Learn about Python Sets (lists)

Learning About Python Sets

Introduction to Sets

Sets are a type of list in Python, but with a twist: they do not allow duplicate entries. This makes sets perfect for collecting unique items. Let’s start with an example.

Example: Removing Duplicates

Imagine you want to collect a list of words used in a paragraph:

print(set("my name is Eric and Eric is my name".split()))

Output:

{'my', 'name', 'is', 'Eric', 'and'}

The set contains each word only once, even if it appears multiple times in the original text. This is the power of sets: no duplicates.

Basic Operations with Sets

Sets are powerful because they can perform operations like differences and intersections. Let’s explore some of these operations with practical examples.

Example: Participants in Events

Suppose you have two lists of participants in events A and B:

a = set(["Jake", "John", "Eric"])
b = set(["John", "Jill"])

Printing the Sets:

print(a)
print(b)

Finding Common Participants (Intersection)

To find members who attended both events, use the intersection method:

print(a.intersection(b))
print(b.intersection(a))

Output:

{'John'}
{'John'}

Finding Unique Participants (Symmetric Difference)

To find members who attended only one of the events, use the symmetric_difference method:

print(a.symmetric_difference(b))
print(b.symmetric_difference(a))

Output:

{'Jake', 'Eric', 'Jill'}
{'Jake', 'Eric', 'Jill'}

Finding Exclusive Participants (Difference)

To find members who attended only one event and not the other, use the difference method:

print(a.difference(b))
print(b.difference(a))

Output:

{'Jake', 'Eric'}
{'Jill'}

Finding All Participants (Union)

To receive a list of all participants, use the union method:

print(a.union(b))

Output:

{'Jake', 'John', 'Eric', 'Jill'}

Exercise: Practice with Sets

Using the given lists, print out a set containing all the participants from event A who did not attend event B.

a = ["Jake", "John", "Eric"]
b = ["John", "Jill"]

A = set(a)
B = set(b)

print(A.difference(B))

Expected Output:

{'Jake', 'Eric'}

Conclusion

Sets in Python are a versatile and powerful tool for handling unique items and performing various operations on collections. Understanding how to use sets will enhance your ability to write efficient and effective Python code. Try using sets in your next project to see the benefits firsthand!

Python lists, sets, and tuples explained ????

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