What does the range() function do in Python?

The range() function in Python is used to define a range of numbers, which is typically utilized in for loops to iterate over a sequence of numbers efficiently. When you call range(), you can specify one, two, or three arguments: start, stop, and step. The start argument indicates the beginning of the range, the stop argument specifies where the range ends (non-inclusive), and the step argument determines the interval between the numbers.

For example, calling range(1, 10) generates the numbers 1 through 9, allowing for easy iteration in a loop. This functionality makes it invaluable for scenarios where you need to repeat actions a specific number of times or access elements in a sequence using numeric indices. The range() function returns a special range object that is a memory-efficient representation of the sequence of numbers specified.

The visualized output of range() makes it clear that it is focused on numerical sequences, making option C the most accurate description of what the range() function achieves in Python.