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Grade 6 · lesson 4 of 4

Trace a Function Call Separately

Substitute parameters, follow a local loop and return its result.

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Supplied materials

  • Paper and pencil; an adult may read aloud. No device, account or purchase is needed.

Learn the idea

A function packages instructions so we can use them with different inputs. Parameters receive the values supplied by each call. A local variable is created for that call; it does not inherit a previous call’s final value. State an input contract so the number of loop repetitions is clear.

Define bump(start, step, repeats): set value = start; repeat exactly repeats times: value = value + step; return value. Assume start and step are integers, and repeats is a whole number from 0 through 5. Trace bump(2, 3, 2) and then a separate call bump(5, 1, 0). Zero repeats means return the starting value unchanged.

  1. Write the function and its parameter contract.
  2. Substitute 2, 3 and 2 into the first call.
  3. Trace each repetition and record the returned value.
  4. Start a fresh trace for the second call, including its zero-repeat case.
Worked example

See the method in action

bump(2, 3, 2): value 2 → 5 → 8, return 8. bump(5, 1, 0): value starts at 5, no loop visits occur, return 5. The second call does not start at 8.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

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What does bump(1, 2, 3) return?

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See the answer and explanation

7

The trace is 1 → 3 → 5 → 7. The starting 1 plus three additions of 2 gives 7.

Take it further

Change only the repeat input to 0 in bump(1, 2, 0). Expected return: 1. This test confirms that the loop does not perform an extra visit.

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These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.