Reference library

Lists & loops

Iterate, transform, and combine sequences with readable loop patterns.

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Lists & loops easy

Pairwise Adjacent Differences in a Python List

Computes the absolute differences between each pair of adjacent elements in a list using a concise list comprehension.

list-comprehension differences absolute-value
Python 
def adjacent_differences(nums):
    """Return list of absolute differences between adjacent elements."""
    return [abs(nums[i] - nums[i + 1]) for i in range(len(nums) - 1)]


if __name__ == "__main__":
    sample = [3, 7, 2, 9, 5]
    diffs = adjacent_differences(sample)
    print("Original list:", sample)
    print…
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