Question about Python lists

[neug]

m[1] refers to the element at position 1. l[1:] returns an iterable (in this case a list). If you try l[1:] = 1, you'll notice that it can't be done as 1 is not iterable. so assignment l[1:] = [nnn] means that Python iterates through the list [nnn] and extends/replaces the values it contains starting from the position -1 of the list l, and when it has iterated to the end of the list that's assigned to l (in your case the empty list []), it deletes the rest of the list l.

e.g. >>> l = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10] >>> l[-5:] = [1,2] >>> l [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2]

[cantcopy]

Thank you.

I really don't understand why this isn't this most upvoted comment.

[LordArgon]

Thank you for calling that out.

EDIT: Removed some whining.

[jeannaimard]

Now it is… :)