nlargest() and nsmallest() in Pandas - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the pandas function nlargest() do?

The nlargest() function returns the top n rows from a DataFrame or Series based on the largest values in a specified column.

beginner

How does nsmallest() differ from nlargest() in pandas?

nsmallest() returns the bottom n rows with the smallest values in a specified column, while nlargest() returns the top n rows with the largest values.

beginner

Can nlargest() and nsmallest() be used on both Series and DataFrames?

Yes, both functions work on pandas Series and DataFrames. For DataFrames, you specify the column to sort by.

beginner

What parameter do you need to provide to nlargest() and nsmallest() to specify how many rows to return?

You provide the parameter n, which is the number of rows you want to get from the top or bottom.

beginner

Example: How to get the 3 largest values from a DataFrame column named 'score'?

df.nlargest(3, 'score')

This returns the 3 rows with the highest 'score' values.

What does df.nlargest(5, 'age') return?

A The first 5 rows of the DataFrame

B The 5 rows with the smallest 'age' values

C The 5 rows with the largest 'age' values

D The last 5 rows of the DataFrame

nlargest() returns rows with the largest values in the specified column.

Which function returns the rows with the smallest values in a column?

A nlargest()

B head()

C sort_values()

D nsmallest()

nsmallest() returns rows with the smallest values in a column.

Can nlargest() be used on a pandas Series?

A Yes, it works on Series and DataFrames

B Only on DataFrames with numeric columns

C Only on Series with numeric data

D No, only DataFrames

nlargest() works on both Series and DataFrames.

What parameter do you need to specify in nlargest() to choose the column to sort by?

A columns or column name

B columns

C subset

D n

You specify the column name as the second argument to nlargest().

If you want the 10 smallest values from a column 'price', which code is correct?

A df.nsmallest(10, 'price')

B Both B and C

C df.sort_values('price').head(10)

D df.nlargest(10, 'price')

Both nsmallest() and sorting then taking head(10) give the 10 smallest values.

Explain how you would use nlargest() to find the top 5 highest scores in a DataFrame.

Think about the parameters needed for nlargest.

Describe the difference between nlargest() and nsmallest() in pandas.

Focus on what values each function returns.