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.

Creating a Tuple

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'>

Using a Tuple

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().