Looping and Iteration in Python

A quick guide to looping and iterating thru data with Python

Updated March 6, 2023

Hey future Python wizard, welcome to Python Help!

Today, we’re going to talk about looping and iteration with for and while loops in Python. Loops are essential to any programming language, and Python is no exception. You can execute code multiple times with loops, making your programs more efficient and dynamic.

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of for and while loops in Python, with detailed examples to help you understand how they work.

For Loops in Python

For loops are used to iterate over a sequence of values, such as a list or a string. You can use a for loop to execute code for each value in the sequence. For example:

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for fruit in fruits:
    print(fruit)

In this example, we’ve defined a list of fruits and used a for loop to iterate over each fruit and print it to the console.

While Loops in Python

While loops are used to execute a piece of code repeatedly while a certain condition is true. You can use a while loop to create a loop that runs indefinitely or until a certain condition is met. For example:

count = 0
while count < 5:
    print(count)
    count += 1

In this example, we’ve defined a variable “count” and used a while loop to print the value of “count” to the console while it’s less than 5.

Nested Loops in Python

You can use nested loops in Python to create more complex loops. Nested loops are loops within loops, where the inner loop is executed for each outer loop iteration. For example:

for i in range(1, 4):
    for j in range(1, 4):
        print(i, j)

In this example, we’ve used a nested for loop to iterate over two ranges of values and print them to the console.

Conclusion

Loops are an essential part of programming in Python. In this article, we covered the basics of for and while loops in Python, with detailed examples to help you understand how they work. By mastering loops, you can write more efficient and dynamic Python programs.

I hope you found this article helpful in your journey to mastering looping and iteration in Python. Stay tuned for more programming tips and tricks in the future!

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