Factorial

Question

I Came across with an example of a factorial function that I didn't get. What does "total *= x" and "x-=1" mean? It's an exercise in code academy if it's relevant. Thanks

Answer 1

This 2 expressions are so called inplace operator and a kind of shortcut

total *= x is the same as:
total = total * x
x-=1 is the same as:
x = x - 1

Behind the scene there can be some differences as explained here:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15376509/when-is-i-x-different-from-i-i-x-in-JUMP_LINK__&&__python__&&__JUMP_LINK