The best data structure for storing non-duplicate items in Python while ensuring each item is unique (i.e., duplicates are automatically removed) is the set data structure.
A set is an unordered collection of unique elements, meaning it cannot contain any duplicate items. When you add elements to a set, Python automatically removes any duplicates. This makes it a perfect choice for scenarios where you need to store a collection of items while ensuring uniqueness.
You can create a set in Python using curly braces {} or the built-in set() function. Here's an example:
# Creating a set
my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 5} # Duplicate '3' is automatically removed
print(my_set) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
If you have a list with potential duplicates and want to remove them to create a set, you can simply convert the list to a set using the set() function:
# Removing duplicates from a list and creating a set
my_list = [1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5]
my_set = set(my_list)
print(my_set) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Sets provide fast membership testing and efficient operations for set theory operations (e.g., union, intersection, difference), which makes them a great choice for handling collections of unique elements in Python.
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