Why does Python use 'magic methods'?

Question

I\'ve been playing around with Python recently, and one thing I\'m finding a bit odd is the extensive use of \'magic methods\', e.g. to make its length available, an object

Answer 1

They are not really "magic names". It's just the interface an object has to implement to provide a given service. In this sense, they are not more magic than any predefined interface definition you have to reimplement.