Answer:
def sum_first_integers(n):
if n <= 0 or type(n) != int:
raise ValueError('Value must be a positive integer greater than 0')
total = 0
for num in range(1, n+1):
total += num
return total
Explanation:
The above function was written in Python, the first if statement is for validation purposes and it ensures that the argument passed is a positive integer. If it is not, a ValueError is raised
We leveraged on Python's range function, which accepts three arguments although we passed in two arguments. The first argument is where the range function will start from and the second is where it will end. If we want the range function to stop at value n, then the argument has to be n+1(This is because machine starts counting numbers from 0) and the last argument is the step in which the increment is done. If no value is passed to this argument, Python assumes the value to be 1 which is what is done in this case.
Hence range(1, 5) = (1,2,3,4) and range (2, 10, 2) = 2,4,6,8
