note the empty string is called empty because it doesn' contain any characters you can create it by writing two quotation marks with nothing between themempty_string " string with anything in it--even space--is not empty all the following strings are non-emptynon_empty_string non_empty_string non_empty_string even though these strings don' contain any visible charactersthey are non-empty because they do contain spaces you can use negative numbers in slices the rules for slices with negative numbers are exactly the same as the rules for slices with positive numbers it helps to visualize the string as slots with the boundaries labeled with negative numbers- - - - - - - just like beforethe slice [ :yreturns the substring starting at index and going up to but not including for instancethe slice [- :- returns the first three letters of the string "fig pie"flavor[- :- 'fignoticehoweverthat the rightmost boundary of the string does not have negative index the logical choice for that boundary would seem to be the number but that doesn' work