Question

What are the differences between these built-in Python data types: list, sequence and slice? As I see it, all three essentially represent what C++ and Java call array.

Answer 1

• list are more than plain arrays. You can initialize them without giving the number of items. You can append/push to them, you can remove/pop/del items from them, you can have lists of different types of objects (e.g., [1,'e', [3]]), you can have recursive lists… and you can slice lists, which means getting a new list with only a few of the items.
• slice are an object type used “behind the scenes” to handle extended slicing in the a[start:stop:step] form, as help(slice) reveals.

“Sequence” is not an object, more like an informal interface some objects like list implement.