#!/usr/bin/python

maxCalled = 0
minCalled = 0




def max_val(a,b):
  '''Returns the maximum of the specified arguments.

  Arguments must be numbers'''
  
  global maxCalled
  maxCalled = maxCalled + 1
  
  if(a > b):
    return a
  elif(b > a):
    return b
  else:
    return a

def min_val(a,b):
  '''Returns the minimum of the specified arguments.

  Arguments must be numbers'''
  
  global minCalled 
  minCalled = minCalled + 1
  
  if(a < b):
    return a
  elif(b < a):
    return b
  else:
    return a 

def print_usage(init_msg, max_val=True, min_val=True):
  global maxCalled, minCalled
  print init_msg
  if max_val:
    print 'functin max_val was called', maxCalled, ' times'
  if min_val:
    print 'function min_val was called', minCalled, ' times'


print 'Calling function max_val'
print max_val.__doc__
max_val(1,4)
max_val(2,b=1)
max_val(b=4,a=3)

print 'Calling function min_val'
print min_val.__doc__
min_val(1,4)
min_val(2,4)
min_val(4,b=9)

print_usage('The usage of functions min_val and max_val')