Python is a versatile and powerful coding language that is often used for a range of purposes, from simple scripting to the construction of complex machine-learning algorithms.
One common task that might be needed when working with Python is squaring a list of numbers. This tutorial will guide you through the process of accomplishing this in Python.
Step 1: Define the List
The first thing you’ll need to do is define a list of numbers. For this purpose, you can use the list data structure in Python:
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numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] |
This code creates a list of integers from 1 through 5 named “numbers”.
Step 2: Use List Comprehension
Next, you’ll use Python’s list comprehension feature to square each element in the list. This is a convenient one-liner that allows you to create a new list by applying an expression to each element in an existing list:
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squares = [n**2 for n in numbers] |
This code takes each number ‘n’ in your ‘numbers’ list, squares it (using the ‘**’ operator), and adds the result to a new list called ‘squares’.
Step 3: Print the Result
Finally, print the ‘squares’ list to check that each element of ‘numbers’ was successfully squared:
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print(squares) |
Your output should look like this:
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[1, 4, 9, 16, 25] |
All these steps combined should give us the following code:
The Full Code
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numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] squares = [n**2 for n in numbers] print(squares) |
Conclusion
Squaring each element in a list is a simple task in Python thanks to the list comprehension feature. It provides a concise way to perform operations on a list and create a new list with the results. With the knowledge of how this powerful feature works, you can streamline your Python programming and perform more complex operations in the future.