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Python Data Structures (Brief Overview)

The document provides a brief overview of Python data structures, including Lists, Tuples, Dictionaries, Sets, Arrays, and Strings, highlighting their mutability, order, and use cases. Each structure is accompanied by examples and methods to illustrate their functionality. A comparison table summarizes their characteristics and when to use each type.

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MUKUL CHAUHAN
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15 views3 pages

Python Data Structures (Brief Overview)

The document provides a brief overview of Python data structures, including Lists, Tuples, Dictionaries, Sets, Arrays, and Strings, highlighting their mutability, order, and use cases. Each structure is accompanied by examples and methods to illustrate their functionality. A comparison table summarizes their characteristics and when to use each type.

Uploaded by

MUKUL CHAUHAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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# **Python Data Structures (Brief Overview)**

### **1. Lists (`[]`)**


- **Mutable**, ordered collection
- Can store **different data types**
- **Dynamic** (can grow/shrink)
- **Methods:** `append()`, `remove()`, `sort()`, etc.
- **Use Case:** When you need a modifiable sequence.

```python
my_list = [1, "hello", 3.14, True]
my_list.append(5) # [1, "hello", 3.14, True, 5]
```

---

### **2. Tuples (`()`)**


- **Immutable**, ordered collection
- **Faster than lists** (fixed size)
- **Use Case:** Fixed data (e.g., coordinates, dictionary keys).

```python
my_tuple = (1, 2, 3)
print(my_tuple[0]) # 1
```

---

### **3. Dictionaries (`{}`)**


- **Key-value pairs** (unordered in Python <3.7, ordered in ≥3.7)
- **Keys must be unique & immutable** (e.g., `str`, `int`, `tuple`)
- **Methods:** `keys()`, `values()`, `get()`, `update()`
- **Use Case:** Fast lookups (like a real-world dictionary).

```python
my_dict = {"name": "Alice", "age": 25}
print(my_dict["name"]) # "Alice"
```

---

### **4. Sets (`{}`)**


- **Unordered**, **unique elements** (no duplicates)
- **Mutable**, but elements must be **hashable** (immutable)
- **Methods:** `add()`, `remove()`, `union()`, `intersection()`
- **Use Case:** Removing duplicates, membership tests.

```python
my_set = {1, 2, 3, 3} # {1, 2, 3}
my_set.add(4)
```

---

### **5. Arrays (`array.array`)**


- **Homogeneous** (all elements same type)
- More **memory-efficient** than lists for large data
- **Requires `import array`**
- **Use Case:** Numeric data when NumPy is overkill.

```python
import array
int_array = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3])
```

---

### **6. Strings (`""` or `''`)**


- **Immutable** sequence of characters
- **Support indexing/slicing**
- **Methods:** `split()`, `join()`, `upper()`, etc.
- **Use Case:** Text processing.

```python
text = "Hello, World!"
print(text[0]) # 'H'
```

---

### **Comparison Table**

| **Structure** | **Mutable?** | **Ordered?** | **Duplicates?** | **Use Case** |

✅ ✅ ✅
|--------------|-------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|

❌ ✅ ✅
| **List** | Yes | Yes | Allowed | Dynamic collections |

✅ ✅ ❌
| **Tuple** | No | Yes | Allowed | Fixed data |

✅ ❌ ❌
| **Dictionary** | Yes | (≥Python 3.7) | Keys must be unique | Key-value storage |
| **Set** | Yes | No | No | Unique elements |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Allowed | Numeric data |
❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Allowed | Text |
| **Array** |
| **String** |

---

### **When to Use Which?**


- **Need modification?** → **List**
- **Unchangeable data?** → **Tuple**
- **Fast key-based access?** → **Dictionary**
- **Unique elements?** → **Set**
- **Numbers only?** → **Array** (or **NumPy** for advanced math)
- **Working with text?** → **String**

Would you like examples for any specific use case? 😊

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