Python Data Structures: Dictionaries

58mBeginner2020-07-08

Authors

Deepa Muralidhar

Computer Science Educator with 20+ years of experience

Course details

Dictionaries are a common data structure in Python programming, designed to hold a sequence of key-value pairs. Dictionaries are dynamic, can be nested, and are preferable to lists in situations where you would want to search for and retrieve data with the same key. Being able to use dictionaries effectively is critical to mastering Python and create more efficient code. In this course, Deepa Muralidhar reviews the syntax and real-world use cases for dictionaries. Discover how to create a simple dictionary, iterate through the data, incorporate operations and comparators, and compare dictionaries to other common data structures such as lists, sets, and tuples. Plus, find out how to use dictionary comprehension to automate dictionary generation by merging lists or arrays.

Topics include:
Creating a dictionary
Iterating through a dictionary
Using operations and comparators
Working with lists
Comparing dictionaries to other data structures
Using dictionary comprehension

Skills covered

Data EngineeringPythonProgramming LanguagesData ScienceOpen SourceSoftware DevelopmentOne-Off

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Python dictionaries and why you should use them
02 - What you should know

1. Basic Concept and Syntax of Python Dictionary

03 - What is a dictionary in Python
04 - Creating a dictionary
05 - Iterating through a dictionary
06 - Challenge
07 - Solution

2. Operators and Methods

08 - Basic Python dictionary operations and comparators
09 - Python dictionary methods
10 - Using Python lists within a dictionary
11 - Challenge
12 - Solution

3. Compare Dictionaries with Other Data Structures

13 - Dictionary vs. lists
14 - Dictionary vs. sets and tuples
15 - Implementation of dictionaries as hash tables in Python
16 - Quiz introduction

4. Dictionary Comprehension

17 - Understanding comprehension
18 - Understanding dictionary comprehension with an example
19 - Challenge
20 - Solution

Conclusion

21 - Next steps for Python dictionaries