Difference Between List and Tuple in Python
The Python programming language includes list and tuple data structures, which can store multiple objects or values within a single entity. A collection of multiple items can be stored in a single variable through a list, which can be generated by enclosing the items within square brackets. In this blog we can learn about Difference between List and Tuple in Python, Like other data structures, Tuples can contain multiple elements within a solitary variable and can be instantiated using parentheses.
Python List Vs. Tuple
The present blog aims to examine the principal distinctions between lists and tuples and guide how to manage these two distinct data structures.
Lists and tuples are categorized as data structures that can store multiple objects or items in a predetermined sequence. Lists and tuples can accommodate objects of various data types, including the null data type designated by the None Keyword.
What is a List?
List objects are declared in a manner that is comparable to arrays in various other programming languages. Lists may allow them to store items of varying data types concurrently. Lists are considered to be the most valuable tool.
The list is a container data structure in Python that facilitates the storage of multiple data elements concurrently. Enumerations are advantageous when it is necessary to iterate through a collection of elements while retaining possession of the individual items.
What is a Tuple?
Tuples represent a data structure that facilitates storing a group of items of diverse data types. However, in contrast to mutable lists, tuples are immutable.
A tuple is a composite data type consisting of elements delimited by commas. Due to its fixed structure, the tuple exhibits greater efficiency than the list.
Difference between List and Tuple in Python
The built-in data types in Python are most commonly utilized. Distinguishing between Python lists and tuples can be challenging due to their numerous similarities, leading to confusion among novice Python users when selecting the most suitable option. The following guide distinguishes between a Python tuple and a list.
| Sr.No | List | Tuple |
| 1 | List is mutable. | Tuple is immutable. |
| 2 | List iteration is slower and time-consuming. | Tuple iteration is faster. |
| 3 | List is helpful for insertion and deletion operations. | Tuple is beneficial for read-only operations like accessing elements. |
| 4 | List consumes more memory space. | Tuples consumes less memory space. |
| 5 | List delivers many in-built methods. | Tuples contain fewer in-built methods. |
| 6 | List operations are more error-prone. | Tuples operations are safe. |
A Python tuple is different from a list, and their language is also different. For example, the items in a tuple are surrounded by parentheses(), but the items in a list are surrounded by square brackets []. More memory is used by the list than by the tuples. Also, making lists and getting to them takes longer than doing the same thing with tuples.
List and tuple are not the same, and you shouldn’t think of them as being the same at all. There is a big disparity between these two things. Lists and tuples can both change, but they also have different shapes that can change. Lists can be any size, but tuples always have the same size.
The following are some parallels between lists and tuples, despite the many distinctions between the two:
- Both structures store groupings of items in sequential order.
- They can be used to keep items of any data type.
- The index provides immediate access to desired items.
Difference in syntax
Tuple vs. list The Python syntax is different, but this difference is important for the right application. One big difference between a Python list and a tuple is that a list’s syntax uses a square bracket, while a tuple’s syntax uses braces. As was said at the start, the code for a list differs from that for a tuple.
As an example:
- list_num = [10, 20, 30, 40]
- tup_num = (10, 20, 30, 40)
Mutability
One of the fundamental distinctions between a list and a tuple lies in their mutability properties, with the former being mutable and the latter being immutable. In the context of Python programming, it is noteworthy that lists and tuples exhibit distinct characteristics. Specifically, while lists can be modified after their creation to accommodate specific needs, tuples are immutable and cannot be altered following their creation. Consequently, tuples are characterized by a fixed size.
Conversely, while specific components within the tuple are immutable and cannot be altered or removed, it remains feasible to slice it and subsequently modify or delete the entire entity. Due to their immutable nature, tuples are not capable of being replicated. It is possible to modify an element within a list and access it directly. The elements within a list can be modified by utilizing the indexing operator [ ]. It is conceivable to modify the values of individual items within the lists.
