What is the difference between a list and a tuple

A list and a tuple are both used to store collections of items in Python, but there are some key differences between the two:

  • Mutability: Lists are mutable, meaning you can change their content (add, remove, or modify elements), while tuples are immutable, meaning their content cannot be changed after creation.
  • Syntax: Lists are defined using square brackets [], while tuples are defined using parentheses ().
  • Performance: Tuples can be slightly faster than lists for certain operations because of their immutability.
  • Use Cases: Use lists for collections of items that may need to change, and use tuples when the collection of items is fixed and should not be modified.

Here is an example:

// Example of list $list = [1, 2, 3]; $list[] = 4; // List can be modified echo implode(", ", $list); // Output: 1, 2, 3, 4 // Example of tuple $tuple = (1, 2, 3); // $tuple[] = 4; // Un-commenting this line will cause an error echo implode(", ", $tuple); // Output: 1, 2, 3

List Tuple Python Data Structures Programming