The Big 4 Python Data Structures
List `[...]`
Ordered · Mutable
Dynamic array allowing indexed access and append operations.
users = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
Dict `{key: val}`
Hash Map · O(1) Lookup
Key-value pairs with instant $O(1)$ search time regardless of size.
user = {"id": 101, "name": "Alice"}
Set `{...}`
Unique · Unordered
Eliminates duplicates automatically with lightning-fast membership testing (x in set).
tags = {"python", "web", "ai"}
Tuple `(...)`
Immutable · Fixed
Protected against modification, lightweight memory overhead.
point = (1920, 1080)
Quick Summary
- Use Lists for sequential items, Dicts for key-value lookups, and Sets for deduplication.
- Next, we explore Files & Persistence to save application data to disk permanently.