Final answer:
The Python function 'solution' counts the instances where the first and last letters of a string match after cyclically moving the first letter to the end of the string.
Step-by-step explanation:
The task requires writing a Python program to count how many times the first letter of a given string matches the last letter after repeatedly moving the first letter to the end. The following Python function accomplishes this:
def solution(S):
# Initialize a counter for the number of matches
count = 0
# Loop through each transformation of the string
for i in range(len(S)):
if S[0] == S[-1]:
count += 1
S = S[1:] + S[0] # Move the first letter to the end
return count
For example, calling solution('abbaa') would return 3 because 'abbaa', 'baaab', and 'aabba' have the same first and last letter.
To use the function, simply pass the string to the solution function like so:
result = solution('abbaa')
print(result) # Output will be 3