What is the difference between while loops and for loops?

What is the difference between while loops and for loops?

While loops and for loops are both used for iteration, but they have different use cases. A while loop continues until a specified condition is false, while a for loop is typically used when the number of iterations is known beforehand.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! A while loop example:

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

A for loop example:

for i in range(5):
    print(i)

When should I use a while loop instead of a for loop?

Use a while loop when the number of iterations is not known in advance and depends on a condition. For loops are better when you know how many times you want to iterate.

Are there any performance differences between them?

In general, the performance difference is negligible for most applications. However, for loops can be slightly more efficient in cases where the number of iterations is fixed, as they avoid the overhead of checking a condition repeatedly.