Tuple

Updated: 10/07/2019 by Computer Hope
tuple in red lettering.

A tuple (pronounced tuh-pul) is a data structure in some programming languages that is an ordered list of elements.

A tuple may include zero or more elements. To indicate how many elements it contains, it may be called an n-tuple, where "n" is the number of elements.

Often, a tuple is represented as a comma-delimited list of the elements, enclosed in parentheses. For example, "(5, 9, 11, 3, 22, 14)" is a "6-tuple."

Benefits and limitations of a tuple

Tuples are usually immutable, that is, their elements cannot be modified or deleted after they are set. Tuples are usually more performant (their data may be accessed faster) than a standard array. Tuples are ideal for storing a list of heterogenous items (that differ in type or length) whose value does not change.

Ordered list, Parentheses, Programming terms