Pandas DataFrame.head

Pandas DataFrame.head

The DataFrame.head method in pandas is used to return the first n rows of a DataFrame. This method is particularly useful for quickly inspecting the top rows of a DataFrame and understanding its structure.

Syntax

The syntax for DataFrame.head is:

DataFrame.head(n=5)

Here, DataFrame refers to the pandas DataFrame you want to inspect.

Parameters

Returns

A DataFrame containing the first n rows.

Examples

Viewing the First Five Rows

By default, head returns the first 5 rows of a DataFrame.

Python Program

import pandas as pd

# Create a DataFrame
data = {
    'Name': ['Arjun', 'Ram', 'Priya', 'Sita', 'Krishna'],
    'Age': [25, 30, 35, 28, 40],
    'Salary': [70000, 80000, 90000, 75000, 95000]
}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

# View the first 5 rows
print("First 5 Rows:")
print(df.head())

Output

First 5 Rows:
      Name  Age  Salary
0    Arjun   25   70000
1      Ram   30   80000
2    Priya   35   90000
3     Sita   28   75000
4  Krishna   40   95000

Viewing a Specific Number of Rows

Pass an integer to the n parameter to specify the number of rows to display.

Python Program

import pandas as pd

# Create a DataFrame
data = {
    'Name': ['Arjun', 'Ram', 'Priya', 'Sita', 'Krishna', 'Laxman', 'Radha'],
    'Age': [25, 30, 35, 28, 40, 27, 22],
    'Salary': [70000, 80000, 90000, 75000, 95000, 72000, 68000]
}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

# View the first 3 rows
print("First 3 Rows:")
print(df.head(3))

Output

First 3 Rows:
    Name  Age  Salary
0  Arjun   25   70000
1    Ram   30   80000
2  Priya   35   90000

Viewing All Rows When n is Larger Than the DataFrame

If n is larger than the number of rows in the DataFrame, all rows are returned.

Python Program

import pandas as pd

# Create a small DataFrame
data = {
    'Name': ['Arjun', 'Ram', 'Priya'],
    'Age': [25, 30, 35],
    'Salary': [70000, 80000, 90000]
}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

# View more rows than available
print("All Rows (n=10):")
print(df.head(10))

Output

All Rows (n=10):
    Name  Age  Salary
0  Arjun   25   70000
1    Ram   30   80000
2  Priya   35   90000

Using head with an Empty DataFrame

If the DataFrame is empty, head returns an empty DataFrame.

Python Program

import pandas as pd

# Create an empty DataFrame
df_empty = pd.DataFrame()

# View the first 5 rows of an empty DataFrame
print("First 5 Rows of an Empty DataFrame:")
print(df_empty.head())

Output

First 5 Rows of an Empty DataFrame:
Empty DataFrame
Columns: []
Index: []

Summary

In this tutorial, we explored the DataFrame.head method in pandas. Key takeaways include:

• Using head to quickly inspect the first few rows of a DataFrame.
• Customizing the number of rows returned using the n parameter.
• Handling cases where n exceeds the number of rows or when the DataFrame is empty.

The DataFrame.head method is a convenient tool for gaining insights into the structure and contents of a DataFrame.