# Lists in Python
Lists are one of Python's most versatile and commonly used data structures. They are ordered,
mutable collections that can hold elements of different data types.
## Characteristics of Lists
1. **Ordered**: Elements maintain their insertion order
2. **Mutable**: Can be modified after creation
3. **Heterogeneous**: Can contain different data types
4. **Dynamic**: Can grow or shrink as needed
5. **Indexable**: Elements accessible via zero-based index
6. **Allow duplicates**: Can contain duplicate values
## Creating Lists
```python
# Empty list
empty_list = []
# List with elements
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
mixed = [1, "hello", 3.14, True]
nested = [[1, 2], [3, 4], [5, 6]]
# Using list constructor
from_range = list(range(5)) # [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]
from_string = list("hello") # ['h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o']
```
## Accessing Elements
```python
fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'date']
# Positive indexing (0-based)
print(fruits[0]) # 'apple'
print(fruits[2]) # 'cherry'
# Negative indexing (starts from end)
print(fruits[-1]) # 'date'
print(fruits[-2]) # 'cherry'
# Slicing [start:stop:step]
print(fruits[1:3]) # ['banana', 'cherry']
print(fruits[::2]) # ['apple', 'cherry']
print(fruits[::-1]) # ['date', 'cherry', 'banana', 'apple'] (reverse)
```
## Modifying Lists
```python
colors = ['red', 'green', 'blue']
# Change element by index
colors[1] = 'yellow' # ['red', 'yellow', 'blue']
# Append (add to end)
colors.append('green') # ['red', 'yellow', 'blue', 'green']
# Insert at specific position
colors.insert(1, 'orange') # ['red', 'orange', 'yellow', 'blue', 'green']
# Remove elements
colors.remove('yellow') # Removes first occurrence
popped = colors.pop(2) # Removes and returns item at index 2
del colors[0] # Removes item at index 0
```
## Common Operations
```python
a = [1, 2, 3]
b = [4, 5, 6]
# Concatenation
combined = a + b # [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
# Repetition
repeated = a * 2 # [1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3]
# Membership testing
print(2 in a) # True
print(7 not in a) # True
# Length
print(len(a)) #3
```
## List Methods
| Method | Description | Example |
|--------|-------------|---------|
| `append(x)` | Adds x to end | `lst.append(4)` |
| `extend(iterable)` | Adds all elements | `lst.extend([4,5])` |
| `insert(i, x)` | Inserts x at i | `lst.insert(1, 'x')` |
| `remove(x)` | Removes first x | `lst.remove(2)` |
| `pop([i])` | Removes/returns at i | `x = lst.pop()` |
| `clear()` | Removes all | `lst.clear()` |
| `index(x)` | Returns index of x | `i = lst.index(3)` |
| `count(x)` | Counts occurrences | `c = lst.count(2)` |
| `sort()` | Sorts in place | `lst.sort()` |
| `reverse()` | Reverses in place | `lst.reverse()` |
| `copy()` | Shallow copy | `new = lst.copy()` |
## List Comprehensions
Concise way to create lists:
```python
# Squares of numbers 0-9
squares = [x**2 for x in range(10)]
# Even numbers from existing list
evens = [x for x in numbers if x % 2 == 0]
# Nested comprehension
matrix = [[i*j for j in range(3)] for i in range(4)]
```
Lists are fundamental to Python programming and understanding them thoroughly will make you
more effective at working with Python data structures.
