Unit 3: List, Tuple, Dictionaries, and Sets
Lists
Definition:
A list is a mutable, ordered collection of items in Python, enclosed in square brackets []. Lists
can hold elements of different data types (int, float, string, etc.).
Creating a List:
Accessing Elements:
Use indices to access list items (starting from 0).
Slicing a List:
Retrieve a part of the list using the syntax list[start:stop:step].
Negative Indices:
Negative indexing starts from the end of the list.
List Methods:
Some commonly used methods include:
● append(x) – Adds item x to the end.
● insert(i, x) – Inserts item x at index i.
● remove(x) – Removes first occurrence of x.
● pop([i]) – Removes and returns element at index i.
● sort() – Sorts the list in ascending order.
● reverse() – Reverses the list.
Example:
List Comprehensions:
A concise way to create lists.
Tuples
Definition:
Tuples are immutable, ordered collections of items, enclosed in parentheses ().
Creating a Tuple:
Indexing and Slicing:
Access elements using positive or negative indexing. Slicing works similarly to lists.
Operations on Tuples:
● Concatenation: tuple1 + tuple2
● Repetition: tuple * n
● Membership: x in tuple
Immutability:
● Once created, tuple elements cannot be changed. This provides data integrity.
Usage:
● Used when data should not change, e.g., storing days of the week.
Dictionaries
Definition:
Dictionaries are unordered collections of key-value pairs, enclosed in {}.
Creating a Dictionary:
Accessing and Replacing Values:
Adding New Key-Value Pairs:
Dictionary Operations:
● keys(): Returns all keys.
● values(): Returns all values.
● items(): Returns key-value pairs.
● get(key): Returns value for the key.
● pop(key): Removes the key and returns value.
● update(): Updates with another dictionary.
Example:
Use Case of Dictionaries:
● Efficient lookups, storing mappings like name-phone pairs, etc.
Sets
Definition:
A set is an unordered collection of unique elements, defined using curly braces {} or the set()
function.
Creating a Set:
Operations on Sets:
● add(x): Adds an element.
● remove(x): Removes an element (raises error if not found).
● discard(x): Removes an element (no error if not found).
● pop(): Removes random element.
● clear(): Empties the set.
Set Operations:
● union(): Combines elements from two sets.
● intersection(): Elements common to both sets.
● difference(): Elements in one set but not the other.
● symmetric_difference(): Elements in either set but not both.
Example:
Use Case:
● Used when duplicate values are not allowed, such as collecting unique elements from a
list.
