How to use filter() and map()

[Ephexeve]

I am using Python 3.1.2, and I am having difficults understanding how the map() and filter() works, could anybody give me any help? what do they really do?

Thanks in advance

[bvdet]

Built-in function map() applies a function to each element of the list arguments. The number of list arguments must match the required number of function arguments. Examples:

>>> map(lambda x: x**0.5, (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10))
[1.0, 1.4142135623730951, 1.7320508075688772, 2.0, 2.2360679774997898, 2.4494897427831779, 2.6457513110645907, 2.8284271247461903, 3.0, 3.1622776601683791]
>>> map(lambda x, y: x**y, (1,2,3), (2,3,4))
[1, 8, 81]
>>> map(None, (1,2,3), (2,3,4))
[(1, 2), (2, 3), (3, 4)]
>>> map(str, (1,2,3))
['1', '2', '3']
>>>

Built-in function filter() constructs a list from the elements of argument list for which argument function returns True. Example:

>>> filter(lambda x: isinstance(x, str), [1,2,3,4,'a','b',5,'c'])
['a', 'b', 'c']

Note the above is equivalent to:
[x for x in [1,2,3,4,'a','b' ,5,'c'] if isinstance(x, str)]