Chapter 8: Problem 15

What is the difference between calling a list's remove method and using the del statement to remove an element?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The remove() method is used when you want to remove a specific value from your list. It takes a value as its argument, searches for the first occurrence of that value in the list, and removes it if found. If the value is not found, it raises a ValueError. On the other hand, the del statement is used when you want to remove an element or slice at specified indices. It does not take a value as its argument but uses the indices of the elements to remove them from the list. The remove() method removes an element based on its value, while the del statement removes an element based on its index.

Step by step solution

Understanding the remove() method

The remove() method takes a value as its argument and searches for the first occurrence of that value in the list. If the value is found, it will remove that element from the list. If the value is not found, it will raise a ValueError. Example: ```python numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 6] numbers.remove(2) print(numbers) # Output: [1, 3, 4, 2, 6] ```

Understanding the del statement

The del statement is used to delete elements or slices from a list by specifying the index or index range. It does not take a value as its argument; instead, it uses the indices of the elements to remove them from the list. Example: ```python numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 6] del numbers[1] print(numbers) # Output: [1, 3, 4, 2, 6] ```

Comparing the remove() method and the del statement

1. The remove() method searches for a specific value and removes the first instance of that value, while the del statement removes an element or slice at specified indices. 2. The remove() method raises a ValueError if the given value is not found in the list. The del statement does not raise an error if the specified index or index range is valid. 3. The remove() method takes a value as an argument for removal, while the del statement does not have any arguments but uses an index or index range. In summary, the remove() method is used when you want to remove a specific value from your list, while the del statement is used when you want to remove an element or slice at specified indices.

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What is the difference between calling a list's remove method and using the del statement to remove an element?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understanding the remove() method

Understanding the del statement

Comparing the remove() method and the del statement

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