Calculating the Minimum of Two Numbers with Python

In this project, we will walk through a Python code that calculates the minimum of two numbers. We will explain each step of the code and provide the final working code at the end.

Getting User Input

To start, we need to obtain two numbers from the user. We can use the input() function to prompt the user to enter the values. Let's store the user's inputs in variables called a and b:

a = int(input("Enter the first number: "))
b = int(input("Enter the second number: "))

Calculating the Minimum

The code includes a function called minimum that takes two parameters, a and b. Inside the function, an if statement is used to compare the values of a and b. If a is less than or equal to b, it returns a as the minimum. Otherwise, it returns b as the minimum. Here's the code for the minimum function:

def minimum(a, b):
    if a <= b:
        return a
    else:
        return b

Displaying the Minimum

Now that we have calculated the minimum of the two numbers, let's display it to the user. We can call the minimum function with the input values a and b and print the result using the print() function:

print("The minimum of", a, "and", b, "is:", minimum(a, b))

Final Code

Here's the complete Python code that calculates the minimum of two numbers:

a = int(input("Enter the first number: "))
b = int(input("Enter the second number: "))

def minimum(a, b):
    if a <= b:
        return a
    else:
        return b

print("The minimum of", a, "and", b, "is:", minimum(a, b))

That's it! You now have a Python code that calculates the minimum of two numbers. Feel free to modify the code or use it as a starting point for your own projects. Happy coding!