How to optimize this Python code (from ThinkPython, Exercise 10.10)

Question

I\'m working through Allen Downey\'s How To Think Like A Computer Scientist, and I\'ve written what I believe to be a functionally correct solution to Exercise 10.1

Answer 1

Alternative definition for interlock:

import itertools

def interlock(str1, str2):
    "Takes two strings of equal length and 'interlocks' them."
    return ''.join(itertools.chain(*zip(str1, str2)))