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Python Tuples

What is a Tuple?

A tuple is an ordered collection like a list, but once created its elements can't be reassigned, added, or removed -- that immutability makes tuples usable as dictionary keys and signals to readers that the data shouldn't change, like coordinates (x, y).

Example: What is a Tuple?

python
point = (3, 4)
print(point)

Accessing Tuple Items

Tuples support the exact same square-bracket indexing and slicing as lists, so my_tuple[0] and my_tuple[1:3] work identically -- the only real difference is you can't assign through them afterward.

Example: Accessing Tuple Items

python
point = (3, 4, 5)
print(point[0])
print(point[1:3])

Tuple Unpacking

Unpacking lets you write x, y = point to pull a tuple's values into named variables in one line, which is why functions that return multiple values (like divmod()) return them as a tuple you can immediately destructure.

Example: Tuple Unpacking

python
point = (3, 4)
x, y = point
print(x, y)

Tuple Operations

You can't modify a tuple in place, but + concatenates two tuples into a brand-new one and * repeats a tuple's elements, both producing fresh tuple objects rather than touching the originals.

Example: Tuple Operations

python
a = (1, 2)
b = (3, 4)
print(a + b)
print(a * 2)

Tuple Methods

Because tuples can't grow or shrink, they only need count(value) (how many times a value appears) and index(value) (its first position) -- there's no append or remove to support.

Example: Tuple Methods

python
t = (1, 2, 2, 3)
print(t.count(2))
print(t.index(3))

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