What are the differences between Python collections and iterators?

What are the differences between Python collections and iterators?

Python collections are data structures like lists, tuples, and dictionaries that store multiple items. Iterators, on the other hand, are objects that allow you to traverse through a collection without exposing its underlying structure.

Can you give examples of collections and iterators?

Sure! Examples of collections include lists ([1, 2, 3]), sets ({1, 2, 3}), and dictionaries ({'a': 1, 'b': 2}). An example of an iterator is a list iterator created by calling iter([1, 2, 3]).

How do I convert a collection to an iterator?

You can convert a collection to an iterator using the iter() function. For example, my_list = [1, 2, 3] can be converted to an iterator with my_iterator = iter(my_list).

What are the benefits of using iterators?

Iterators provide a way to access elements of a collection one at a time without needing to load the entire collection into memory, which is efficient for large datasets.