Python: Find the name of the oldest student from a given dictionary

Last update on April 17 2025 13:05:22 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Oldest Student Finder

Write a Python program to find the name of the oldest student in a given dictionary containing the names and ages of a group of students.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Define a function named oldest_student that takes a dictionary of students and their ages (students) as an argument.
def oldest_student(students):
    # Use the max function with the 'key' argument to find the student with the maximum age.
    # The 'key=students.get' argument specifies that the maximum should be determined based on the values (ages) in the dictionary.
    return max(students, key=students.get)

# Test the function with different dictionaries of students and ages and print the results.

# Test case 1
print(oldest_student({"Bernita Ahner": 12, "Kristie Marsico": 11, 
                      "Sara Pardee": 14, "Fallon Fabiano": 11, 
                      "Nidia Dominique": 15}))

# Test case 2
print(oldest_student({"Nilda Woodside": 12, "Jackelyn Pineda": 12.2, 
                      "Sofia Park": 12.4, "Joannie Archibald": 12.6, 
                      "Becki Saunder": 12.7}))

Sample Output:

Nidia Dominique
Becki Saunder

Explanation:

Here is a breakdown of the above Python code:

Function definition:

The code defines a function named "oldest_student()" that takes a dictionary of students and their ages (students) as an argument.

Max Function with Key:

The function uses the "max()" function with the 'key' argument to find the student with the maximum age. The key=students.get argument specifies that the maximum should be determined based on the values (ages) in the dictionary.

Return Statement:

The function returns the result of the 'max' operation.

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Python program to find the student with the highest age in a dictionary, returning all names if multiple share the same age.
Write a Python program to determine the oldest student using the max() function with a custom key from a given dictionary.
Write a Python program to sort a dictionary of student names and ages and output the name of the oldest student from the sorted order.
Write a Python program to filter a dictionary of students and return the names of those whose age equals the maximum age found.

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Python Code Editor:

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