How can I check if a list is a subset of another list in Python without using set()?
Richard W
To check if one list is a subset of another list in Python without using theset() function, you can implement a custom solution by comparing the elements of the lists. Here's a long-form explanation of one possible approach:
1. Determine the Lists:
- Begin by identifying the two lists you want to compare. Let's refer to them aslist1 (potential subset) andlist2 (potential superset).
2. Create a Subset Checker Function:
- Define a function, let's call itis_subset, that takeslist1 andlist2 as arguments and checks iflist1 is a subset oflist2.
- Inside the function, iterate over each element inlist1 using afor loop.
- For each element, check if it exists inlist2.
- If an element inlist1 is not found inlist2, returnFalse as it indicates thatlist1 is not a subset oflist2.
- If all elements inlist1 are found inlist2, continue iterating until the end oflist1.
- If the loop completes without returningFalse, it means that all elements inlist1 are present inlist2, andlist1 is a subset oflist2. In this case, returnTrue.
- Example:
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def is_subset(list1, list2):
for element in list1:
if element not in list2:
return False
return True
3. Call the Subset Checker Function:
- Now, you can call theis_subset function, passinglist1 andlist2 as arguments, to check iflist1 is a subset oflist2.
- Assign the returned value to a variable for further processing or printing.
- Example usage:
By implementing theis_subset function, you can check iflist1 is a subset oflist2 without utilizing theset() function. The function iterates over each element inlist1 and checks if it exists inlist2. If all elements are found, it returnsTrue; otherwise, it returnsFalse.