An iterative algorithm for Fibonacci numbers

Solution 1:

The problem is that your return y is within the loop of your function. So after the first iteration, it will already stop and return the first value: 1. Except when n is 0, in which case the function is made to return 0 itself, and in case n is 1, when the for loop will not iterate even once, and no return is being execute (hence the None return value).

To fix this, just move the return y outside of the loop.

Alternative implementation

Following KebertX’s example, here is a solution I would personally make in Python. Of course, if you were to process many Fibonacci values, you might even want to combine those two solutions and create a cache for the numbers.

def f(n):
    a, b = 0, 1
    for i in range(0, n):
        a, b = b, a + b
    return a

Solution 2:

You are returning a value within a loop, so the function is exiting before the value of y ever gets to be any more than 1.

If I may suggest something shorter, and much more pythonful:

def fibs(n):                                                                                                 
    fibs = [0, 1, 1]                                                                                           
    for f in range(2, n):                                                                                      
        fibs.append(fibs[-1] + fibs[-2])                                                                         
    return fibs[n]

This will do exactly the same thing as your algorithm, but instead of creating three temporary variables, it just adds them into a list, and returns the nth fibonacci number by index.

Solution 3:

On fib(0), you're returning 0 because:

if (n == 0) {
    return 0;
}

On fib(1), you're returning 1 because:

y = 1
return y

On fig(2), you're returning 1 because:

y = 1
return y

...and so on. As long as return y is inside your loop, the function is ending on the first iteration of your for loop every time.

Here's a good solution that another user came up with: How to write the Fibonacci Sequence in Python