Python program to split a list into two lists with alternating elements

Question

Can you make it more simple/elegant?

def zigzag(seq):
    \"\"\"Return two sequences with alternating elements from `seq`\"\"\"
    x, y = [], []
    p, q =          


        

Answer 1

If seq, as you say, is a list, then:

def zigzag(seq):
  return seq[::2], seq[1::2]

If seq is a totally generic iterable, such as possibly a generator:

def zigzag(seq):
  results = [], []
  for i, e in enumerate(seq):
    results[i%2].append(e)
  return results