Is there a way to do the opposite of what the zip() function does? It turns out, there is - the zip() function with list unpacking...
Normal zip() usage
In [5]:
x = [1,2,3,4,5]
y = [10,20,30,40,50]
points = zip(x,y)
points
Out[5]:
Reverse of normal zip() with list unpacking
By using list unpacking (by using the asterisk before the list), zip can effectively act in reverse...
In [6]:
zip(*points)
Out[6]:
Example of usefulness
In [19]:
import random
rand = lambda: random.gauss(mu=1, sigma=1)
points = [(rand(), rand()) for i in xrange(1000)]
# Make the graph square
fig = plt.figure()
fig.set_size_inches(7,7)
# The scatter function takes an x-list and a y-list, NOT a list of points
(x, y) = zip(*points)
scatter(x,y)
show()
