A tuple is a fixed-size collection that can have elements of either same or different data types. The user must have to specify the size of a tuple at the time of declaration just like arrays.

In .NET, tuples are data structures that allow you to store a collection of elements of different data types. Tuples are particularly useful when you need to return multiple values from a method without defining a custom type. They were introduced in C# 7.0 and provide a convenient way to work with heterogeneous data.

Here’s an example of how you can create a tuple in C#:

csharp

var person = ("John", 30);

In this example, person is a tuple with two elements: a string (“John”) and an integer (30).

Tuples can also be named for better readability:

csharp

var person = (Name: "John", Age: 30);

You can access elements of a tuple using the dot notation or by deconstructing it:

csharp

string name = person.Name;

int age = person.Age;

// Or deconstruction var (name, age) = person;

Tuples are immutable by default, meaning you cannot change their values after creation. If you need to modify the values, you can create a new tuple with the updated values.

Tuples provide a concise way to work with sets of data without defining custom types explicitly, which can be handy in scenarios where you need to return multiple values from a method or when dealing with temporary data structures.