Chapter 9: Problem 10

What is the difference between the dictionary methods pop and popitem?

Short Answer

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In Python, explain the difference between the dictionary methods 'pop' and 'popitem'. The main differences between the 'pop' and 'popitem' methods are: 1. The 'pop' method requires a key to remove an item and returns the value of the removed item, while 'popitem' does not need any arguments and removes an arbitrary (last in Python 3.7+) item, returning a (key, value) tuple of the removed item. 2. If the specified key is not found, the 'pop' method raises a KeyError or returns a default value if provided, while the 'popitem' method raises a KeyError if the dictionary is empty.

Step by step solution

Understanding the pop method

The 'pop' method is used to remove an item from a dictionary by providing its key. This method takes the key of the item as an argument and returns the value of the removed item. If the specified key is not found, it raises a KeyError or returns a default value if provided. Example: ```python student = {'name': 'John', 'age': 16} name = student.pop('name') print(name) # Output: 'John' print(student) # Output: {'age': 16} ```

Understanding the popitem method

The 'popitem' method is used to remove and return an arbitrary (key, value) pair from the dictionary. In Python 3.7 and later, this method removes and returns the last item that has been inserted into the dictionary. If the dictionary is empty, it raises a KeyError. Example: ```python student = {'name': 'John', 'age': 16} item = student.popitem() print(item) # Output: ('age', 16) print(student) # Output: {'name': 'John'} ```

Comparing the pop and popitem methods

The main differences between the 'pop' and 'popitem' methods are: 1. The 'pop' method requires a key to remove an item, while 'popitem' does not need any arguments and removes an arbitrary (last in Python 3.7+) item. 2. The 'pop' method returns only the value of the removed item, while 'popitem' returns a (key, value) tuple of the removed item. 3. If the specified key is not found, the 'pop' method raises a KeyError or returns a default value if provided, while the 'popitem' method raises a KeyError if the dictionary is empty.

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What is the difference between the dictionary methods pop and popitem?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understanding the pop method

Understanding the popitem method

Comparing the pop and popitem methods

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