Tuples

A tuple is a Python data structure used to store an ordered and immutable collection of objects. Tuples are similar to lists, except that tuples cannot be changed after creation.

There are multiple ways to create a tuple in Python.

Tuples can be created with the built-in tuple() constructor:

streaming_platforms = tuple(["Netflix", "Hulu", "Amazon", "Apple TV"])

We can also create tuples with parentheses:

mountains = ("Everest", "Kilimanjaro", "Fuji")

One-element tuples are a special case. We can create a one-element tuple with a trailing comma:

controller = ("joystick", )

Without the trailing comma, Python will interpet the surrounding parentheses as an expression instead of a tuple:

streaming_days = (3)

print(type(streaming_days))
# Output: <class 'int'>

Much like lists, since tuples are ordered, we can access tuple elements by index:

streaming_platforms = tuple(["Netflix", "Hulu", "Amazon", "Apple TV"])

print(streaming_platforms[1])
# Output: Hulu

However, since tuples are immutable, we cannot modify, delete, or add new elements. For example, attempting to re-assign an element will throw an error:

streaming_platforms = tuple(["Netflix", "Hulu", "Amazon", "Apple TV"])

streaming_platforms[2] = "YouTube"

This will result in:

TypeError: 'tuple' object does not support item assignment

Tuples also support sequence operations such as len(), min(), max().