Introduction to Sets
Imagine a collection of distinct objects that share a common feature, such as a group of fruits, animals, or even numbers. Such a collection is what we refer to as a set in mathematics.
A set is simply a grouping of unique elements, known as members or elements. In computer programming, sets are represented by Python’s built-in set type.
In this article, we will explore the concept of sets in detail, from the definition of a set to the practical implementation of sets in Python. By the end of this article, you’ll have a deeper understanding of how sets work and be able to create sets in Python on your own.
Defining a Set
When it comes to defining a set, Python offers two methods: using the set() function and using braces { }.
Set() Function
The set() function is used to define a set by passing an iterable as an argument. An iterable can be anything that can be looped over, such as a list, tuple, or even characters.
The set() function returns an unordered collection of distinct elements. For example, let’s define a set of numbers using the set() function:
my_set = set([1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6])
Notice that the set contains only distinct elements.
This is because sets only allow one instance of each element.
Additionally, the set is unordered, meaning the elements can be printed in a different order each time the set is printed.
{ } Braces
The second method of defining a set is using braces { }. You can define a set by enclosing a comma-separated list of distinct elements within braces.
For example, let’s define a set of fruits using braces:
fruits = {'apple', 'banana', 'orange'}
Notice that the elements in the set are not ordered.
Additionally, if we try to append a duplicate element to the set, the set remains intact, as shown below:
fruits = {'apple', 'banana', 'orange'}
fruits.add('apple')
print(fruits)
Output: {‘apple’, ‘banana’, ‘orange’}
Empty Set
You can create an empty set with the set() function. However, when defining an empty set, you must use the set() function and not braces.
This is because braces are used to define an empty dictionary in Python. For example, let’s define an empty set:
empty_set = set()
Alternatively, you can define an empty set using braces and a Boolean context:
empty_set = {}
But be careful! If you define an empty set using braces without a Boolean context, you’ll end up with an empty dictionary:
empty_dict = {}
print(type(empty_dict)) # Output:
Sets with Different Object Types
Sets can contain elements of different object types, such as strings, integers, and even tuples. However, sets cannot contain mutable objects such as lists, as the elements must be hashable.
An object is hashable if it has a hash value that remains constant throughout its lifetime. For example, let’s define a set of immutable objects:
my_set = {1, 'hello', (1, 2, 3)}
In the example above, we have defined a set with an integer, a string, and a tuple as its elements.
Tuples are immutable objects, hence can be added to a set.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sets are a fundamental concept in mathematics, and Python provides built-in support for sets through its set() function and braces. You can choose either of these methods to define sets, depending on what suits your needs.
By understanding how sets work and how to define them in Python, you can use them in a variety of applications, such as filtering duplicate elements from a list or comparing two sets to determine their differences. Now that you’ve learned the basics of sets, you’re ready to apply your knowledge to more complex problems and discover the full potential of sets in Python.
Set Size and Membership
Once a set is defined, you may want to know how many elements it contains or whether a specific element is a member of that set. Python provides two features to help: the len() function and the in and not in operators.
Len() Function
The len() function returns the number of elements in a set. For example:
my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
print(len(my_set)) # Output: 5
Notice that duplicate elements are not counted.
Similarly, the len() function can be used with a set created using the set() function.
In and not in Operators
The in and not in operators are used to check if an element is a member of a set or not. The in operator returns True if the element is a member of the set and False otherwise.
The not in operator does the opposite. For example:
fruits = {'apple', 'banana', 'orange'}
print('apple' in fruits) # Output: True
print('mango' not in fruits) # Output: True
Operating on a Set
Sets can be manipulated using operators or methods. While both operators and methods perform similar tasks, such as union and intersection of sets, they differ in their syntax.
Operators vs. Methods
Python provides different operators and methods for operating on sets.
Some of the most common operators and methods are union, intersection, difference, symmetric difference, isdisjoint, issubset, issuperset, proper subset, and proper superset. Operators are written between sets, as shown below:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {3, 4, 5}
# Union using the | operator
print(set_1 | set_2) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
# Intersection using the & operator
print(set_1 & set_2) # Output: {3}
# Difference using the - operator
print(set_1 - set_2) # Output: {1, 2}
# Symmetric difference using the ^ operator
print(set_1 ^ set_2) # Output: {1, 2, 4, 5}
Methods are called on a set and take the other set as an argument, as shown below:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {3, 4, 5}
# Union using the union() method
print(set_1.union(set_2)) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
# Intersection using the intersection() method
print(set_1.intersection(set_2)) # Output: {3}
# Difference using the difference() method
print(set_1.difference(set_2)) # Output: {1, 2}
# Symmetric difference using the symmetric_difference() method
print(set_1.symmetric_difference(set_2)) # Output: {1, 2, 4, 5}
Available Operators and Methods
Union
The union() method or “|” operator returns a set containing all the elements present in both sets without repetition. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {3, 4, 5}
# Union using the union() method
print(set_1.union(set_2)) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Intersection
The intersection() method or “&” operator returns a set containing all the elements that are present in both sets. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {3, 4, 5}
# Intersection using the intersection() method
print(set_1.intersection(set_2)) # Output: {3}
Difference
The difference() method or “-” operator returns a set containing all the elements that are present in one set but not in the other. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {3, 4, 5}
# Difference using the difference() method
print(set_1.difference(set_2)) # Output: {1, 2}
Symmetric Difference
The symmetric_difference() method or “^” operator returns a set containing all the elements that are in either of the sets, but not both.
