Python Range

Python Range Function: A Beginner's Guide

The range() function returns a sequence of numbers, starting from 0 by default, increments by 1 (by default), and stops before a specified number.

It is commonly used with for loops to iterate a specific number of times.

1. Syntax of range()

The range() function can take up to three arguments:

range(start, stop, step)

• start (Optional): An integer specifying at which position to start. Default is 0.
• stop (Required): An integer specifying at which position to stop (not included).
• step (Optional): An integer specifying the incrementation. Default is 1.

2. Using Only the stop Parameter

If you only pass one argument to range(), it will treat it as the stop value. The sequence will start at 0.

# Generates numbers from 0 to 4 (5 is not included)
for x in range(5):
  print(x)

3. Using start and stop Parameters

If you pass two arguments, the first is the start value and the second is the stop value.

# Starts at 2, stops at 5 (6 is not included)
for x in range(2, 6):
  print(x)

4. Using the step Parameter

If you want the sequence to increment by a different number (like 2, 5, or even negative numbers), you can provide a third argument.

# Starts at 2, stops before 20, increments by 3
for x in range(2, 20, 3):
  print(x)