That might be the case for more complex objects...

[Bart Willems]

Dennis Lee Bieber wrote:
> On 14 Apr 2007 06:35:34 -0700, "jamadagni" <samjnaa at gmail.com> declaimed
> the following in comp.lang.python:
> 	In Python, the "variable" NAME does NOT define storage; unlike most
> other classical languages where the "variable name" is a storage
> address, and the value of the RHS is COPIED to that address. Python does
> not do such copying. Names are references to the RHS object itself.
> 
> 	a = 5
> 
> means that somewhere in memory is an integer object with the value "5";
> the name "a" is now "pasted onto" that integer object.
> 
> 	b = a
> 
> finds the object that has the name "a" stuck to it, and sticks a second
> name "b" onto the same object. There is still only one "5" in memory.

I can try this in interactive mode:
 >>> a = 5
 >>> b = a
 >>> a += 1
 >>> print b
5

So, if /a/ and /b/ where pointing to the *same* "5" in memory, then I 
would expect b to be increased, just as a. But after increasing a, b is 
still 5...

Lists behave as described above, integers and floats don't.

By the way, a classic language like C has features like this too; 
they're called pointers.