Python – When to use Ranges

When to use Ranges in Python

You can use Ranges in Python where you need to iterate over a sequence of numbers, or perform a repetitive task a specific number of times.

In the following, we have covered some most used scenarios where Ranges are used.

1. Iterate over a sequence of numbers

In the following example, we use range() function with For loop to iterate over a sequence of numbers.

Python Program

my_range = range(9)
for i in my_range:
    print(i)
Run Code Copy

Output

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

2. Access elements in a list within a specific range of indices

In the following example, we use range() function to access elements in the list my_list in the index range of [4,9).

Python Program

my_list = [2 , 5 , 2 , 0, 8, 7, 3, 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8]

for i in range(4, 9):
    print(my_list[i])
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Output

8
7
3
0
2

3. Generate Sequences using range()

You can use Ranges to generate a sequence of numbers that can be stored in a list or used for other purposes.

In the following example, we use range() function to generate a sequence of numbers from 10 until 100 with a step value of 50 and store this sequence in a list my_list.

Python Program

my_range = range(10, 1000, 50)
my_list = list(my_range)
print(my_list)
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Output

[10, 60, 110, 160, 210, 260, 310, 360, 410, 460, 510, 560, 610, 660, 710, 760, 810, 860, 910, 960]

4. Control For loop iterations

Generally For loop is used to iterate over a collection of items. But, with range(), we can execute For loop for desired number of iterations.

In the following example, we use range() function to iterate the For loop for 5 times.

Python Program

for i in range(5):
    print('Hello World')
Run Code Copy

Output

Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World

Summary

In this tutorial of Python Ranges, we learned when to use Python Ranges in a program.

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