Print Debugging & Small Reproductions

When a Python program returns the wrong result, the fastest way forward is often to make its behavior visible. This Block teaches two approachable debugging habits: use targeted print() calls to inspect values, types, conditions, loop state, function results, and execution paths; then isolate stubborn bugs in the smallest runnable example that still shows the problem.

What you will learn:

• Add clear, labeled debug prints that answer a specific question
• Inspect changing values, types, conditions, and function results
• Use checkpoint prints to see which parts of a program actually run
• Reduce a larger failure to a focused, reproducible example
• Change one assumption at a time and verify the fix in the original program
• Remove temporary debug output once the problem is solved

Leave with a practical debugging flow: reproduce the problem, inspect what the program is doing, remove unrelated code, test the suspected cause, apply the fix, and run the original case again.