Begginer stuck in python

[jayzee1989]

So I have an assingment that I am stuck on -_-

So I am supposed to create a code that "tests" out a range of integers and determine the perfect squares(4,16,25, etc) within the range without using square root calculations and using a function. I have written the following, and after staring at it for 4 hours, I can't find my mistake in generating the squares.

Any help would be appreciated ^^

import sys

def squares(num):
    i = 1
    s = 0
    while s <= num :
        s = (i * i)
        i = i + 1
    return s

start = input ("Enter a starting value:   ")
stop = input ("Enter an ending value:   ")

if start < 1 :
    print ("Starting value is too low")
    exit()
else :
    num = start
    while num <= stop:
        squares(num)
        if num == squares(num):
            print squares(num)
        else :
            num = num
        num = num + 1

[woooee]

squares() never saves or prints the perfect squares within the while loop, (or tests if the arg "num" is ever found as a perfect square if that is what you want to do. I can't tell as there are no comments in the code). Add a print statement which will tell you that the problem is with incrementing.

def squares(num):
    i = 1
    s = 0
    while s <= num :
        s = (i * i)
        print "testing", i, s, "compared to", num
        i = i + 1
    return s
##
## also, you have redundant code, i.e calling squares several times
    while num <= stop:
        ret_s = squares(num)
        if num == ret_s:
            print ret_s
##  the else statement does nothing
##        else :
##            num = num
        num = num + 1

[cghtkh]

import sys

def is_square(num):
    for x in range(num):
        if x*x==num:
           return True
    return False

start = input ("Enter a starting value:   ")
stop = input ("Enter an ending value:   ")

print start
if start < 1 :
    print ("Starting value is too low")
    exit()
else :
    squares = []
    for x in xrange(start, stop+1):
        if is_square(x):
           squares.append(x)

print squares

[TrustyTony]

I would say it like this.

def is_square(num):
    for x in range(num+1):
        if x*x >= num:
            return x*x == num

for number in (1, 2, 15, 191, 121, 26, 36,  24, 25):
    print '%s is %ssquare.' % ( number, '' if is_square(number) else 'not ')

[jayzee1989]

TY ALL for your codes ^^
I think I found the error in mine.

Line 21- since it starts our false, it just skips on to the else statement and never printing anything.

Thanks

[TrustyTony]

AS you mentioned "generating squares", so here still the generator of squares by using the (n + 1) ** 2 - n ** 2 = 2 * n + 1 identity:

def squares(n=0):
    nsq = n * n
    while True:
        yield nsq
        nsq += 2 * n + 1
        n += 1 

limit = 10000
for square in squares():
    print '%7i' % square,
    if square > limit:
        break