Sorting dictionaries

Welcome to our course on sorting dictionaries in Python! In this course, we will explore how to effectively sort dictionaries using various methods available in Python. Don’t worry if you’re new to programming or dictionaries; we’ll explain everything in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, suitable for beginners.

1. Introduction to Dictionaries:

Imagine you have a magical book where you can store lots of information. Each piece of information has its own unique label. That’s what dictionaries are in Python! They are like a collection of labeled information, where each label is called a “key” and the associated information is called a “value”.

2. Understanding Sorting in Python:

Sorting in Python means arranging things in order. Just like arranging your toys from smallest to largest or sorting your favorite candies by color. In Python, we have different ways to sort things, and we’ll learn how to apply these techniques to dictionaries.

3. Sorting Dictionaries by Keys:

To sort a dictionary by its keys means arranging the dictionary based on the labels (keys) in alphabetical or numerical order. We’ll see how to do this using built-in Python functions.

# Example of sorting a dictionary by keys
my_dict = {'banana': 3, 'apple': 2, 'orange': 1}
sorted_dict = dict(sorted(my_dict.items()))
print(sorted_dict)

4. Sorting Dictionaries by Values:

Sometimes we want to sort dictionaries based on the information (values) they hold. For example, sorting a dictionary of students by their exam scores. We’ll explore how to achieve this using Python.

# Example of sorting a dictionary by values
my_dict = {'banana': 3, 'apple': 2, 'orange': 1}
sorted_dict = dict(sorted(my_dict.items(), key=lambda item: item[1]))
print(sorted_dict)

5. Practice Questions:

1. Given a dictionary of animals and their ages, sort the dictionary based on the animals’ ages in ascending order.
2. Sort the following dictionary by keys in reverse order: {'Zebra': 3, 'Lion': 6, 'Elephant': 2, 'Tiger': 5}.

6. Solutions to Practice Questions:

1. Practice Question 1 Solution:

animals = {'dog': 5, 'cat': 3, 'rabbit': 2, 'hamster': 4}
sorted_animals = dict(sorted(animals.items(), key=lambda item: item[1]))
print(sorted_animals)

2. Practice Question 2 Solution:

animals = {'Zebra': 3, 'Lion': 6, 'Elephant': 2, 'Tiger': 5}
sorted_animals = dict(sorted(animals.items(), reverse=True))
print(sorted_animals)

Congratulations! You’ve completed our course on sorting dictionaries in Python. Keep practicing and exploring more on your own to become a Python expert! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Happy coding!