and one argument
of type double, and that returns a value of type double that is
the average of the two arguments.
Write a function declaration and a function definition for a
function that takes one argument of type double. The function
returns the character value 'P' if its argument is positive and
returns 'N' if its argument is zero or negative.
Write an int function cube ( ) that returns the cube of its
single int formal parameter.
Write a float function triangle ( ) that computes the area of a
triangle using its two formal parameters h and w, where h is
the height and w is the length of the bases of the triangle.

void FUNCTIONS
The functions discussed so far always return a single value.
In C++, a function must either return a single value or return

no values at all.
A function that returns no value is called a void function.

Definitions of void Functions

In C++ a void function is defined in a way similar to the way

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that functions that return a value are defined.

For example, the following is a void function that outputs the
result of a calculation that converts a temperature expressed in
Fahrenheit degrees to a temperature expressed in Celsius
degrees.
The actual calculation would be done elsewhere in the program.
This void function implements only the subtask for outputting
the results of the calculation.

void FUNCTIONS

there are only two differences between a function definition

for a void function and the function definitions of functions

that return a value.
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void FUNCTIONS
One difference is that we use the keyword void where we

would normally specify the type of the value to be returned.

This tells the compiler that this function will not return any
value. The name void is used as a way of saying no value is
returned by this function.
The second difference is that the return statement does not
contain an expression for a value to be returned, because,
after all, there is no value returned.

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void FUNCTIONS

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Recursion Functions
Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is by solving a

smaller version of the exact same problem first.

Recursion is a technique that solves a problem by solving a
smaller version of the same type.
When you turn this into a program, you end up with functions
that call themselves (recursion functions).
There are many problems whose solution can be defined
recursively
Example: n factorial
n!=

n!=
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if n = 0

(n-1)!*n

if n > 0

if n = 0

1*2*3**(n-1)*n

if n > 0

(recursive solution)

(closed form solution)

Recursion Functions

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Quiz_Sec. C (5%)
1. Write a function called isPrime ( ) that accepts a
number and determine whether the number is prime
or not.
2. Write a function called isEven ( ) that uses the
remainder operator(%) to determine whether an
integer is even or not.

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Quiz_Sec. D (5%)

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1.

Write a function called SumofEven ( ) that

calculates and displays the sum of even numbers
from 2 to 100.

2.

Write a function called isOdd ( ) that uses the

remainder operator(%) to determine whether an
integer is odd or not.

End of Lecture 4
Next Lecture
Lecture 5: Arrays and Strings

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