List comprehension and lambdas in Python

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Answer 1

The y in your lambda refers to the last value that y had in the scope it came from, i.e., 9.

The easiest way to get the behavior you want is to use a default argument in your lambda:

lambda x, y=y: x/y

This captures the value of y at the moment the lambda function is defined.

You can also do a "double-lambda", calling a function that returns the lambda you want, passing in the desired value of y:

(lambda y: lambda x: x/y)(y)

Here, the outer lambda provides a new scope each time you call it.