What is typically included after the function name when defining a function?

When defining a function, it is standard practice to include parentheses for parameters immediately after the function name. This is crucial because the parentheses indicate that this is a function definition, and they may also contain variables (parameters) that the function can accept as input. This allows the programmer to pass data into the function when it is called, thereby enabling dynamic behavior.

For example, in a function definition like def calculate_area(width, height):, the parentheses contain the parameters width and height, which the function will use in its operations.

Including a comment describing the function, a return statement, or specifying a data type is not mandatory at this point in the function definition. Comments can aid in understanding the function's purpose but are not part of the function syntax. The return statement is used within the function to send back a value but is placed after the function's body. Specifying a data type, while useful in some programming languages, is not a standard requirement in most function definitions in Python, for example. Thus, the parentheses for parameters are fundamentally essential to the function definition.