The Set Data Type in Python

In Python, the set data type is an unordered collection of unique elements enclosed in {}. It is used to store a group of distinct values without any duplicate entries. Sets are an essential part of Python's data types and offer various methods for set operations. Sets are mutable, meaning you can add or remove elements after creating them. In this post, we will explore the set data type, its properties, and how to use it effectively with code examples.

Creating Sets

You can create a set in Python using curly braces {} or the set() function. Here are some examples of creating sets:

# Creating a set using curly braces
my_set1 = {1, 2, 3, 4}
print(my_set1)  # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4}
 
# Creating a set using the set() function
my_set2 = set([3, 4, 5, 6])
print(my_set2)  # Output: {3, 4, 5, 6}

Adding and Removing Elements

You can add elements to a set using the add() method or remove elements using the remove() method.

# Adding elements to a set
my_set = {1, 2, 3}
my_set.add(4)
print(my_set)  # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4}
 
# Removing elements from a set
my_set.remove(2)
print(my_set)  # Output: {1, 3, 4}

Set Operations

Sets support various operations like union, intersection, difference, and more. Here are some examples of set operations:

set1 = {1, 2, 3}
set2 = {3, 4, 5}
 
# Union of sets
union_set = set1.union(set2)
print(union_set)  # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
 
# Intersection of sets
intersection_set = set1.intersection(set2)
print(intersection_set)  # Output: {3}
 
# Difference of sets
difference_set = set1.difference(set2)
print(difference_set)  # Output: {1, 2}

Set Comprehensions

Like lists and dictionaries, sets also support comprehensions, allowing you to create sets in a concise manner.

# Set comprehension
squared_set = {x**2 for x in range(5)}
print(squared_set)  # Output: {0, 1, 4, 9, 16}

Range Tuples