Python Time process_time Function

The process_time function in Python's time module returns the CPU time (in fractional seconds) used by the process. This function is useful for measuring the CPU time consumed by your program, independent of wall clock time.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. process_time Function Syntax
3. Examples
   • Basic Usage
   • Measuring CPU Time
4. Real-World Use Case
5. Conclusion

Introduction

The process_time function in Python's time module provides a way to measure the CPU time consumed by the current process. This is useful for performance profiling and benchmarking CPU-bound operations.

process_time Function Syntax

Here is how you use the process_time function:

import time
current_cpu_time = time.process_time()

Parameters:

• The process_time function does not take any parameters.

Returns:

• A floating-point number representing the CPU time in seconds.

Examples

Basic Usage

Here is an example of how to use process_time.

Example

import time

# Getting the current process CPU time
cpu_time_start = time.process_time()
print("Process CPU time start:", cpu_time_start)

Output:

Process CPU time start: 0.015625

Measuring CPU Time

This example shows how to measure the CPU time of a code block using process_time.

Example

import time

# Starting the process CPU timer
cpu_time_start = time.process_time()

# Code block whose CPU time is to be measured
for i in range(1000000):
    pass

# Stopping the process CPU timer
cpu_time_end = time.process_time()

# Calculating the CPU time used
cpu_time_used = cpu_time_end - cpu_time_start
print("CPU time used:", cpu_time_used, "seconds")

Output:

CPU time used: 0.015625 seconds

Real-World Use Case

Profiling CPU-Bound Operations

In real-world applications, the process_time function can be used to profile CPU-bound operations to optimize their performance.

Example

import time

def cpu_intensive_task():
    sum = 0
    for i in range(10000000):
        sum += i
    return sum

# Profiling the CPU time of the task
cpu_time_start = time.process_time()
result = cpu_intensive_task()
cpu_time_end = time.process_time()

# Calculating the CPU time used
cpu_time_used = cpu_time_end - cpu_time_start
print(f"Task result: {result}")
print(f"CPU time used: {cpu_time_used} seconds")

Output:

Task result: 49999995000000
CPU time used: 0.109375 seconds

Conclusion

The process_time function provides a way to measure the CPU time used by the current process, making it useful for performance profiling and benchmarking CPU-bound operations.