For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {3, 4, 5}
# Symmetric difference using the symmetric_difference() method
print(set_1.symmetric_difference(set_2)) # Output: {1, 2, 4, 5}
Isdisjoint
The isdisjoint() method returns True if the two sets have no elements in common and False otherwise. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {4, 5, 6}
# Check if sets are disjoint
print(set_1.isdisjoint(set_2)) # Output: True
Issubset
The issubset() method returns True if all the elements of one set are present in the other set and False otherwise. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
# Check if set_1 is a subset of set_2
print(set_1.issubset(set_2)) # Output: True
Issuperset
The issuperset() method returns True if the set contains all the elements present in the other set and False otherwise. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
set_2 = {1, 2, 3}
# Check if set_1 is a superset of set_2
print(set_1.issuperset(set_2)) # Output: True
Proper Subset and Superset
Python also provides the proper subset and proper superset operators. A proper subset exists when a set is a subset of another set, but the sets are not equal.
A proper superset is the opposite, where a set is a superset of another set, but the sets are not equal. The proper subset operator in Python is “<".
The proper superset operator is “>”. For example:
set_1 = {1, 2, 3}
set_2 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
# Check if set_1 is a proper subset of set_2
print(set_1 < set_2) # Output: True
# Check if set_2 is a proper superset of set_1
print(set_2 > set_1) # Output: True
Conclusion
In conclusion, operating on sets in Python provides a convenient way to manipulate distinct collections of objects. The len() function and in and not in operators allow you to check the size and membership of a set while the available operators and methods allow you to efficiently manipulate sets for various tasks such as comparisons, filtering, and combining.
With a strong understanding of how to operate on sets in Python, you can handle complex problems efficiently and effectively.
Modifying a Set
Sets in Python, like most data types, can be modified. You can add new elements, remove existing ones, or even empty the entire set.
In this section, we'll explore how to modify sets using Python's augmented operators and methods.
Augmented Operators and Methods
Augmented operators and methods are used to modify sets without completely overwriting them. The augmented operators like +=, -=, and &= allow you to add, remove or perform other modifications on a set using less code.
The corresponding methods like add(), remove(), discard(), and clear() can provide explicit control of these operations.
Add
The add() method adds a single element to a set. For example:
my_set = {1, 2, 3}
my_set.add(4)
print(my_set) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4}
Remove and Discard
The remove() method removes a specified element from a set. The discard() method works in a similar way but does not raise an error if the element is not in the set.
For example:
my_set = {1, 2, 3}
my_set.remove(2)
print(my_set) # Output: {1, 3}
my_set.discard(4)
print(my_set) # Output: {1, 3}
Pop
The pop() method removes and returns an arbitrary element from the set. For example:
my_set = {1, 2, 3}
x = my_set.pop()
print(x) # Output: 1
print(my_set) # Output: {2, 3}
Clear
The clear() method removes all elements from a set. For example:
my_set = {1, 2, 3}
my_set.clear()
print(my_set) # Output: set()
Additional Methods for Modifying Sets
Apart from the methods specified above, Python provides additional methods for modifying sets, some of which include:
- update() method - The update() method updates a set with the elements of another set, or an iterable.
- difference_update() method - The difference_update() method removes all elements of another set from the set.
- intersection_update() method - The intersection_update() method updates a set with the intersection of itself and another set.
- symmetric_difference_update() method - The symmetric_difference_update() method updates a set with the symmetric difference of itself and another set.
Frozen Sets
In Python, frozensets are immutable sets. Frozen sets behave exactly as the regular sets but are immutable, meaning that their elements cannot be modified, added or removed.
This makes them ideal for use in situations where you don't want the elements of a set to change over time.
Definition and Properties
A frozenset is created by calling Python's built-in frozenset() function on an iterable of hashable objects. Once created, it cannot be changed in any way.
For example:
my_frozenset = frozenset([1, 2, 3])
print(my_frozenset) # Output: frozenset({1, 2, 3})
Since frozensets are immutable, non-modifying operations such as union, intersection, and difference can be applied to them.
Augmented Assignment
Frozensets also support augmented assignment using the &= operator, which works in the same way as you would expect for regular sets. An important thing to note is that the &= operator is equivalent to x = x & s, meaning that the resulting frozenset is a new object, not the original set.
For example:
my_frozenset = frozenset([1, 2, 3])
my_frozenset &= frozenset([2, 3, 4])
print(my_frozenset) # Output: frozenset({2, 3})
Use Cases for Frozensets
Frozensets have several use cases in Python, some of which include:
- Dictionary Keys - Since dictionary keys must be immutable, frozensets can be used as keys in dictionaries.
- Sets as Dictionary Values - If you want to store a set as a value in a dictionary, you need to use a frozenset because sets are mutable and cannot be hashed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sets in Python are mutable and can be modified using both augmented assignment and methods. On the other hand, frozensets are immutable and can only undergo non-modifying operations.
Frozensets are useful when you need to store a distinct but unchanging collection of hashable objects. With a solid understanding of sets and frozensets, you can enhance your Python skills and tackle more advanced programming tasks.
Conclusion
In this article, we've covered the basics of sets in Python programming. We've defined sets as a collection of distinct elements and explored how sets can be defined, modified, and operated upon using operators and methods.
We began by discussing the different ways of defining a set in Python, including the set() function and the braces { }. We then explored how to determine the size of a set using the len() function and check for membership using the in and not in operators.
We looked at the various operators and methods available for operating