Update 8c-challenge-simulate-a-coin-toss-experiment.py

ch08-conditional-logic/8c-challenge-simulate-a-coin-toss-experiment.py

@@ -12,38 +12,29 @@
 # 4. After the first toss, you'll need another loop to keep flipping while you
 #    get the same result as the first flip.
 
-import random
-
-
-def single_trial():
-    """Simulate repeatedly a coing  until both heads and tails are seen."""
-    # This function uses random.randint() to simulate a single coin toss.
-    # randing(0, 1) randomly returns 0 or 1 with equal probability. We can
-    # use 0 to represent heads and 1 to represent tails.
-
-    # Flip the coin the first time
-    flip_result = random.randint(0, 1)
-    # Keep a tally of how many times the coin has been flipped. We've only
-    # flipped once so the initial count is 1.
-    flip_count = 1
-
-    # Continue to flip the coin until randint(0, 1) returns something
-    # different than the original flip_result
-    while flip_result == random.randint(0, 1):
-        flip_count = flip_count + 1
-
-    # The last step in the loop flipped the coin but didn't update the tally,
-    # so we need to increase the flip_count by 1
-    flip_count = flip_count + 1
-    return flip_count
+# Here is a simpler-to-read thus more pythonistic version, I think :P
 
+import random
 
-def flip_trial_avg(num_trials):
-    """Calculate the average number of flips per trial over num_trials total trials."""
-    total = 0
-    for trial in range(num_trials):
-        total = total + single_trial()
-    return total / num_trials
+def coin_flip_trial():
+    heads = 0
+    tails = 0
+    tries = 0
+# As long as heads OR tails are zero, we have not had one of each.
+    while heads == 0 or tails == 0:
+        result = random.randint(0,1)
+        tries = tries + 1
+        if result == 1:
+            heads = heads + 1
+        else:
+            tails = tails + 1
+    return tries
+
+# So let's now do that 10,000 times and then report the average number of trials it took.
+tries_needed = 0
+for x in range(10_000):
+    tries_needed = tries_needed + coin_flip_trial()
+
+print(f"It takes on average {tries_needed / 10_000:.2f} tries to get both a heads and a tails.")            
 
 
-print(f"The average number of coin flips was {flip_trial_avg(10_000)}")