isolating part of elemnnt in a list

[trepaning]

this is a list

[['1 A'], ['2 B']]

what I want to do is get at the number, add another number to it, and put it back together with the new number value.

I am learning Python on my own, so am just looking for a pointer in the right direction on how to how to pull that number out, as no basic SPLIT seems to account for this type of list setup.

I can provide more info if needed.

Thanks for any info.

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moderator: feel free to correct TITLE spelling error of "element" for future search