TheAlgorithms/Python · error · ValueError

maclaurin_cos() requires a positive int for accuracy

Error message

maclaurin_cos() requires a positive int for accuracy

What it means

Raised by maclaurin_cos() in maths/maclaurin_series.py when accuracy is not an int or is <= 0. accuracy is the number of series terms summed via range(accuracy); floats such as 30.5 and strings such as '30' fail the `isinstance(accuracy, int) or accuracy <= 0` check and are rejected with this ValueError.

Source

Thrown at maths/maclaurin_series.py:102

    >>> maclaurin_cos(10, -30)
    Traceback (most recent call last):
        ...
    ValueError: maclaurin_cos() requires a positive int for accuracy
    >>> maclaurin_cos(10, 30.5)
    Traceback (most recent call last):
        ...
    ValueError: maclaurin_cos() requires a positive int for accuracy
    >>> maclaurin_cos(10, "30")
    Traceback (most recent call last):
        ...
    ValueError: maclaurin_cos() requires a positive int for accuracy
    """

    if not isinstance(theta, (int, float)):
        raise ValueError("maclaurin_cos() requires either an int or float for theta")

    if not isinstance(accuracy, int) or accuracy <= 0:
        raise ValueError("maclaurin_cos() requires a positive int for accuracy")

    theta = float(theta)
    div = theta // (2 * pi)
    theta -= 2 * div * pi
    return sum((-1) ** r * theta ** (2 * r) / factorial(2 * r) for r in range(accuracy))


if __name__ == "__main__":
    import doctest

    doctest.testmod()

    print(maclaurin_sin(10))
    print(maclaurin_sin(-10))
    print(maclaurin_sin(10, 15))
    print(maclaurin_sin(-10, 15))

    print(maclaurin_cos(5))

View on GitHub (pinned to f5988cc097)

Solutions

1. Pass a positive int literal, e.g. maclaurin_cos(theta, 30).
2. Round/cast floats: maclaurin_cos(theta, int(round(accuracy))).
3. Declare CLI options with type=int and validate positivity before calling.

Example fix

# before
maclaurin_cos(0.5, 30.5)

# after
maclaurin_cos(0.5, 30)

accuracy = int(accuracy) if isinstance(accuracy, (int, float)) else 30
if accuracy <= 0:
    raise ValueError('accuracy must be a positive int')

def is_valid_accuracy(a) -> bool:
    return isinstance(a, int) and not isinstance(a, bool) and a > 0

When it happens

Trigger: maclaurin_cos(10, 30.5), maclaurin_cos(10, '30'), maclaurin_cos(10, 0), or maclaurin_cos(10, 2.0) (a float even with integral value).

Common situations: Accuracy computed as a float (e.g. n_terms = total/10), read from JSON where it parsed as float, or supplied via CLI without type=int.

Related errors

• maclaurin_sin() requires a positive int for accuracy
• maclaurin_sin() requires either an int or float for theta
• maclaurin_cos() requires either an int or float for theta
• The order must be greater than or equal to 1.
• The final value of x must be greater than the initial values

AI-assisted analysis of TheAlgorithms/Python@f5988cc097 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4e9762df67168b27. Report an issue: GitHub.