While using new_list = my_list, any modifications to new_list changes my_list every time. Why is this, and how can I clone or copy the list to prevent it?

When you create a new list using the syntax new _ list = my _ list ` syntax , you are creating a new object in memory that references the same memory location as the original list . Any modifications made to the new list will also affect the original list because they are the same object in memory . \n \n To clone or copy a list in Python , you can use the ` copy ` module or the ` list . copy ()` method . Here ' s an example of how to use ` copy ` module to clone a list : \n ``` python \n import copy \n \n my _ list = [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] \n new _ list = copy . copy ( my _ list ) \n \n # Mod ify the new list \n new _ list . append ( 4 ) \n \n # The original list has not been modified \n print ( my _ list ) # [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] \n print ( new _ list ) # [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] \n ``` \n Al tern atively , you can use the ` list . copy ()` method to create a copy of the list : \n ``` python \n my _ list = [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] \n new _ list = my _ list . copy () \n \n # Mod ify the new list \n new _ list . append ( 4 ) \n \n # The original list has not been modified \n print ( my _ list ) # [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] \n print ( new _ list ) # [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] \n ``` \n B oth of these methods create a new object in memory that references the same elements as the original list , but the new object is not the same object in memory as the original list . This means that modifications made to the new list will not affect the original list . </s>