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Lists - List Methods

Chapter 5 covers various list methods in programming, including append, pop, insert, remove, count, index, sort, and reverse. Each method is defined with examples and challenges to illustrate their usage and differences. The chapter emphasizes the syntax and parameters required for each method, highlighting how they modify lists and their unique functionalities.

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12 views14 pages

Lists - List Methods

Chapter 5 covers various list methods in programming, including append, pop, insert, remove, count, index, sort, and reverse. Each method is defined with examples and challenges to illustrate their usage and differences. The chapter emphasizes the syntax and parameters required for each method, highlighting how they modify lists and their unique functionalities.

Uploaded by

rushabhnakum440
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 5 - Lists

Lists

List Methods

Learning Objectives - List Methods

Define a list method

Describe the syntax of a method

Identify some commonly used list methods


Append

What is a List Method?


Lists have special commands called methods (more on methods in a later
lesson). Methods have a special syntax. First, start with a list (often a
variable that represents a list). Add a period after the list. Finally, add the
name of the method with any parameters. Parameters are values that the
method will use.

List Method with Parameters

Translation: Append the string Hi to the list my_list.

The Append Method


The append method adds an element to a list. append adds the element to the
end of the list.

my_list = [1, 2, 3]
new_element = 4

my_list.append(new_element)
print(my_list)
challenge

What happens if you:


Change the value of new_element to "four"?
Change the value of new_element to len(my_list)?
Change the value of new_element to my_list[0]?

append versus +
There is an important difference between append and the concatenation
operator (+). The + operator only combines two lists. The append method
can add a value of any data type to a list.
Pop

The Pop Method


There are some list methods that do not require parameters. You still must
use the parentheses even if there are no parameters. The pop method is an
example of this. The pop method removes and returns the last element of a
list.

List Method with No Parameters

Translation: Pop (remove and return) the last element from the list
my_list.

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4]
print(my_list)
print(my_list.pop())
print(my_list)
challenge

What happens if you:


Change the code to:

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4]
print(my_list)
my_list.pop()
my_list.pop()
my_list.pop()
my_list.pop()
print(my_list)

Add one more my_list.pop() before the print statement?

popversus my_list[-1]
my_list[-1] returns the last element in a list. This does not modify the
original list. The pop method also returns the last element of a list, but it
always modifies the original list. The last element has been removed from
the list.

Optional Parameters
The pop method has optional parameters. That means if you do not put
anything between the parentheses, it will pop off the last element (index of
-1) in the list. If you want to remove a different element, put the element’s
index between the parentheses.

Optional Parameters
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4]
delete = 0
print(my_list.pop(delete))
print(my_list)

challenge

What happens if you:


Change delete to delete = 2?
Change delete to delete = -1?
Change delete to delete = 4?
Insert

The Insert Method


The insert method allows you to add any object to an array. This method
has two parameters, the index of the insertion and object to be inserted.
The order is also import. The index should come first, the object second.

List Insert

append versus insert


The append method will always add the object to the end of the list. The
insert method gives you the ability to use any index you want.

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4]
my_list.insert(2, "Hi")
print(my_list)
challenge

What happens if you:


Change insert to my_list.insert(3, "Hi")?
Change insert to my_list.insert(4, "Hi")?
Change insert to my_list.insert("Hi", 1)?
Change insert to my_list.insert("Hi")?
Remove

The Remove Method


The remove method has one parameter, the object to be removed from the
list.

List Remove

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 3, 4]
my_list.remove(2)
print(my_list)

challenge

What happens if you:


Change the remove method to my_list.remove(3)?
Change the remove method to my_list.remove(2 *2)?
Change the remove method to my_list.remove(0)
Remove Versus Pop
What is the difference between the remove and pop methods? They both
remove an element from a list, but there are some subtle differences as
well.

Pop Remove
Removes an element Removes an element
Removes based on index Removes based on value
Returns the removed value Does not return anything

list_1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
list_1.pop()
print(list_1)

list_2 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
list_2.remove(5)
print(list_2)

challenge

What happens if you:


Change the pop method to list_1.pop(2) and change the remove
method to list_2.remove(2)?
Change the code to be the following:

list_1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(list_1.pop())

list_2 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(list_2.remove(5))
Count

The Count Method


The count method will count how many times an element appears in a list.
count has one parameter, the element you wish to count.

my_var = 2
my_list = [2, "red", 2.0, my_var, "Red", 8 // 4]
print(my_list.count(2))

challenge

What happens if you:


Change 2.0 to 2.00000001?
Change the print statement to print(my_list.count("red"))?
Change the print statement to print(my_list.count(99))?
Index

The Index Method


The index method returns the index of a given element in a list. index has
one parameter, the element in a list.

Index Method

my_list = ["dog", True, 16, "house", 55.9, False, 16]


index = my_list.index("house")
print(index)

challenge

What happens if you:


Change the value of index to my_list.index(False)?
Change the value of index to my_list.index(16)?
Change the value of index to my_list.index('cat')?
Sort

The Sort Method


The sort method arranges a list in order. If the sort method does not have
a parameter, then it will sort the list in ascending order. The sort method
does not return a new list; instead it modifies the original list.

my_list = [23, 55, 11, 7, 82.9, -14, 0, 34]


print(my_list)
my_list.sort()
print(my_list)

challenge

What happens if you:


Change the list to my_list = ["zebra", "door", "apple", "cat",
"deer", "bark"]?
Change the list to my_list = [23, 15, "red", 90, -8, False]?
Change the list to my_list = ["APPLE", "apple", "Apple"]?

Reverse Sort
The sort method has an optional parameter to sort a list in descending
order. Use reverse=True as the parameter to reverse sort a list.

my_list = [23, 55, 11, 7, 82.9, -14, 0, 34]


my_list.sort()
print(my_list)
my_list.sort(reverse=True)
print(my_list)
Reverse

The Reverse Method


The reverse method reverses the order of a list. reverse is not a reverse
sort. It does not have a parameter. The reverse method does not return a
new list, it modifies the original list.

Reverse Method

my_list = ["north", True, 45, 12, "red"]


print(my_list)
my_list.reverse()
print(my_list)

challenge

What happens if you:


Change the list to my_list = [1, 4, 6, 2, 7, 3, 5]?
Change the list to my_list = [1]?

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