Loops in Python are fundamental programming constructs that allow us to execute a block of code repeatedly. Instead of writing the same code multiple times, loops help us automate repetitive tasks and efficiently process collections of data. This flowchart shows the basic structure of how loops work - they check a condition and execute code repeatedly until that condition is no longer met.
For loops are one of the most common types of loops in Python. They iterate over sequences like lists, strings, tuples, or ranges. The for loop automatically handles the iteration process, providing each element one by one. You can iterate over fruits in a list, numbers in a range, or even get both the index and value using enumerate.
While loops continue executing as long as a specified condition remains true. Unlike for loops, while loops are useful when you don't know in advance how many iterations you need. For example, you might keep asking for user input until they provide the correct password, or count up until reaching a certain value.
Python provides break and continue statements for more precise loop control. The break statement immediately exits the current loop, while continue skips the rest of the current iteration and moves to the next one. Break is useful when you find what you're looking for and want to stop searching, while continue helps you skip unwanted items without stopping the entire loop.
Loops have countless practical applications in Python programming. You can use them to process data collections like calculating averages from a list of scores, find patterns in text like counting vowels, or create new data structures like generating a list of squared numbers. Loops make it easy to automate repetitive tasks that would be tedious to write manually.
For loops are one of the most common types of loops in Python. They iterate over sequences like lists, strings, tuples, or ranges. The for loop automatically handles the iteration process, providing each element one by one. You can iterate over fruits in a list, numbers in a range, or even get both the index and value using enumerate.
While loops continue executing as long as a specified condition remains true. Unlike for loops, while loops are useful when you don't know in advance how many iterations you need. For example, you might keep asking for user input until they provide the correct password, or count up until reaching a certain value.
Python provides break and continue statements for more precise loop control. The break statement immediately exits the current loop, while continue skips the rest of the current iteration and moves to the next one. Break is useful when you find what you're looking for and want to stop searching, while continue helps you skip unwanted items without stopping the entire loop.
Loops have countless practical applications in Python programming. You can use them to process data collections like calculating averages from a list of scores, find patterns in text like counting vowels, or create new data structures like generating a list of squared numbers. Loops make it easy to automate repetitive tasks that would be tedious to write manually.