This should be a simple question...

[Tim Chase]

Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> Tim Chase wrote:
>> If the constants don't actually share any conceptual commonality,
>> then SteveH is right, that they really should just be globals.
> 
> Surely that's backwards? If the constants don't share any conceptual
> commonality, they should be kept independent in the functions and not made
> global.
> 
> k = 2.5
> 
> def population(n):
>     """Return the total population of n families."""
>     return k*n
> 
> def calculate_leave(n):
>     """Return the number of days of leave after working n days."""
>     return n/10*k

This was in the example of two contants that were [un?]related to 
each other, not one constant name for a pair of constant values 
that happenstantially coincide (2.5 in your example).  So

   MEMBERS_PER_HOUSEHOLD = 2.5
   DECI_HOURS_OF_LEAVE_ACCRUED_PER_DAY = 2.5

are unrelated to each other and would both just be plain ol' 
globals (not just one combined global).  However, if your 
contants share a relation *with each other*, such as

   class AverageAirspeed:
     class Swallow:
       LADEN = 42
       UNLADEN = 45
     class Parrot:
       DEAD = 0
       LIVE = "VOOM!"

you they can be contained as non-global (only the AverageAirspeed 
namespace becomes globalish) allowing for sharing constants 
across function definitions

   def foo():
     print "Being laden slows swallows by %s" % (
       AverageAirspeed.Swallow.UNLADEN -
       AverageAirspeed.Swallow.LADEN)
     print "This parrot wouldn't %s if you put " \
       "1000000 volts through it!" % AverageAirspeed.Parrot.LIVE

   def bar(parrot, shopkeeper):
     answer(AverageAirspeed.Swallow.LADEN)
     if parrot.speed == AverageAirspeed.Parrot.DEAD:
       return shopkeeper(parrot)


-tkc