What is a set in Python and how to use it?

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Jayant Kumar · Accepted Answer

A set in Python is an unordered collection of unique elements, where duplicates are not allowed. A set is defined using curly braces {} or the built-in "set()" function. For example:
# Using curly braces
fruits = {'apple', 'banana', 'cherry'}

# Using the set function
fruits = set(['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'])

A set is similar to a dictionary, but instead of key-value pairs, it only contains elements. You can use a set to perform various set operations such as union, intersection, difference, and others.
Here are some common use cases for sets:
Removing duplicates from a list: You can convert a list to a set to remove duplicates and then convert it back to a list if you need the elements to be ordered.
Fast membership testing: Since sets are implemented as hash maps, checking if an element exists in a set is very fast, and takes constant time on average.
Set operations: As mentioned before, sets provide various set operations that you can use to manipulate the elements in the set.
Here are some common set operations in Python:
union (|) : Returns a set that contains all elements from both sets.
intersection (&#x26;): Returns a set that contains only elements that are present in both sets.
difference (-): Returns a set that contains elements that are present in the first set but not in the second set.
symmetric_difference (^): Returns a set that contains elements that are present in one set but not in the other.
issubset (&#x3C;=): Returns True if the set is a subset of the other set, meaning that all elements in the first set are present in the second set.
issuperset (>=): Returns True if the set is a superset of the other set, meaning that all elements in the second set are present in the first set.

What is a set in Python and how to use it?

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What is a set in Python and how to use it?

Jayant Kumar @jayantkumar314

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