Write a python code to multiply all numbers of a list in python

In this tutorial, we will discuss how to multiply all elements in a list in Python. There are multiple ways to perform multiplication within a list. We will discuss some of them here. If you want to see our other Step By Step Python List Tutorials Click here.

You can perform the multiplication of all elements or numbers of a list by a constant, scalar, or another list element. Some of the Methods to get the product of list in Python is given below:

  • Traversal Method
  • Numpy.prod()
  • Lambda Function
  • Math.Prod

Multiply all elements in a list using Traversal method

Using the traversal method to multiply all elements in List, we will run a for loop and traverse through the list. For loop will multiply every number to the previous number each time it iterates. For example, when the first time it iterates, it will multiply it with 1. The res is set to 1 and not 0 since every number multiplied by 0 is 0. The second time it iterates, it will multiply it with the product of 1 and the previous number and so on.

# Code Starts here

list = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]

res = 1

for i in list:
  res = res * i
  
print(res)

# code ends here

Output: 
40320

Multiply each element in a list using numpy prod

Another method is using Numpy. To Multiply All Elements In List in Python, We will have to install NumPy first of all. Then we will use a built-in function of NumPy to get the product of the list.

# Using numpy.prod Method

import numpy

list = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]

result = numpy.prod(list)

print(result)

#Code ends here

Output: 
362880

multiply each number in a list using lambda function

Another approach to multiply all elements in the list in Python is using Lambda Function. Lambda’s definition does not include a “return” statement, it always contains an expression that is returned. Lambda Function can be used anywhere a function is expected. There is no need to assign it to a variable at all. This makes lambda functions simple to use. Similarly,  reduce() function in Python takes in a function and a list as an argument. This performs a repetitive operation over the pairs of the list. 

# Code starts here

from functools import reduce

list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
 
res = reduce((lambda x, y: x * y), list))

print(res)

# Code ends here

Output:
5040

multiplication of all values in list using math.prod

The product of a list can also be calculated using a prod function included in Math Library. Let’s see it.

#Code starts here

from functools import reduce

list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
 
res = reduce((lambda x, y: x * y), list))

print(res)

#Code ends here

See more Python tutorials

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use Python to multiply lists, including how to multiply list elements by a number and multiply lists with one another. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have learned how to multiply each element by a number, including how to do this with for loops, list comprehensions and numpy array multiplication. Then, you’ll learn how to multiply lists element-wise, using for loops, list comprehensions, the Python zip() function, and the numpy np.multiply() function.

Python lists are a powerful data structure that are used in many different applications. Knowing how to multiply them will be an invaluable tool as you progress on your data science journey. For example, you may have a list that contains the different values for a radius of a circle and want to calculate the area of the circles. You may also have a list of incomes and want to calculate how much of a bonus to give.

Let’s get started!

The Quick Answer: Use Numpy

Write a python code to multiply all numbers of a list in python

  • Multiply Two Python Lists by a Number Using Numpy
  • Multiply Two Python Lists by a Number Using a For Loop
  • Multiply Two Python Lists by a Number Using a List Comprehension
  • Multiply Two Python Lists Element-wise Using Numpy
  • Multiply Two Python Lists Element-wise Using a For Loop and Zip
  • Multiply Two Python Lists Element-wise Using a List Comprehension and Zip
  • Conclusion

Multiply Two Python Lists by a Number Using Numpy

Let’s start off by learning how to multiply two Python lists by a numer using numpy. The benefit of this approach is that it makes it specifically clear to a reader what you’re hoping to accomplish. Numpy uses arrays, which are list-like structures that allow us to manipulate the data in them in. Numpy comes with many different methods and functions, but in this case, we can simply multiply the array by a scalar.

In the code below, you’ll learn how to multiply a Python list by a number using numpy:

# Multiply a Python List by a Number Using Numpy
import numpy as np

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
array = np.array(numbers) * 2
multiplied = list(array)

print(multiplied)

# Returns: [2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

Let’s break down what we did here:

  1. We converted the list into a numpy array.
  2. We then multiplied the array by a number, 2
  3. Finally, we converted the array back into a list

The benefit of this approach, while it involves importing numpy, is that it’s immediately clear what you’re hoping to accomplish with your code. This allows us simplify the process of later understanding our code.

in the next section, you’ll learn how to use a Python for loop to multiply a list by a number.

Want to learn how to use the Python zip() function to iterate over two lists? This tutorial teaches you exactly what the zip() function does and shows you some creative ways to use the function.

Multiply Two Python Lists by a Number Using a For Loop

In this section, you’ll learn how to use a Python for loop to multiply a list by a number. Python for loops allow us to iterate over over iterable objects, such as lists. We can use for loops to loop over each item in a list and then multiply by it by a given number.

Let’s see how we can multiply a list by a number using a Python for loop:

# Multiply a Python List by a Number Using a for loop
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
multiplied = []

for number in numbers:
    multiplied.append(number * 2)

print(multiplied)

# Returns: [2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

Let’s break down what we have done here: We instantiated two lists, one that contains our numbers and an empty list to hold our multiplied values. We then loop over each item in the list that contains our number. We append the multiplied number to our list that holds our multiplied values.

Python for loops are intuitive ways of looping over lists, but they require us to instantiate a list first and use more lines of code than necessary. To trim down our code and make it more readable in the process, you’ll learn about Python list comprehensions in the next section.

