What are some common use cases for data structures in Python?

What are some common use cases for data structures in Python?

Python offers various data structures like lists, dictionaries, sets, and tuples, each suited for specific tasks. For example, lists are great for ordered collections, while dictionaries are ideal for key-value pairs.

Can you give me an example of when to use a dictionary over a list?

Sure! Use a dictionary when you need to associate unique keys with values, like storing user profiles where each username is a key and the profile details are the values.

What about sets? When should I use them?

Sets are useful when you need to store unique items and perform operations like unions and intersections. For instance, if you want to track unique visitors to a website, a set would be perfect.

Are there any performance considerations I should be aware of?

Yes, different data structures have varying performance characteristics. For example, accessing elements in a list is O(1), while searching in a list is O(n). In contrast, dictionaries offer average O(1) time complexity for lookups.