https://dailypytips.com/tags/memory/Recent content in Memory on DailyPyTipsHugo -- 0.161.1en-usFri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://dailypytips.com/posts/python_deep_dive/day-2-memory-model/Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://dailypytips.com/posts/python_deep_dive/day-2-memory-model/<blockquote> <p>If you think <code>x = 10</code> means &ldquo;x stores 10&rdquo;&hellip; you are already misunderstanding Python.</p> </blockquote> <p>Today, we fix that.</p> <hr> <h2 id="todays-goal">Today’s Goal</h2> <p>By the end of today, you will:</p> <ul> <li>Understand how Python stores data in memory</li> <li>Learn references vs values</li> <li>Understand mutability</li> <li>Avoid hidden bugs</li> </ul> <hr> <h2 id="the-illusion">The Illusion</h2> <p>You write:</p> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-python" data-lang="python"><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="n">x</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">10</span> </span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"><span class="n">y</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">x</span> </span></span></code></pre></div><p>You think:</p> <blockquote> <p>x and y both store 10</p> </blockquote> <p>Wrong.</p> <hr> <h2 id="what-actually-happens">What Actually Happens</h2> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-text" data-lang="text"><span class="line"><span class="cl">Memory: </span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl">[10] ← object </span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"> </span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl">x ─────┐ </span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl"> ├──→ [10] </span></span><span class="line"><span class="cl">y ─────┘ </span></span></code></pre></div><p>Variables do not store values. They store references to objects.</p>