Python sets

A set comprehension in Python is a concise and efficient method for creating sets from any iterable ojbect. It uses curly braces and a for loop-like syntax, with optional if clauses for filtering elements. Ternary expressions within set comprehensions allow for conditional element modification, and nested set comprehensions can be used for creating sets from nested iterables.

Disjoint sets, or mutually exclusive sets, are sets taht have no common elements. In Python, use the isdisjoint() class or instance method to check this. It's useful for applications such as scheduling (to avoid overlaps) and checking for allergens in food. The method works with sets and other iterables, such as lists.

While subsets focus on testing whether one set is entirely contained within another, Python superset operations explore the opposite scenario. A set A is considered a superset of set B if all elements of B are present in A. Python provides various ways to determine whether one set is a superset of another, including the issuperset() instance method, the issuperset() class method, the superset operator >= (greater than or equal), and the proper superset operator > (greater than).

Set A is a subset of set B if all the elements in A are also in B. Python subset syntax provides several ways to test whether one set is a subset of another. Those include the issubset() instance method, the issubset() class method, the subset operator <= (less than or equal), and the proper subset operator < (less than). Each of these options provides a slightly different capability and convenience.

The symmetric difference of sets is an operation that extracts all elements that appear in only one set. If we have two sets A and B, their symmetric difference will include all elements in A that are not in B, together with all elements in B that are not in A. Symmetric difference of Python sets, can be achieved using the symmetric_difference() instance method, the symmetric_difference() class method, and the symmetric difference operator, ^, i.e. the caret character.