Answer: Python Puzzler #1953

The answer is A. The program prints:

9 13
What the program prints
Checked by running the program for real.

Why?

Python works out everything on the right first, using the old values: b is 9 and a + b is 13. Then it puts them into a and b at the same time.

Trace table

A trace table follows the program step by step. Here’s this one:

ab
before49
after913

The code again

a = 4
b = 9
a, b = b, a + b
print(a, b)

Try it: change one number in the program and predict the new output before you run it.