Get floating point inputs from user until negative number is entered, then compute sum, average, max, and min, without including negative number

Question

Apologies, first time poster, and beginner python user.

The problem asks the following: Write a Python program that allows the user to enter any number of nonnegative ﬂoating-point values. The user terminates the input list with any negative value. The program then prints the sum, average (arithmetic mean), maximum, and minimum of the values entered. The terminating negative value is not used in the computations.

I pretty much have most of it, have tried a few different ways, and can not seem to get it to compute the average and sum correctly. (can not get it without the negative number to terminate, or also makes the average negative, or the same as the sum value)

I am considering starting over and using a def function call. ?? I also was starting to get somewhere with try-except statements, but that fell apart as well.

Any advice in the right direction is appreciated!

First...

num = []
tot = 0
big = None
small = None

while True:
    numbers = float(input('Enter a positive number, negative to stop: '))
    tot += numbers
    if big is None or numbers > big:
        big = numbers
    if small is None or numbers < small:
        small = numbers
    if numbers < 0:
        break
avg = tot / numbers

print('Sum is:', tot)
print('Average is:',avg)
print('Maximum is:',big)
print('Minimum is:',small)

and if I change a few things I get the average to be positive instead of negative, but still is the same value as minimum, just some snippets...

tot = 0
big = None
small = None
count = 0
while True:
length = count + 1

#etc, etc...then trying to do...

avg = tot/length 

#or... 

avg =str(tot/length)

but still stuck.

Try testing for termination before adding to tot. – randomir Jul 28 '19 at 07:24 — randomir, Jul 28 '19 at 07:24

ComplicatedPhenomenon · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-28T07:42:57.877

num = []
tot = 0
small  = None
avg = None
big = None
while True:
    numbers = float(input('Enter a positive number, negative to stop: '))
    if numbers < 0:
        break 
    tot +=numbers
    num.append(numbers)
    if small== None and big == None and avg == None:
        small=numbers; big=numbers; avg = numbers
    else:
        small = min(small, numbers)
        small = max(big, numbers) 


if len(num) > 0:
    avg = tot / len( num)


print('Sum is:', tot)
print('Average is:',avg)
print('Maximum is:',big)
print('Minimum is:',small)

num = []
tot = 0
small  = None
avg = None
big = None
while True:
    numbers = float(input('Enter a positive number, negative to stop: '))
    if numbers < 0:
        break 
    tot +=numbers
    num.append(numbers)

if len(num) > 0:
    avg = tot / len( num)
    big = max(num)
    small = min(num)


print('Sum is:', tot)
print('Average is:',avg)
print('Maximum is:',big)
print('Minimum is:',small)

damn.. thanks, we have not gone over the .append yet, but I had seen it here and there. — Saetion, Jul 28 '19 at 07:46

Get floating point inputs from user until negative number is entered, then compute sum, average, max, and min, without including negative number

1 Answers1