Python: Lists

CH03.01 - Defining and Accessing LISTS

What is a LIST

A list is a collection of items in a particular order.
You can make a list that includes the letters of the alphabet, the digits from 0 to 9, or the names of all the people in your family.
You can put anything you want into a list, and the items in your list don’t have to be related in any particular way.
Think of a list as a big filing cabinet with lots of folders inside it!

Naming a List

Because a list usually contains more than one element, it’s a good idea to make the name of your list plural, such as letters, digits, or names.

Defining a List in Python

In Python, square brackets [ ] indicate a list, and individual elements in the list are separated by commas.

List Syntax:

Let's Look at an Example of how we can define a list...

HARD-CODED LISTS:

For this type of list, we literally write what we want in the list:

#This defines The List:cars= ['tesla', 'subaru', 'honda', 'chevy']
#This Prints The Listprint(cars)

USER INPUT LISTS:

It would be a lot less fun if we could only hard code lists. What if we want the use to input items?
Is there a way we can get input from a user??
- - YES! The input() function!!

- - Step 1: Get the user to input the 4 items and save them to a variable
  - Step 2: Assign those VALUES into our list
  - How??:

# Assign the inputs to a listuser_list = [item1, item2, item3, item4]

Are There Other Ways?

- - Yes. But let's focus on these for now!!

🧽 “Grand Re-Opening at the Krusty Krab” — First Lists!

The big day is finally here! Mr. Krabs is hosting the Grand Re-Opening of the Krusty Krab, and the whole crew is scrambling to make the restaurant look perfect.

SpongeBob’s job: keep everything organized. He needs to write down three lists before the doors open — one for the kitchen setup, one for the VIP guest names, and one for today’s patty batch counts.

This will be your very first adventure with Python lists — collections of items stored inside square brackets.

You’ll create a few lists, fill them with data, and print them out proudly for Mr. Krabs to approve!

Activity 1a:The Kitchen Stations (Hard-Coded List)

SpongeBob has already set up the restaurant. These stations are permanent parts of the Krusty Krab kitchen.

Create a list named kitchen_stations with four items.
Print out the entire list.

🎟 Activity 1b: VIP Door List (User Input)

Patrick is guarding the door, but his handwriting looks like jellyfish trails. SpongeBob decides to take over and type each guest’s name neatly.

Ask the user for three VIP names (one at a time).
Store them in a list called vip_names.
Print the full list once.

🍔 Activity 1c — Patty Batch Counts

Before the ribbon-cutting, SpongeBob cooked a few practice batches of Krabby Patties. He needs to record how many patties came out perfectly golden in each run.

Ask the user for three integers (number of patties per batch).
Store them in a list called patty_batches.
Print the list.

Accessing Elements in a List

How Does List Access Work? Let's Count

We need to use the list's INDEX
- - The Index is just a position in the list.
    - - It refers to a specific item (folder in the cabinet)
  - LIST NUMBERING STARTS AT ZERO!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!

Here's The Syntax

To Access An Element in a list:
- - Write the name of the list followed by the index of the item enclosed in square brackets

#define the listmovies= ['star wars', 'mad max', 'star trek', 'divergent']print(movies[0])print(movies[1])print(movies[2])print(movies[3])

What if we use an index that doesn't exist?

Try printing out the 7th movie. See what error you get (if in fact you get one)

#Use our listmovies= ['star wars', 'mad max', 'star trek', 'divergent']

# Print one that shouldn't be there...print(movies[6])

But wait... There is a MAGIC NUMBER!!!

Remember how I said that you need to make sure the list element exists?
Try this for fun...

#Use our listturtles= ['donatello', 'raphael', 'leonardo', 'michelangelo']

# Print one that shouldn't be there...print(turtles[-1])

What Does This Do?? Can We Use Other Numbers?

Don't Forget what you've already learned...

We've gone over string functions (upper, lower, title, strip, lstrip, rstrip, center, etc..)
We've gone over colors and f-strings so you can display everything pretty...

USE THIS STUFF!!! DON'T LET YOUR BRAIN FORGET!!! MUSCLE MEMORY!!!

Put It All Together!

#Create The Listmovies = ['star trek', 'star wars', 'serenity', 'inception']

#We can use our cool string formatting to output it nicelyprint(f"{movies[0].title()}")print(f"{movies[0].upper()}")

The Movie Tavern - Accessing Lists

🎬 Activity 2a — “Concessions Curator: Premiere Night Snacks”

The Bikini Bottom Bijou is prepping for a massive movie premiere, and you’ve been promoted to Concessions Curator. Your job is to make sure the snack lineup looks as good as the trailer reel. Mr. Krabs wants to see the entire inventory list first, then the classics that always sell out halfway through the previews.

