Comparison Table: List vs Tuple vs Set

Feature	List	Tuple	Set
Definition	Ordered, mutable collection	Ordered, immutable collection	Unordered, mutable collection
Syntax	[1, 2, 3]	(1, 2, 3)	{1, 2, 3} or set()
Order maintained?	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No
Indexing supported?	✅ Yes (e.g., list[0])	✅ Yes (e.g., tuple[0])	❌ No
Mutable (changeable)?	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Yes (but only items, not by index)
Allow duplicate values?	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No
Allow different data types?	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Used for	General-purpose collection	Fixed data that shouldn't change	Mathematical operations, unique items
Methods available	Many (append, pop, sort, etc.)	Few (count, index)	Set operations (union, intersection)
Performance	Slower for membership tests	Fast for fixed-size data	Fastest for membership testing
Hashable?	❌ No	✅ Yes (if all items are hashable)	❌ No
Common use case	Storing items in order	Storing constant data	Removing duplicates, fast lookup

🔸 Example

# List
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 4]

# Tuple
my_tuple = (1, 2, 3, 4)

# Set
my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4, 4}  # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4}

Key Takeaways

• Lists are your go-to for ordered, mutable collections that need frequent modifications
• Tuples are perfect for fixed data that shouldn't change (like coordinates or database records)
• Sets excel at membership testing, removing duplicates, and mathematical operations
• Choose the right data structure based on your needs for mutability, ordering, and uniqueness