Python Arrays

In Python, arrays are a data structure that can hold a collection of items. Unlike lists, which can contain items of different data types, arrays in Python can only hold items of the same data type.

Creating Arrays

You can create an array in Python using the array module. First, you need to import the module, and then you can create an array with a specified data type. For example, to create an array of integers:

import array
int_array = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5])

Accessing Elements

You can access elements in an array using indexing, just like with lists. Indexing starts at 0 for the first element. For example:

print(int_array[0])  # Output: 1

Adding and Removing Elements

Arrays in Python do not have built-in methods for adding or removing elements like lists do. However, you can use the append() method to add elements to the end of an array, and you can use slicing to remove elements. For example:

int_array.append(6)
print(int_array)  # Output: array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6])

del int_array[0]
print(int_array)  # Output: array('i', [2, 3, 4, 5, 6])

Conclusion

Arrays in Python are a useful data structure for holding collections of items of the same data type. By understanding how to create and manipulate arrays, you can work more efficiently with homogeneous collections in your Python programs.