What is the purpose of the map() function?

The purpose of the map() function is to apply a specified function to each item in an iterable (such as a list or tuple) and return a map object, which is an iterator that produces results on demand. This means that for every element in the iterable, the provided function is executed, and the results are collected.

For example, if you have a list of numbers and you want to square each number, you can use the map() function. You would pass the squaring function and the list to map(), and it will return a map object that contains the squared values. The results can then be converted to a list or iterated over to access the squared numbers.

This functionality enhances code efficiency by allowing batch processing of data items in a concise and readable manner, promoting the use of functional programming principles in Python.