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

[James Stroud]

Bart Willems wrote:
> 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.

I think that after a += 1, a memory location with a 6 is created and now 
  a points to that because += has assignment buried in it.