The very first programming language I interacted with was C++, and that became the language through which I thought about loops. Seeing my first Python for loop was a scary experience, which was surprising as I had always heard Python described as friendly!
Let's take a look at the same loops in C++ and Python 3. The following C++ and Python code will both loop through an array of three fruits.
C++
Python
Both of these will output the following:
Apple
Banana
Cherry
Some key differences here are that we have to explain what we want to do a little bit more with C++. Statement 1 is used to set a variable before the loop starts (int i=0), statement 2 will gives the condition for the loop to run, and statement 3 increments or decrements the variable. Python is much less wordy.
To print the numbers 0 through 5, all we would have to do in Python is the following:
And this will output
0
1
2
3
4
5
Whereas in C++, we would do something like this:
int main() {
for (int i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
cout << i << "\n";
}
return 0;
}
Though switching to Python felt like a big change at first, I soon realized how intuitive it is. Python is flexible, powerful, and easy to learn, making it a great choice for first-timers or experienced programmers looking for a change of pace.
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