Code:
a = [1, 2, 3]
b = a[:]
a.append(4)
print(b)
Solution and Explanation:
Step 1: a = [1, 2, 3]
This creates a list a containing the elements [1, 2, 3].
Step 2: b = a[:]
The [:] syntax creates a shallow copy of the list a.
This means that b will be a new list with the same elements as a but stored in a different memory location.
After this line, b contains [1, 2, 3].
Step 3: a.append(4)
The append() method adds the element 4 to the end of the list a.
Now, a contains [1, 2, 3, 4].
However, since b is a separate list (created by the shallow copy), it remains unchanged.
Step 4: print(b)
When you print b, it outputs [1, 2, 3], because b was not modified when a was appended with 4.
Summary:
The key point is that b is a separate copy of the list a at the time of copying. Any subsequent modifications to a do not affect b.
The final output of the code is [1, 2, 3].