What Is A Lambda Function In Python ? Uses And Implementation

You might have came across certain lambda function in python a few times online particularly while interacting with Python programs and might be wondering what a lambda function is and what its application is in Python programming. However, we are going to clear your confusion around this topic of how we are using and implementing lambda functions in Python programming.

In this article, we will hover around some of the major specifics of Lambda function and its uses in Python programming getting a complete overview around the topic.

Table of Contents

What is a Lambda Function In Python?

Lambda function in Python

Python Lambda function or Lambda function in Python is commonly referred to as an anonymous function wherever you want to create a function that contains only expressions to execute. It is generally a single line of code expression which can easily perform a simple calculation with an argument to another function when needed. You can provide any number of arguments in the Python Lambda function.

Lambda Function in Python Key Takeaways

Python Lambda function is an anonymous function defined using the “def” keyword as normal function definition but is declared without any name and hence is anonymous.
The syntax for the lambda function in Python is very simple and easy to understand.
The complete function consists of a single expression and the result of one expression.
It is usually embedded with high order functions such as map, filter, or sorted elements in Python programming language.

What is Lambda Function in Python Syntax?

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Let us understand how we can write Python lambda function syntax easily in programming. It is a single line code expression which can be used to execute specific tasks in a program.

lambda arguments: expression

Where the

“lambda” is a keyword used to define a lambda function.
Arguments is used to take input parameter inside the function
Expression can be used for a single operation that returns the value.

Let us get an overview around the syntax of lambda functions to get an overview of how to use them in Python programming. Suppose we need to add two numbers in a programming language, then you can use the lambda function to add these numbers.

add = lambda x, y: x + y

print(add(5, 3))

The above function will give the result to be 8 in the output easily. Suppose we need to calculate the square of a number in the program. We can use the lambda function in Python to calculate the square.

square = lambda x: x * x

print(square(4))

Why to Use Lambda Function In Python Programming?

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The Python Lambda function is very useful in certain conditions when we are writing a Python program.

When we want to write a more concise program or to perform simple calculation with a function we can use the Lambda function in Python.
We can use the sorted with lambda function to sort data or information based on a specific criteria.
You can filter data with some simple criteria such as filter and a lambda function.
Lambda functions are useful when we are making anonymous functions in a program.

However, special care must be taken to ensure that for more complex functions we avoid using lambda functions and use a simple function in Python as it decreases readability when the function is too complex. You can use the lambda function for a definite number of times without repeating too much in a single program.

Working of Python Lambda Function In Programming

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You can use lambda function to create simple expressions which do not include complex structures such as if else, for loops and so on in the program. You can use the lambda function with iterables.

Filter()

When you need to implement a filter method in a function you can use this lambda function format to filter an iterable function.

filter ( function, iterable)

You can use a filter function when you want to filter a specific number of elements from a group. For example, suppose a list in Python consists of [1,3,4,5,6,8,9] from which you need to display only even numbers, you can use the filter expression to filter out desired result in the outcome page which goes like lambda a: a % 2 == 0 and the desired result will be printed on the screen.

Map()

A Map() function is used to modify every value of an iterable in a function where you want to use it as a loop in a list and iterate every value you can use a map. For example, if you want to multiply every number in a list with 2 you can use a simple lambda function with map to execute the desired result.

map (function, iterable)

Let us take the example to understand how we can use the map() function to multiply every number in the list with 2.

list1 = [3, 4, 6, 8, 9]

result = list(map(lambda x: x * 2, list1))

print(result)

This expression will provide you with the desired result. Let us see the output which will be

list1= [6, 8, 12, 16, 18]

reduce()

The reduce() function in Python is used to list an argument with reduced iterable results. It performs repetitive operation over the pairs within an iterable. It belongs to the “functools” module in Python programming.

from functools import reduce

reduce(function, iterable)

Let us get an overview with some examples around the reduce () element with lambda function in programming.

from functools import reduce

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

sum_result = reduce(lambda x, y: x + y, numbers)

print(sum_result) # Output: 15

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Lambda Function in Python FAQs

Q1. What is the Python Lambda Function?

Ans: Python Lambda function is commonly referred to as an anonymous function wherever you want to create a function that contains only expressions to execute.

Q2. Is there any name for the Python Lambda function?

Ans: No, Python lambda functions are anonymous which do not need any name to be explicitly declared in the function and hence are a concise format of a program.