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ICSM

IT-Hardware & Networking

Ravi Vishwakarma is a dedicated Software Developer with a passion for crafting efficient and innovative solutions. With a keen eye for detail and years of experience, he excels in developing robust software systems that meet client needs. His expertise spans across multiple programming languages and technologies, making him a valuable asset in any software development project.

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ICSM

ICSM

21-Sep-2025

What is a Tuple?

A tuple in Python is like a list, but with one big difference, Tuples are immutable — once created, you cannot change, add, or remove elements. 

Think of it like a sealed box, you can look inside and take items out, but you can’t replace or rearrange them.

Creating Tuples

# Empty tuple
empty = ()

# Single element tuple (needs a trailing comma!)
single = (5,)

# Multiple elements
numbers = (1, 2, 3, 4)

# Mixed types
mixed = ("apple", 3.14, True, 42)

# Nested tuple
nested = (1, (2, 3), (4, 5))

Accessing Tuple Items

Just like lists, tuples use zero-based indexing:

fruits = ("apple", "banana", "cherry")

print(fruits[0])    # apple
print(fruits[-1])   # cherry
print(fruits[0:2])  # ('apple', 'banana') - slicing works too

Why Tuples are Useful

  • Immutability → safer for data you don’t want changed.
  • Faster than lists (because fixed size and immutable).
  • Hashable → can be used as keys in dictionaries or elements in sets (lists cannot).
my_dict = { (1, 2): "point A" }
print(my_dict[(1, 2)])  # point A

Tuple Methods

Since tuples are immutable, they have fewer methods than lists:

nums = (1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 2)

print(nums.count(2))   # 3 (how many times 2 appears)
print(nums.index(3))   # 3 (first index of value 3)

Packing and Unpacking

# Packing
person = ("Anna", 25, "Engineer")

# Unpacking
name, age, job = person
print(name)  # Anna
print(age)   # 25
print(job)   # Engineer

Tuple vs List (Quick Comparison)

Feature List ([]) Tuple (())
Mutability Mutable Immutable
Performance Slower Faster
Methods Many Few
Use case When data may change When data should stay fixed

Key Takeaways:

  • Tuples are immutable, ordered, allow duplicates.
  • Great for fixed collections of data.
  • Support packing/unpacking and can be used as dictionary keys.
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