Slicing in Python allows extracting a portion of elements from a tuple while keeping the original tuple unchanged. Since tuples are immutable, slicing is the only way to create a modified version of a tuple without altering its original structure.

Tuple slicing is done using the syntax:

tuple[start:stop:step]

• start – The index where slicing begins (inclusive).
• stop – The index where slicing ends (exclusive).
• step – Defines how many elements to skip (default is 1).

Slicing supports both positive and negative indexing, making it flexible for working with tuples.

1. Slicing a Tuple Using Positive Indexing

Positive indexing starts from 0 for the first element and increases sequentially.

Example 1: Extracting Elements Using Positive Indexing

Explanation

• full_tuple[2:7] extracts elements from index 2 to 6 (7 is excluded).
• The result is a new tuple containing (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
• The original tuple remains unchanged since tuples are immutable.

2. Slicing a Tuple Using Negative Indexing

Negative indexing starts from -1 for the last element, -2 for the second last, and so on.

Example 2: Extracting Elements Using Negative Indexing

Explanation

• full_tuple[-8:-3] extracts elements starting from the eighth element from the end (-8) to the third element from the end (-3).
• This produces the same result as the positive index slicing example: (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Negative indexing is particularly useful when working with tuples of unknown length, allowing access to elements from the end without counting from the start.

3. Slicing a Tuple with Step Values

By default, slicing extracts elements in sequential order. However, the step value allows skipping elements, making slicing more flexible.

Example 3: Extracting Every Second Element

Explanation

• numbers[1:7:2] starts at index 1, stops at index 6, and selects every second element.
• The result is a tuple with elements (20, 40, 60).
• The step value of 2 skips every alternate element.

4. Omitting Start or Stop in Slicing

Python allows leaving out the start or stop values, making slicing more convenient.

Example 4: Slicing Without Specifying Start or Stop

Explanation

• numbers[:5] extracts elements from the start up to index 5.
• numbers[3:] extracts elements from index 3 to the end.
• numbers[:] creates a full copy of the tuple.

These shortcuts make it easy to work with large or dynamically sized tuples.

5. Reversing a Tuple Using Slicing

A step value of -1 allows reversing a tuple without modifying the original.

Example 5: Reversing a Tuple

Explanation

• numbers[::-1] starts from the end and moves backward.
• The result is a reversed version of the original tuple.

This technique is useful for sorting operations, undo functions, and working with ordered data.