Want to learn more about Python for-loops? Check out my in-depth tutorial that takes your from beginner to advanced for-loops user! Want to watch a video instead? Check out my YouTube tutorial here.

Multiply Two Python Lists by a Number Using a List Comprehension

In this section, you’ll learn how to a Python list comprehension to multiply the elements of a Python list by a number. Python list comprehensions are easy way to represent for loops in a simpler and easier to read format.

Let’s see how we can use a Python list comprehension to accomplish this:

# Multiply a Python List by a Number Using a list comprehension
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
multiplied = [number * 2 for number in numbers]

print(multiplied)

# Returns: [2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

This example is a bit more readable than using a for loop. We can make it clear that we’re multiplying each number in our list by a value. This saves us the step of first instantiating an empty list while making the process more readable.

In the next sections, you’ll learn how to multiply Python lists element-wise.

Want to learn more about Python list comprehensions? Check out this in-depth tutorial that covers off everything you need to know, with hands-on examples. More of a visual learner, check out my YouTube tutorial here.

Multiply Two Python Lists Element-wise Using Numpy

In the following sections, you’ll learn how to multiply lists element-wise. This means that the first element of one list is multiplied by the first element of the second list, and so on.

One of the easiest and most intuitive ways to accomplish this is, again, to use numpy. Numpy comes with a function, multiply(), that allows us to multiply two arrays. In order to accomplish this, it would seem that we first need to convert the list to a numpy array. However, numpy handles this implicitly. The method returns a numpy array. Because of this, we need to convert the array back into a list.

Let’s see how we can use NumPy to multiply two Python lists:

# Multiply 2 Python Lists using numpy
import numpy as np
numbers1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
numbers2 = [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

multiplied = list(np.multiply(numbers1, numbers2))
print(multiplied)
# Returns: [5, 8, 9, 8, 5]

Let’s break down what we’ve done here:

  • We instantiated two lists and passed them into the np.multiply() function
  • We then turned the returned array back into a list

If you’d rather not use numpy, the next two sections will explore how to multiply two Python lists without the need to import an additional library.

Want to learn more about calculating the square root in Python? Check out my tutorial here, which will teach you different ways of calculating the square root, both without Python functions and with the help of functions.

Multiply Two Python Lists Element-wise Using a For Loop and Zip

In this section, you’ll learn how to use a Python for loop and the zip function to multiply two lists element-wise.

Python actually comes with a built in function that allows us to iterate over multiple lists directly, the zip() function. I cover this function off extensively here – I suggest checking out the tutorial to get a full understanding of how this function works.

Let’s see how we can use the zip function to multiply two lists element-wise in Python:

# Multiply 2 Python Lists using a for loop and zip()
numbers1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
numbers2 = [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

multiplied = []
for value1, value2 in zip(numbers1, numbers2):
    multiplied.append(value1 * value2)

print(multiplied)
# Returns: [5, 8, 9, 8, 5]

In the example above, we unpack the tuples that the zip object returns and multiply them together. The product of these values is append to our list.

In the next section, you’ll learn how to use a list comprehension to multiply a list element wise in Python.

Want to learn more about Python f-strings? Check out my in-depth tutorial, which includes a step-by-step video to master Python f-strings!

Multiply Two Python Lists Element-wise Using a List Comprehension and Zip

In this final section, you’ll learn how to use a Python list comprehension to multiply a list element-wise with another list. A Python list comprehension is a condensed, easy-to-read way of replacing for loops that generate lists. While this is extremely oversimplified, it does give us a sense of how we’ll use the list comprehension to multiply lists.

Let’s see how we can accomplish this:

# Multiply 2 Python Lists using a list comprehension and zip()
numbers1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
numbers2 = [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

multiplied = [item1 * item2 for item1, item2 in zip(numbers1, numbers2)]

print(multiplied)
# Returns: [5, 8, 9, 8, 5]

We can see here very clearly that we’re multiplying items at the same index of two lists and assigning it to a new list.

Want to learn how to calculate and use the natural logarithm in Python. Check out my tutorial here, which will teach you everything you need to know about how to calculate it in Python.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned two different methods to multiply Python lists: multiplying lists by a number and multiplying lists element-wise. You learned how to simplify this process using numpy and how to use list comprehensions and Python for loops to multiply lists.

To learn more about the Python np.multiply() method, check out the official documentation here.

How do you multiply all numbers in a list in Python?

We can use numpy. prod() from import numpy to get the multiplication of all the numbers in the list. It returns an integer or a float value depending on the multiplication result.

Can you multiply a list by a list in Python?

Multiply two lists using for loop We can simply get the product of two lists using for loop. Through for loop, we can iterate through the list. Similarly, with every iteration, we can multiply the elements from both lists. For this purpose, we can use Zip Function.

How do you multiply all numbers in a list using for loops in Python?

Use a for loop to multiply all values in a list.
a_list = [2, 3, 4].
product = 1..
for item in a_list: Iterate over a_list..
product = product * item. multiply each element..
print(product).

How do you multiply in Python Python?

In python, to multiply number, we will use the asterisk character ” * ” to multiply number. After writing the above code (how to multiply numbers in Python), Ones you will print “ number ” then the output will appear as a “ The product is: 60 ”. Here, the asterisk character is used to multiply the number.