Equation Solver

Overview

This project is an advanced equation solver implemented in Python, supporting both linear and quadratic equations. It leverages object-oriented programming principles such as encapsulation, abstraction, and subclass initialization. By using abstract base classes (ABC), it ensures that all equation types follow a structured implementation. The project also utilizes the re module to enhance equation formatting. Additionally, this project was a part of the Scientific Computing with Python certification on FreeCodeCamp, where I learned about object-oriented programming and class inheritance in Python.

Features

• Encapsulation: Data hiding is maintained through structured class attributes and methods.
• Supports Linear & Quadratic Equations: Implements LinearEquation and QuadraticEquation classes.
• Abstract Base Class: Uses an Equation class as a blueprint with abstract methods.
• Automatic Subclass Validation: Implements __init_subclass__ to enforce required attributes.
• Equation String Formatting: Uses the re module for clean equation representation.
• Solving & Analysis: Computes equation solutions and provides additional insights such as slopes, intercepts, and concavity.

Implementation Details

Equation Class (Base Class)

• Implements an abstract base class (ABC) to enforce method definitions in subclasses.
• Stores equation coefficients in a dictionary where keys represent the power of x.
• Encapsulates equation logic by restricting direct modification of coefficients.
• Includes __str__ for formatted equation output using re.sub to remove unnecessary coefficients.

__init_subclass__ Method

• Ensures that every subclass has degree and type attributes.
• Raises an error if these attributes are missing, preventing improper subclass definitions.
• This helps maintain consistency and avoid runtime errors.

Regular Expressions (re Module)

• Used in the __str__ method to remove unnecessary 1 coefficients (e.g., 1x → x).
• Ensures a cleaner and more readable equation representation.

Usage

Solving a Linear Equation:

lin_eq = LinearEquation(2, 3)
print(solver(lin_eq))

Output:

-----Linear Equation------

       2x +3 = 0        

--------Solutions--------

        x = -1.500      

---------Details---------

slope =             2.000  
y-intercept =       3.000

Solving a Quadratic Equation:

quadr_eq = QuadraticEquation(1, 2, 1)
print(solver(quadr_eq))

Output:

---Quadratic Equation---

     x**2 +2x +1 = 0    

-------Solutions-------

       x = -1.000      

--------Details--------

concavit =      upwards   
min =   (-1.000, 0.000)

Dependencies

• Python 3.x
• Uses built-in modules (abc, re).

Acknowledgments

This project was developed as an exploration of object-oriented programming and mathematical computation in Python and was also part of the freeCodeCamp certification program.