head() and tail() for previewing in Pandas - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the head() function do in pandas?

The head() function shows the first few rows of a DataFrame or Series, helping you quickly see the start of your data.

beginner

How do you use tail() in pandas and what does it show?

tail() shows the last few rows of a DataFrame or Series, letting you quickly check the end of your data.

beginner

By default, how many rows do head() and tail() show?

Both head() and tail() show 5 rows by default if no number is given.

beginner

How can you see the first 10 rows of a DataFrame named df?

Use df.head(10) to see the first 10 rows.

beginner

Why is it useful to preview data with head() and tail()?

Previewing helps you quickly understand the data structure, check for missing values, and confirm data loading without looking at the whole dataset.

What does df.head() return by default?

A First 5 rows of df

B Last 5 rows of df

C First 10 rows of df

D All rows of df

head() returns the first 5 rows by default.

How do you get the last 3 rows of a DataFrame df?

A df.end(3)

B df.head(3)

C df.last(3)

D df.tail(3)

tail(3) returns the last 3 rows.

If you want to preview the start and end of your data, which two functions do you use?

A start() and end()

B head() and tail()

C first() and last()

D top() and bottom()

Use head() for the start and tail() for the end.

What type of object do head() and tail() return?

A A plot

B A list of values

C A new DataFrame or Series with selected rows

D A summary statistic

They return a new DataFrame or Series containing the selected rows.

Can you specify how many rows to preview with head() and tail()?

A Yes, by passing a number as an argument

B No, they always show 5 rows

C Only <code>head()</code> allows this

D Only <code>tail()</code> allows this

Both functions accept a number to specify how many rows to show.

Explain how and why you would use head() and tail() when starting to analyze a new dataset.

Think about what you want to learn quickly from the data.

Describe the default behavior of head() and tail() and how to change the number of rows they show.

Remember the default and how to customize.