Copying dictionaries

Are you ready to dive into the magical world of Python dictionaries? If you’ve been exploring Python for a while, you must have encountered these powerful data structures. Today, we’re going to uncover the secrets of copying dictionaries, a fundamental skill every Python wizard should possess.

Introduction to Dictionaries:

Imagine you have a magic book where you can store tons of information. Each piece of information has a special keyword associated with it. In Python, we call this book a “dictionary.” Just like a real-world dictionary, Python dictionaries help us look up information quickly using specific keywords.

# Creating a dictionary
my_dict = {'apple': 5, 'banana': 10, 'orange': 7}

Here, 'apple', 'banana', and 'orange' are keywords, and 5, 10, and 7 are their associated values.

Copying Dictionaries:

Copying dictionaries is like making a duplicate of our magic book. Sometimes, we need to make changes to a copy without altering the original. Python offers a few techniques for copying dictionaries:

1. Using copy() method: We can use the copy() method to create a new dictionary that contains the same key-value pairs as the original.

# Using copy() method
my_dict_copy = my_dict.copy()

2. Using dict() constructor: Another way is to use the dict() constructor. We pass our original dictionary as an argument to create a copy.

# Using dict() constructor
my_dict_copy = dict(my_dict)

Practice Time!

Now, let’s put our knowledge into action with some practice questions:

Question 1: Create a dictionary named original_dict with the following key-value pairs:

• 'dog': 4
• 'cat': 2
• 'rabbit': 3

Question 2: Using the copy() method, make a duplicate of original_dict named copied_dict.

Question 3: Using the dict() constructor, make another copy of original_dict named another_copy.

Solutions:

Question 1 Solution:

original_dict = {'dog': 4, 'cat': 2, 'rabbit': 3}

Question 2 Solution:

copied_dict = original_dict.copy()

Question 3 Solution:

another_copy = dict(original_dict)

Congratulations! You’ve now mastered the art of copying dictionaries in Python. Keep practicing and exploring, and soon you’ll become a Python pro!

Happy Coding! 🐍✨