Python 'add' function issue: why won't this work?

addition, function, python

Solution

`raw_input` returns string, you need to convert it to int

def add(a,b):   
    return a + b

print "The first number you want to add?"
a = int(raw_input("First no: "))
print "What's the second number you want to add?"
b = int(raw_input("Second no: "))

result = add(a, b)

print "The result is: %r." % result

Output:

The first number you want to add?

First no: 5
What's the second number you want to add?

Second no: 6
The result is: 11.

Problem

I've just started studying Python, and I'm an absolute newbie. I'm starting to learn about functions, and I wrote this simple script: ``` def add(a,b): return a + b print "The first number you want to add?" a = raw_input("First no: ") print "What's the second number you want to add?" b = raw_input("Second no: ") result = add(a, b) print "The result is: %r." % result ``` The script runs OK, but the result won't be a sum. I.e: if I enter 5 for 'a', and 6 for 'b', the result will not be '11', but 56. As in: ``` The first number you want to add? First no: 5 What's the second number you want to add? Second no: 6 The result is: '56'. ``` Any help would be appreciated.

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