Contents
Python Set difference_update() method
Python Set difference_update() method updates the set with the difference of the other set from the set.
difference_update() and difference() methods does the same, except for the difference_update() updates the set while the difference() returns the resulting set.
In this tutorial, we will learn the syntax and usage of Set difference_update() method.
Syntax of Set difference_update()
The syntax of difference_update() method is
set.difference_update(s)Parameters
Set difference_update() method takes one parameter.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| s | Required A Python Set object. |
Return value
difference_update() method returns None.
Usage
For example, consider the following statement.
set_1.difference_update(set_2)The updated set_1 now contains elements of original set_1 that are not present in set_2.
Please note that the difference_update() method updates the original set.
Examples
1. Updating set with the difference of the sets in Python
In this example, we shall initialize two sets, set_1 and set_2 with some elements. Then we shall apply difference_update() method on set_1 and pass set_2 as argument.
Following is a simple demonstration of how the output would be.
{'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'} - {'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'} = {'a', 'b'}Elements c and d are present in set_2. Hence the difference results in set_1 without these common elements of set_1 and set_2.
Python Program
#initialize sets
set_1 = {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'}
set_2 = {'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'}
#find difference
set_1.difference_update(set_2)
print(set_1)Output
{'a', 'b'}Summary
In this Python Set Tutorial, we learned how to use difference_update() method of Python Set class, with the help of well detailed example programs.