On 2/14/14 1:08 PM, dave em wrote:
Hello,
Background: My twelve y/o son and I are still working our way through Invent
Your Own Computer Games with Python, 2nd Edition.
(We finished the Khan Academy Javascript Tutorials is the extent of our
experience)
He is asking a question I am having trouble answering which is how a variable
containing a value differs from a variable containing a list or more
specifically a list reference.
I tried the to explain as best I can remember is that a variable is assigned to
a specific memory location with a value inside of it. Therefore, the variable
is kind of self contained and if you change the variable, you change the value
in that specific memory location.
However, when a variable contains a list reference, the memory location of the
variable points to a separate memory location that stores the list. It is also
possible to have multiple variable that point to the memory location of the
list reference. And all of those variable can act upon the list reference.
Question: Is my explanation correct? If not please set me straight :)
And does anyone have an easier to digest explanation?
Thanks in advance,
Dave
Names in Python refer to values. Thinking in terms of memory locations
might just confuse things.
This is my best explanation of the details:
http://nedbatchelder.com/text/names.html
--
Ned Batchelder, http://nedbatchelder.com
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https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
