Why do we need Programming Paradigms?

Programming Paradigm Concepts

Eleanor Thomas

Senior Data Analytics Engineer

Why do we need programming paradigms?

Different problems are best solved with different approaches
Example: Solve a Sudoku puzzle vs. Calculate annual revenue
Common goals:
- Accurate results
- Reasonable time to run
- Understandable code
Paradigms mean having a standard approach
- Saves time and effort

Benefits of modular code

Modular code: code that is broken up into reusable sections that can be re-run or reused in different contexts
Avoid rewriting identical code
Separation of responsibilities: certain sections of code have distinct responsibilities and don't duplicate logic
Important from the beginning, not just when the total amount of code becomes large
Reduce chance of introducing bugs
Save development time in the long run

Clock

Separation of responsibilities in different paradigms

Each paradigm handles separation of responsibilities differently
Procedural, functional, and object-oriented programming: broken down into procedures, functions, and objects

Separation of responsibilities

Modular code example

Original code

sum_values1 = 1 + 2
avg_values1 = sum_values1 / 2

sum_values2 = 3 + 4
avg_values2 = sum_values2 / 2

Modular code

def avg_two_values(x, y):
    sum_values = x + y
    avg_values = sum_values / 2
    return avg_values

avg_values1 = avg_two_values(1, 2)
avg_values2 = avg_two_values(3, 4)

Let's practice!

Programming Paradigm Concepts