Lists and Tuples in Python
Introduction
Lists and tuples are fundamental sequence data types in Python. They allow you to store collections of items in a specific order.
Lists
Lists are mutable sequences that can store any type of Python object.
1 # Creating a list 2 fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'orange'] 3
4 # Accessing elements 5 print(fruits[0]) # Output: apple 6
7 # Modifying lists 8 fruits.append('grape') 9 fruits[1] = 'pear'
Try it yourself
fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'orange'] print("Original list:", fruits)
Add a new fruit
fruits.append('grape') print("After append:", fruits)
Modify an element
fruits[1] = 'pear' print("After modification:", fruits) [/tool]
Tuples
Tuples are immutable sequences, meaning they cannot be modified after creation.
1 # Creating a tuple 2 coordinates = (10, 20) 3
4 # Accessing elements 5 print(coordinates[0]) # Output: 10
Try working with tuples
coordinates = (10, 20) print("Coordinates:", coordinates) print("X coordinate:", coordinates[0]) print("Y coordinate:", coordinates[1]) [/tool]
Key Differences
-
Mutability:
- Lists are mutable (can be modified)
- Tuples are immutable (cannot be modified)
-
Syntax:
- Lists use square brackets []
- Tuples use parentheses ()
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Common use cases:
- Lists: Collection of items that might change
- Tuples: Collection of related items that shouldn't change
Practice Exercise
Create and manipulate lists and tuples
1. Create a list of numbers
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Create a tuple of colors
colors = ('red', 'green', 'blue')
Print both collections
print("Numbers (list):", numbers) print("Colors (tuple):", colors)
Try to modify the list (will work)
numbers.append(6) print("Modified numbers:", numbers)
Try to modify the tuple (will raise an error)
try: colors[0] = 'yellow' except TypeError as e: print("Error:", e) [/tool]