Python def marked as invalid syntax

Question

Im working on a (in-shell) geometry calculator in Python, and I get a syntax error everytime marked as the def in the below code:

def scepm(r,h):#surface-area circular-prism(cylinder)comment s.o.f. only
    print(3.14159265358979323846264338327950*r**2+3.14159265358979323846264338327950*r*h)

It might be something obvious. If it is, can someone please point it out? thanks

Solution

If the syntax error is indicating the def it means that def is not valid at this point in the program. def starts a statement, so the conclusion would be that you are not starting a statement at the beginning of the line, you must have unclosed parentheses in the previous non-blank, non-comment line.

That is assuming your description is accurate: if not you could get other errors such as an indentation error, or if it indicated somewhere later in the line it could be some other issue you failed to copy exactly.

Comments

[ei1]

i call the function in the shell. the shell is where the actual calculator is.