Python Program to Swap Two Variables

1. Introduction

Swapping two variables involves exchanging their values, a fundamental operation in many programming algorithms, such as sorting and shuffling data. It's a basic yet important concept that helps beginners understand variable manipulation and the concept of temporary storage in programming. Python simplifies this process with tuple unpacking, making it more intuitive and less error-prone compared to traditional methods found in other languages. This blog post will demonstrate how to swap two variables in Python, emphasizing readability and Pythonic practices.

2. Program Steps

1. Initialize two variables with distinct values.

2. Swap the values of these variables.

3. Display the values of the variables before and after swapping.

3. Code Program

# Step 1: Initialize two variables
a = 5
b = 10
print(f"Before swapping: a = {a}, b = {b}")

# Step 2: Swap the values using tuple unpacking
a, b = b, a

# Step 3: Display the values after swapping
print(f"After swapping: a = {a}, b = {b}")

Output:

Before swapping: a = 5, b = 10
After swapping: a = 10, b = 5

Explanation:

1. The program starts by defining two variables, a and b, with initial values of 5 and 10, respectively. These variables represent the data that will be swapped.

2. Python allows for a straightforward swapping mechanism using tuple unpacking. By assigning a, b = b, a, Python effectively creates a tuple of the right-hand side expressions (b, a) and unpacks it into the left-hand side variables. This operation swaps their values without needing a temporary variable.

3. Finally, the program prints the values of a and b both before and after the swap. This demonstrates the simplicity and elegance of swapping variables in Python, showcasing an operation that is more verbose and error-prone in many other programming languages.