How to Resolve Type Errors When Subtracting Different Data Types in Python?

TypeError: Unsupported Operand Types for Subtraction

In Python, subtraction operators can only be used between compatible types, such as numbers or strings. However, an error occurs when attempting to subtract a string from an integer.

Original Code:

<code class="python">def cat_n_times(s, n):
    while s != 0:
        print(n)
        s = s - 1

text = input("What would you like the computer to repeat back to you: ")
num = input("How many times: ")

cat_n_times(num, text)</code>

Error:

TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -: 'str' and 'int'

Explanation:

The inputs in the program, text and num, are both strings as they were received using input. However, the function cat_n_times tries to subtract an integer (s) from the string (text), resulting in the type error.

Solutions:

1. Convert Input to Integer:

One solution is to convert the string num to an integer using int():

<code class="python">num = int(input("How many times: "))</code>

2. Improved Function Design:

Alternatively, a better function design would use a for loop instead of manual index tracking:

<code class="python">def cat_n_times(s, n):
    for i in range(n):
        print(s) 

text = input("What would you like the computer to repeat back to you: ")
num = int(input("How many times: "))

cat_n_times(text, num)</code>

This version more clearly conveys the intent of the function and eliminates the error by converting num to an integer before using it in the loop.

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