Python is a powerful programming language that comes with a wide range of built-in functions. One of these functions is map(), which is used to apply a given function to each element of an iterable object, such as a list or a tuple. In this article, we'll explore the map() function and see how it can be used in Python.
The map() function takes two arguments: a function and an iterable object. The function is applied to each element of the iterable object, and the resulting values are returned as a new iterable object. Here's an example:
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def square(x):
return x ** 2
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = map(square, my_list)
print(list(result))
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In this example, we define a function called square() that takes a single argument x and returns its square. We also define a list called my_list that contains the numbers 1 through 5. We then call the map() function with square and my_list as arguments, which applies the square function to each element of my_list. Finally, we convert the resulting map object into a list and print it.
When we run this code, we'll see the following output:
[1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
As we can see, the map() function applies the square() function to each element of my_list, resulting in a new list that contains the squared values.
One of the benefits of the map() function is that it allows us to apply a given function to multiple iterable objects simultaneously. For example:
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def add(x, y):
return x + y
my_list_1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
my_list_2 = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
result = map(add, my_list_1, my_list_2)
print(list(result))
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In this example, we define a function called add() that takes two arguments x and y and returns their sum. We also define two lists my_list_1 and my_list_2 that contain the numbers 1 through 5 and their multiples of 10, respectively. We then call the map() function with add, my_list_1, and my_list_2 as arguments, which applies the add function to each corresponding pair of elements from my_list_1 and my_list_2. Finally, we convert the resulting map object into a list and print it.
When we run this code, we'll see the following output:
[11, 22, 33, 44, 55]
As we can see, the map() function applies the add() function to each corresponding pair of elements from my_list_1 and my_list_2, resulting in a new list that contains the sum of the corresponding elements.
In conclusion, the map() function is a powerful built-in function in Python that allows us to apply a given function to each element of an iterable object. It can be incredibly useful for performing operations on lists, tuples, and other iterable objects in a concise and efficient way.