Mix of valid and invalid items
Input
safe_divide_list([10, '20', 'bad', 5], 5)
Output
[2.0, 4.0, 1.0]
10 -> 2.0, '20' -> 4.0 (converted), 'bad' skipped, 5 -> 1.0
Full lesson preview
Process a list while skipping invalid items
Safely process items in a list, skipping those that cause exceptions or can't be converted.
Python practice15 minError Handling & Edge CasesIntermediateLast updated March 20, 2026
Problem statement
Implement safe_divide_list(items, divisor) which takes an iterable of items and a divisor. For each item, attempt to convert it to a number (int or float) and divide by divisor. Collect results in a list in the same order for items that succeed. Skip items that:
- cannot be converted to a number (ValueError, TypeError)
- would cause ZeroDivisionError
- are None
Return a list of floats for successful divisions. The function must not raise exceptions for bad items; it should simply skip them.
Task
Write a function that processes a sequence but ignores invalid entries and exceptions so the program continues.
Examples
Input format
Two arguments: an iterable of items and a divisor (number).
Output format
A list of floats containing division results for items that could be processed.
Constraints
- Do not raise for invalid items. - Use try/except to handle conversions and division errors.
- Do not import external packages.
Samples
Sample 1
Input
safe_divide_list([' 15 ', None, 'x'], 3)
Output
[5.0]
' 15 ' converts to 15 then divided by 3 -> 5.0; None and 'x' are skipped.