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Python Python Collections (2016, retired 2019) Slices Slice Functions

Josh White
Josh White
3,630 Points

Slicing in python

Im having trouble with this challenge. Maybe I am simply misunderstanding what it is asking me to do I am not sure. The problem is to return the first 4 to whatever is sent to it. I tried it by turning the item into a list and looping through it. I've tried using the the index for example print(item[:3]) but i just cant figure out what I am doing wrong.

slices.py
def first_4(items):
    listItem = list(items)
    i = 0
    while i < 4:
        print(listItem[i])
        i += 1

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,644 Points

The value of a slice is that you won't need a loop. You had the right idea with "item[:3]" but a few issues:

  • the parameter name is not "item" but "items" (plural)
  • you want the first four items instead of the first three (the 2nd number is a limit not an index)
  • you don't need to "print" anything, but you need to return the result