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Understanding Operators, Strings & Mutable vs Immutable in Python — With Diagrams!

Python is famous for being “simple,” but under the hood? There’s a lot happening with how it handles data, especially when it comes to operators, strings, and object mutability.

Today, let’s decode these topics together — with practical examples and easy-to-visualize diagrams.

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🔢 Operators in Python — The Building Blocks

Operators are the core tools for manipulating data. Here’s a quick snapshot:

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Other Useful Operators in Python

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Mutable vs Immutable Objects in Python

What Does Mutable Mean?

• Mutable objects can be changed after creation.

• Immutable objects cannot be changed after creation; any "modification" creates a new object.

Common Examples

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Immutable Example: Strings

When you modify a string, Python creates a new object in memory.

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🧵 Deep Dive: The Difference Between is and ==

One of the most common beginner traps is mixing up is and ==.
They sound similar, but behave very differently!

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💡 Why is Can Be Tricky

a = "hello"
b = "hello"
print(a is b)  # True (due to string interning)

x = 256
y = 256
print(x is y)  # True (small integers are cached)

p = 257
q = 257
print(p is q)  # False (new object for larger ints)

Memory Tip: Visualizing id()

id() gives you the actual memory address (unique identifier) for an object.

pythonCopyEdita = [1, 2, 3]
b = a

print(id(a))  # 139986175432800
print(id(b))  # 139986175432800

✅ Both a and b point to the same list in memory.

But if you reassign a:

pythonCopyEdita = [4, 5, 6]
print(id(a))  # New address

🔥 Pro Tip: Why Immutability is Powerful

Immutable objects:

• Are hashable (can be used as dictionary keys).

• Are thread-safe.

• Help Python optimize memory (e.g., via interning).

For example:

pythonCopyEditmy_dict = {
    ("John", "Doe"): 123,
    ("Jane", "Smith"): 456
}

Tuples are immutable, so Python can safely use them as keys.

If you tried the same with a list, you'd hit an error:

pythonCopyEditmy_bad_dict = {
    ["John", "Doe"]: 123   # ❌ TypeError: unhashable type: 'list'
}

💡 Analogy: Mutable vs Immutable as People

Imagine two friends, Alice and Bob.

In Python terms:

• Alice = mutable (list, dict)

• Bob = immutable (str, tuple)

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💡 Strings & Operator Magic

Strings are immutable text sequences in Python. Once created, their content can’t be changed.

a = "Hello"
b = "Hello"
print(a == b)   # True - Same values
print(a is b)   # True or False - Same memory? Depends!