Python Programming | Steps Challenge | Coding Tutorial

Introduction

In this challenge, we will be exploring a problem related to running up steps. We will be using Python to find out how many possible ways there are to run up to the nth step, given that we can take a single, double, or triple step.

Skills Graph

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Python Challenge: Steps

Problem

Imagine you are standing at the bottom of a staircase with n steps. You can take a single, double, or triple step at a time. The problem is to find out how many possible ways there are to run up to the nth step.

For example, if there are 3 steps, you can run up the stairs in the following ways:

1-1-1
1-2
2-1
3

So, there are 4 possible ways to run up to the 3rd step.

Requirements

To solve this problem, we need to keep in mind the following requirements:

If n == 0, the result should be 1. However, there are different approaches to this problem, which can be discussed.
We cannot assume that the inputs are valid.
We can assume that the problem fits memory.

Example Usage

Here are some examples of how this problem can be solved using Python:

None or negative input -> Exception
n == 0 -> 1
n == 1 -> 1
n == 2 -> 2
n == 3 -> 4
n == 4 -> 7
n == 10 -> 274

Summary

In this Python challenge, we explored a problem related to running up steps and found out how many possible ways there are to run up to the nth step. We discussed the requirements and provided some examples of how this problem can be solved using Python.

Exploring Step Climbing with Python