Lists are a collection of data and are represented with square brackets [ ] . With lists, data is stored in sequence.
Lists are mutable, meaning that we can modify and change the content of lists using many methods. Lists can contain different types of data.
Syntax
listOfFruits = ["apples", "bananas", "cherries"]
In this example, listOfFruits is the variable that we have assigned our list to.
Example
Each element in the list has a specific index. We can access elements in a list via their index.
The first item in the list has an index of 0 , second item has index of 1 and so on.
Negative Indexing is when you refer to the items from the end. -1 refers to the last item, -2 refers to the second last item and so on.
Indexing Example
Negative indexing Example
To access a range of items in a list, we use the slice operator :
Syntax
list[start index:stop index] list[0:3]
The stop index item will not be included in the range.
Example
We can add elements to a list using the append , extend and insert methods. Below is how you can apply the methods to your lists.
Append
We can add a single element to the end of the list using the append method.
Syntax
myList.append("blueberries")
"blueberries" is a string element that we would like to add to the end of myList.
Can we add multiple elements using the append method?
myList.append(["blueberries", "cantaloupes"])
No, append only takes a single item as a parameter. Thus, in this case, blueberries and cantaloupes will be considered as 1 element when appended.
Example
Extend
We can insert multiple elements to a list using the extend method.
Syntax
myList.extend(["blueberries", "cantaloupes"])
Example
Insert
We can insert a single element at a specified position in a list using the insert method.
Syntax
myList.insert(2, "blueberries")
2 represents the index that you want to place your new element as
"blueberries" represent the element that you are inserting into the list
Example
We can remove elements from a list using the remove , pop and delete methods. Below is how you can apply the methods to your lists.
Remove
We can remove a single element as an argument.
Syntax
myList.remove("cherries")
Example
Pop
We can remove an element by referring to its index number. pop() returns the removed element.
Syntax
myList.pop(2)
Example
Delete
We can delete an element by referring to its index number.
Syntax
del(myList[2])
Example
1. Create and print a list with these elements: Adam, Adora, Ella
2. List indexing: Find the third element in the list
3. List slicing: Access the last 2 items in the list
4. Add these elements to the list using the append and extend methods: Lila, James
5. Insert this element to the list after the second element: Lila
6. Remove Adam from the list
7. Remove the second element from the list using pop and delete