[sdx23]

In what world is:

  def square(n):
    return n * n

... easier for a beginner to understand than:

  square n = n * n

[AstralStorm]

Is square a function or object/data structure result of operation?

Welcome to the Real World. Please make different entities look different.

[szemet]

Usually when one starts to learn to program already have learned some math. So knows only this notation for funcions: square(x) = x*x

"Return" seems meaningless.

So that is the "real world" function declaration (if this phrase makes any sense for a math notation convention) for a nonprogrammer.

Is that what you mean? Because then I agree...