But before the doors open, SpongeBob grabs the mic and asks, “What’s your favorite snack, pal?” — so you’ll let the user choose an index number to spotlight their pick from the list.

1️⃣ Create a list named snacks with 7 items that a user inputs...

2️⃣ Print the entire list first.

3️⃣ Print the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th snacks using their indexes.

4️⃣ Ask the user which snack number they want (1–7) and display it in uppercase as their choice of the night.

🎟 Activity 2b — “Now Showing: Build the Marquee”

The projectors are rolling! You’re in charge of the glowing letter tiles for tonight’s “Now Showing” marquee. SpongeBob’s chosen five titles, but the Bijou has two screens — left (even) and right (odd). You’ll display both line-ups, then give visitors a chance to type a movie number to see what’s playing at their favorite screen.

1️⃣ Ask for five movie titles (user input).

2️⃣ Store them in movies.

3️⃣ Print the entire list.

4️⃣ Print even-screen titles (indexes 0, 2, 4).

5️⃣ Print odd-screen titles (indexes 1, 3).

6️⃣ Ask the user which movie number (1–5) they want to preview and print that title in uppercase.

🎥 Activity 3 — “Premiere Night VIP & Critic Scores”

Flashbulbs popping! You’re manning the velvet rope at the Sea-Cinema Premiere. Five VIPs are arriving, and each gets a personalized shout-out. Afterwards, the critic board releases three numeric ratings, and you’ll let the user peek at whichever one they want — no scrolling, just direct index access.

1️⃣ Define a list guests with five names (hard-coded or input).

2️⃣ Print the full list.

3️⃣ Print three personalized lines using individual indices.

4️⃣ Ask the user to pick a guest number and greet that person by name.

5️⃣ Then gather three ratings into ratings, print the full list, and let the user choose which rating to display.

The Bikini Bottom Party at the Krab

The Goal:

It’s Friday night under the sea, and SpongeBob is hosting the first-ever Gala at the Krusty Krab! The bubble lights are glowing, the fryers are sizzling, and the guest list is… chaos. Mr. Krabs wants a perfect seating chart before the VIPs arrive — but everyone keeps yelling their favorite foods over the loudspeakers. SpongeBob needs a programmer’s touch to save the evening. That’s you!

Your mission: build the official Guest & Food Pairing System for the gala.

🧾 Part A: Assemble the Guest Registry

Prompt SpongeBob (the user) to enter 4 guest names for the party, one at a time.
Make sure to strip any leading or trailing whitespace from the inputs.
Store the guest names in a list called guest_list.
Print a message that lists all the guests using print().

🍽️ Part B: Collect Culinary Requests

Now, for each guest, SpongeBob records their favorite food.
Store all four food items in a list called favorite_foods.
Print the entire list of foods once.

🎭 Part C: The Great Pairing Display

Print each guest next to their favorite food using string formatting and .center() for perfect alignment.
Make each guest’s name Title Case and each food UPPERCASE.
Format it to look like a digital event screen.

🎤 Part D: Spotlights on the Star Guests

Access the first and last guests using their indices (0 and -1).
Print a special message for each using f-strings.
Make the message sound like SpongeBob announcing it at the microphone.
Example Included Below:

🎤 Part E: Total Bonus of Awesomeness

Allow the user to pick the guest that is the star. Once they enter which guest, display their name and the food they love!

You Did It!!! You Completed CH03.01

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Python: Lists

CH03.01 - Defining and Accessing LISTS

What is a LIST

What is a LIST

Naming a List

Defining a List in Python

List Syntax:

🧽 “Grand Re-Opening at the Krusty Krab” — First Lists!

Activity 1a:The Kitchen Stations (Hard-Coded List)

🎟 Activity 1b: VIP Door List (User Input)

🍔 Activity 1c — Patty Batch Counts

Accessing Elements in a List

How Does List Access Work? Let's Count

Here's The Syntax

What if we use an index that doesn't exist?

But wait... There is a MAGIC NUMBER!!!

Don't Forget what you've already learned...

Put It All Together!

The Movie Tavern - Accessing Lists

🎬 Activity 2a — “Concessions Curator: Premiere Night Snacks”

🎟 Activity 2b — “Now Showing: Build the Marquee”

🎥 Activity 3 — “Premiere Night VIP & Critic Scores”

The Bikini Bottom Party at the Krab

The Goal:

🧾 Part A: Assemble the Guest Registry

🍽️ Part B: Collect Culinary Requests

🎭 Part C: The Great Pairing Display

🎤 Part D: Spotlights on the Star Guests

🎤 Part E: Total Bonus of Awesomeness

You Did It!!! You Completed CH03.01