Level 2: Cleaning · Exercise 22 of 63 · Pro

Split a column into two

A pandas exercise from Pandasdrill. Solve it with a Python editor in your browser running real pandas, and it is checked the moment you submit.

The task

Split `full_name` into a `first` column (the text before the first space) and a `last` column (everything after it, so a two-part surname stays together). Return a DataFrame with just those two columns.

What this exercise teaches

n=1 splits only at the first space, so "Ben Ortiz Lee" becomes "Ben" and "Ortiz Lee". Without n, a three-word name produces a third column and the assignment of two names fails. expand=True builds the DataFrame; the integer column labels then need renaming.

A hint if you get stuck

str.split takes n, the maximum number of splits, and expand=True returns one column per piece. The columns come back numbered 0 and 1, so rename them.