What is the difference between map and reduce in Python?

Can you explain the difference between map and reduce in Python?

Sure! The map function applies a given function to all items in an iterable, while reduce applies a function cumulatively to the items of an iterable, reducing it to a single value.

Can you give me an example of how to use both functions?

Of course! For map, you might use it to square numbers in a list: list(map(lambda x: x**2, [1, 2, 3])) gives [1, 4, 9]. For reduce, you could sum numbers: from functools import reduce; reduce(lambda x, y: x + y, [1, 2, 3]) results in 6.

Are there any performance differences between them?

Yes, map is generally faster for applying a function to each item, while reduce can be slower due to its cumulative nature, especially with large datasets.

When should I use one over the other?

Use map when you want to transform data and reduce when you need to aggregate data into a single result.