Python is one of the best programming languages used in data science. Python is widely used in the scientific and research communities because of its ease of use and simple syntax which makes it easy to adapt for people. Lists are one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data, the other 3 are Tuple, Set, and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
We can define a list by placing items inside a square bracket [] separated by commas (,). A list in another list is called a nested list. In python, a list is a type of data structure which is used to store multiple data at the same time. Lists are a useful tool for preserving a sequence of data and further iterating over it.
Below we have integer values stored in the variable Tim
Accessing Values In List
We can use the index operator [] to access an item in a list. In Python, indices start at 0. So a list having 5 elements will have an index from 0 to 4. The index must be an integer, else the result will be an error.
Negative Indexing
The negative indexing starts from where the list ends. This means that the index value of [-1 ] returns the last element, and [-2] returns the second to the last element of a list.
List Slicing
List slicing refers to accessing a specific element of a list for some operation while the original list remains unaffected.
Deleting List
We can also delete an item in a list and deleting all items in a list can also be done.
There are so many list methods that we can use in python, and as you practice more you will get familiar with the methods.
Other types of list methods:
