Sets (unordered data with optimized logic operations)

Data Types in Python

Jason Myers

Instructor

Set

Unique
Unordered
Mutable
Python's implementation of Set Theory from Mathematics

Creating sets

Sets are created from a list

cookies_eaten_today = ['chocolate chip', 'peanut butter', 
   ...: 'chocolate chip', 'oatmeal cream', 'chocolate chip']

types_of_cookies_eaten = set(cookies_eaten_today)

print(types_of_cookies_eaten)

set(['chocolate chip', 'oatmeal cream', 'peanut butter'])

Modifying sets

.add() adds single elements

types_of_cookies_eaten.add('biscotti')

types_of_cookies_eaten.add('chocolate chip')

print(types_of_cookies_eaten)

set(['chocolate chip', 'oatmeal cream', 'peanut butter', 'biscotti'])

Updating sets

.update() merges in another set or list

cookies_hugo_ate = ['chocolate chip', 'anzac']

types_of_cookies_eaten.update(cookies_hugo_ate)

print(types_of_cookies_eaten)

set(['chocolate chip', 'anzac', 'oatmeal cream',  'peanut butter', 'biscotti'])

Removing data from sets

.discard() safely removes an element from the set by value
.pop() removes and returns an arbitrary element from the set (KeyError when empty)

types_of_cookies_eaten.discard('biscotti')

print(types_of_cookies_eaten)

set(['chocolate chip', 'anzac', 'oatmeal cream', 'peanut butter'])

types_of_cookies_eaten.pop()
types_of_cookies_eaten.pop()

'chocolate chip'
'anzac'

Set operations - similarities

.union() set method returns a set of all the names (or)
.intersection() method identifies overlapping data (and)

cookies_jason_ate = set(['chocolate chip', 'oatmeal cream',
'peanut butter'])
cookies_hugo_ate = set(['chocolate chip', 'anzac'])

cookies_jason_ate.union(cookies_hugo_ate)

set(['chocolate chip', 'anzac', 'oatmeal cream', 'peanut butter'])

cookies_jason_ate.intersection(cookies_hugo_ate)

set(['chocolate chip'])

Set operations - differences

.difference() method identifies data present in the set on which the method was used that is not in the arguments (-)
Target is important!

cookies_jason_ate.difference(cookies_hugo_ate)

set(['oatmeal cream', 'peanut butter'])

cookies_hugo_ate.difference(cookies_jason_ate)

set(['anzac'])

Let's practice!

Data Types in Python