What is the difference between iterables and iterators in Python?

What is the difference between iterables and iterators in Python?

In Python, an iterable is an object that can return its elements one at a time, like lists or tuples. An iterator, on the other hand, is an object that implements the iterator protocol, which consists of the methods iter() and next().

Can you give me an example of an iterable and an iterator?

Sure! A list is an iterable. You can create an iterator from it using the iter() function. For example:

my_list = [1, 2, 3]
my_iterator = iter(my_list)
print(next(my_iterator))  # Outputs: 1

How do I convert an iterable to an iterator?

You can convert an iterable to an iterator using the iter() function. For example:

my_iterable = [1, 2, 3]
my_iterator = iter(my_iterable)

What happens if I try to use next() on an exhausted iterator?

If you call next() on an exhausted iterator, it raises a StopIteration exception, indicating that there are no more items to return.