Introduction to nested lists
Iterating over nested lists
Modifying nested lists
Working with multiple lists
Instruction
Very well done! Now, let's tackle a classic programming problem. Suppose we need to transpose a rectangular nested list, i.e. change its rows into columns:
How can we do that in Python? Take a look:
numbers_list = [
[1, 4, 7, 10],
[2, 5, 8, 11],
[3, 6, 9, 12]
]
list_to_return = []
for i in range(len(numbers_list[0])):
new_row = []
for j in range(len(numbers_list)):
new_row.append(numbers_list[j][i])
list_to_return.append(new_row)
Note what happens:
- In the outer loop (
i), we iterate over the length of the first nested list, i.e. over the "columns". - Inside the loop, we create a variable for a new row (an empty list).
- In the inner loop (
j), we iterate over the outer list's length, i.e. over the "rows". - Inside the inner loop, we add the
i-th element from each nested list: - We add the new row to the new list.
Exercise
Write a function named vertical_flip(input_list) that accepts a 2D list and flips it vertically:
Do not return a copy of the list. Instead, modify the original one.
Stuck? Here's a hint!
Use the following nested for loops:
for i in range(len(input_list)): for j in range(len(input_list[i]) // 2):
Inside the nested loop, swap two elements:
input_list[i][j]and
input_list[i][len(input_list[i]) - j - 1]
