Question

Refer to the following python code snippet:

a = 100

b = 1

c = 5

while a > 1:

b += 1

a*=0.5

print(b,c)

What type of loop is this?

sentinel controlled
always true
flagged
counter controlled

Answer 1

The Python loop in the snippet is a sentinel controlled loop, because it executes based on the value of variable 'a' reaching a specific condition, which in this case is becoming no larger than 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The loop in the provided Python code snippet is a sentinel controlled loop.A counter controlled loop is a type of loop that repeats a specific number of times based on a counter variable. In this code, the variable 'a' is being divided by 2 repeatedly until it reaches 1 or less. The variable 'b' is acting as a counter, incrementing by 1 each time the loop iterates.

This type of loop continues to execute until a certain condition is met - in this case, when the variable a is no longer greater than 1. As the loop runs, the value of a is halved in each iteration due to the statement a*=0.5, and the loop continues until the sentinel value condition (a > 1) is no longer true. The incrementing of variable b in each iteration by 1, coupled with the halving of a, does not make it a counter controlled loop because the loop termination is based on the value of a, not on the counter b. This loop is not an always true loop because the condition can become false, nor is it a flagged loop as it doesn't use an explicit true/false flag variable for its control.