Python is widely used in various fields, including web development, artificial intelligence, and many others. However, data plays a critical role in making all of this possible, which means that it must be stored efficiently and accessed in a timely manner. So, how do you go about doing this? Data Structures are something we use. That said, let us discuss the topics covered in Data Structures in Python.

What exactly is a Data Structure?

Data organization, management, and storage are critical because they allow easier access and more efficient modifications. Data Structures allow you to organize your data to store collections of data, relate them, and perform operations on them.

Data Structure Types in Python

Python includes implicit support for Data Structures, which allow you to store and retrieve data. List, Dictionary, Tuple, and Set are the names of these structures.

Python users can create their own Data Structures, giving them complete control over their functionality. The most common Data Structures are Stack, Queue, Tree, and Linked List, all available in other programming languages. So, now that you know what types are available, why don't we move on to Data Structures and implement them in Python?

You might want to read this blog on Data Structures in Python

Built-in Data Structures

As the name implies, these Data Structures are built into Python, making programming easier and allowing programmers to obtain solutions faster. Let's go over each one in detail.

Lists

Lists are used to store data of various data types sequentially. Every element of the list has an address assigned to it, which is known as the Index. The index value ranges from 0 to the last element, which is referred to as the positive Index. Negative indexing begins at -1 and allows you to access elements from last to first. Let us now use an example programme to understand lists better.

Dictionary

Key-value pairs are stored in dictionary dictionaries. Consider a phone directory with hundreds of thousands of names and corresponding phone numbers. The constant values here are Name and Phone Numbers, referred to as the keys. And the values that have been fed to the keys are the various names and phone numbers. All names and phone numbers can be obtained by accessing the values of the keys. That is exactly what a key-value pair is. This structure is stored in Python using Dictionaries. Let's look at an example programme to understand this better.

Tuple 

Tuples are similar to lists, except once data is entered into a tuple, it cannot be changed. Only when the data contained within the tuple is mutable can the tuple data be changed. The example programme will assist you in better understanding.

Sets

Sets are collections of unique, unordered elements. Even if the data is repeated multiple times, it will only be entered into the set once. It is similar to the sets you learned in arithmetic. The operations are also similar to arithmetic sets. An example programme would aid your comprehension.