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Python Week3 Lecture1 Handout

The document discusses the Python 'range()' function, explaining its behavior and usage in generating sequences. It details how 'range(i,j)' produces numbers from i to j-1, and how to use it with different step values, including negative increments for countdowns. Additionally, it highlights the difference in behavior between Python 2 and Python 3 regarding 'range()' and lists, and provides examples of converting ranges to lists.

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3 views7 pages

Python Week3 Lecture1 Handout

The document discusses the Python 'range()' function, explaining its behavior and usage in generating sequences. It details how 'range(i,j)' produces numbers from i to j-1, and how to use it with different step values, including negative increments for countdowns. Additionally, it highlights the difference in behavior between Python 2 and Python 3 regarding 'range()' and lists, and provides examples of converting ranges to lists.

Uploaded by

senthil kannan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NPTEL MOOC

PROGRAMMING,
DATA STRUCTURES AND
ALGORITHMS IN PYTHON
Week 3, Lecture 1

Madhavan Mukund, Chennai Mathematical Institute


http://www.cmi.ac.in/~madhavan
More about range()
range(i,j) produces the sequence i,i+1,…,j-1

range(j) automatically starts from 0; 0,1,…,j-1

range(i,j,k) increments by k; i,i+k,…,i+nk

Stops with n such that i+nk < j <= i+(n+1)k

Count down? Make k negative!


range(i,j,-1), i > j, produces i,i-1,…,j+1
More about range()
General rule for range(i,j,k)

Sequence starts from i and gets as close to j


as possible without crossing j

If k is positive and i >= j, empty sequence

Similarly if k is negative and i <= j

If k is negative, stop “before” j

range(12,1,-3) produces 12,9,6,3


More about range()
Why does range(i,j) stop at j-1?

Mainly to make it easier to process lists

List of length n has positions 0,1,..,n-1

range(0,len(l)) produces correct range of


valid indices

Easier than writing range(0,len(l)-1)


range() and lists
Compare the following

for i in [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]:

for i in range(0,10):

Is range(0,10) == [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]?

In Python2, yes

In Python3, no!
range() and lists
Can convert range() to a list using list()

list(range(0,5)) == [0,1,2,3,4]

Other type conversion functions using type names

str(78) = "78"

int("321") = 321

But int("32x") yields error


Summary

range(n) has is implicitly from 0 to n-1

range(i,j,k) produces sequence in steps of k

Negative k counts down

Sequence produced by range() is not a list

Use list(range(..)) to get a list

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