Question

Suppose add_up(N₁, N₂) is a function already been defined, which can calculate the total of two numbers N₁ and N₂. Write one Python statement to call this function to calculate the sum of 3 and 5.

Note that you are only asked to call that function (instead of defining it).

Answer 1

To calculate the sum of 3 and 5 using the predefined add_up function in Python, the correct statement is add_up(3, 5). The result is the same regardless of the order because addition is commutative.

Step-by-step explanation:

To call the add_up function to calculate the sum of 3 and 5, the Python statement would be:

add_up(3, 5)

This will pass the arguments 3 and 5 to the add_up function, which has already been defined to calculate the total of two numbers. According to the commutative property of addition, A+B=B+A, the order in which you add the numbers does not affect the result. Hence, whether you add 3 to 5 or 5 to 3, the outcome will be the same.

Furthermore, when doing addition:

• If both numbers are positive, the result is positive.
• If both numbers are negative, the result is negative.
• If the numbers have opposite signs, subtract the smaller number from the larger one, and the result takes the sign of the larger number.

These basic rules for addition help us understand how sums are calculated in mathematics, and they apply when using the add_up function in Python as well.