Example:
# Creating a List with the use of Numbers
# code to test that lists are mutable
numlist = [1, 2, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 6, 5]
print(“Original list “, numlist)
numlistist[3] = 77
print(“Example to show mutability “, numlist)
Output:
Original list [1, 2, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 6, 5]
Example to show mutability [1, 2, 4, 77, 3, 3, 3, 6, 5]
about code is the example for list and its shows lists is mutable
# code to test that tuples are immutable
numtuple = (0, 1, 2, 3)
print(numtuple)
numtuple[0] = 4
print(numtuple)
Output:
(0, 1, 2, 3)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “C:/Users/DELL/Desktop/1.py”, line 3, in <module>
tuple1[0] = 4
TypeError: ‘tuple’ object does not support item assignment
The primary distinction between lists and tuples in Python is their mutability. Specifically, a list is a mutable data structure, while a tuple is immutable.
- A tuple is a data structure with a predetermined size, and it does not allow for the insertion or removal of elements after its creation. However, in Python 3, there is an exception to this rule, as tuple owners can utilize the prepending feature.
- It is not possible to convert a tuple to a list.
- In programming, a tuple is a collection of values of different data types, while a list is a grouping of values of the different data type.
- Tuples are frequently employed in contexts where lists are unavailable or impractical, such as object-oriented programming and fundamental Python modules.
- The tuples can be sorted alphabetically by utilizing either the built-in function in Python or the sorted() function from the “collections” module.
- In Python, it is feasible to directly iterate over a tuple, whereas a for loop is required for iterating over a list.
- In Python, it is conceivable to nest a tuple within another tuple, whereas a list can contain additional lists within it.
- Maintaining the order of the elements in a tuple is a straightforward task.
- Tuples can be used as functions’ arguments, whereas lists lack this functionality.
- According to computational analysis, tuples exhibit a higher level of memory intensity in comparison to lists.
- A tuple is comparatively more efficient than a list due to its lower storage space occupancy.
- Tuples can generate organized data through techniques and characteristics such as dictionary_as_tuple() and set constructors. The utilization of this feature involves the implementation of tuples in the Python programming language to generate dictionaries and sets. These data structures are immutable variants of dictionaries and sets, respectively.
When to use tuples
Tuples are useful when you need the information in your collection to be immutable, unmodifiable, and unchanging at all times.
This feature, plus the assurance that data is immutable, makes tuples suitable for usage in dictionaries and sets, both of which need their constituent items to be of an immutable type.
When to use lists
However, lists are changeable, so it’s simple to adjust them. It implies that lists may be modified in many ways, such as by adding, removing, rearranging, and swapping elements.
You should use a list if you require the information to change depending on the circumstances. In contrast to tuples, lists provide several built-in Python methods that may be used to execute various actions on the list. It implies that the size and length of lists fluctuate during a program’s execution.
The similarities between tuples and lists are:
- In Python, they are both called objects.
- They are containers that hold information. That information can be anything.
- Both of them are in order and stay in order the whole time. Once the order has been set, it will not change.
- You can use a number to get to a single item in both tuples and lists.
The main differences between tuples and lists are:
- Tuples are unchangeable. Use them when you know that your data won’t change during the span of your program or when you desire to be sure that your data won’t ever change.
- Lists are changeable. You can add something and take them away. During the life of a program, lists grow and shrink. Use them when you desire to change your info.
Conclusion:
Tuple is an unchangeable data structure, which means that once an item is given to a tuple, it can’t be changed. It makes them better at using memory and makes it easy to keep up. Sorting your tuples is also easy. Tuple lets you pass numbers as inputs without turning them into a list. On the other hand, you can take items off the end of a list, but you can’t do that with a tuple. If you want to learn Python in-depth, Nschool Academies offers a Python Certification with real-time projects. You can use a built-in function in Python or the ordered() function from the “collections” package to sort tuples. Lists can be turned into tuples, but tuples can’t be changed once made.
