Understand Sets In Python With Examples

Handy concept of data structure in python

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A set is similar to lists and tuples. It is a collection of elements stored inside a variable. A set can contain more than one object and each element can be of different types. The elements in a set are separated using commas and enclosed in curly braces.

Note: A set can never contain duplicate elements.

There are different ways on how to use a list let us look at a few:

Creating sets

1. Simple Set

Program:

set1 = {5, 6, 7}
print(set1)
s = {5, 6, 7, 6, 7}
print(s)
se = {5, 6, 7, [6, 7]}
print(se)
Output:
{5, 6, 7}
{5, 6, 7}
Traceback (most recent call last):
    File “<string>”, line 5, in <module>
      se = {5, 6, 7, [6, 7]}
TypeError: unhashable type: ‘list’

Explanation: From the above print statements, we can observe that

• A set never shows duplicates as output.
• A set can never contain a list embedded inside.

2. Set with mixed data types

Program:

set2 = {5, ‘python’, ‘23’}