Functions and a clear policy

15-minute session: read for 3 minutes, trace for 3, experiment for 7, and complete the check for 2. Spend longer whenever you need.

A function or subroutine names a reusable calculation. Our policy accepts nonnegative total and completed counts and returns zero when completed reaches or exceeds total. Otherwise it returns their difference. Trace (4,1), (4,4), (4,5), and (0,0). Keep printing separate from calculation. Write down why negative inputs are outside this exercise’s domain, then design an explicit rejection policy before accepting external input.

puts prints a line. def and end delimit a method. each yields values to a block. An instance variable beginning with @ belongs to an object; two objects can hold different values.

def remaining(total, done)
  [0, total - done].max
end

puts remaining(4, 1)

Expected result: 3

Practice and evidence

Keep three notes: your prediction, the actual result, and why they match or differ. The completion check grades understanding; the practice task builds skill.

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