Python: Difference between the two lists

Last update on April 19 2025 13:02:43 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Calculate Difference Between Lists

Write a Python program to calculate the difference between the two lists.

Visual Presentation:

Python: Difference between the two lists

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Define a list 'list1' containing numbers
list1 = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]

# Define another list 'list2' containing different numbers
list2 = [1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8]

# Calculate the difference between 'list1' and 'list2' by converting them to sets and subtracting the sets
diff_list1_list2 = list(set(list1) - set(list2))

# Calculate the difference between 'list2' and 'list1' by converting them to sets and subtracting the sets
diff_list2_list1 = list(set(list2) - set(list1))

# Concatenate the differences 'diff_list1_list2' and 'diff_list2_list1' to obtain a list of all unique differences
total_diff = diff_list1_list2 + diff_list2_list1

# Print the total difference, which represents elements that are unique to each list
print(total_diff)

Sample Output:

[9, 3, 5, 8, 2, 4, 6]

Explanation:

In the above exercise -

list1 = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]: Creates a list list1 with the values [1, 3, 5, 7, 9].
list2=[1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8]: Creates a list list2 with the values [1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8].
diff_list1_list2 = list(set(list1) - set(list2)): Creates a list diff_list1_list2 containing the elements that are in list1 but not in list2. This is done by converting list1 and list2 to sets and performing set difference (-) operation between them. The resulting set is then converted back to a list diff_list1_list2.
diff_list2_list1 = list(set(list2) - set(list1)): Creates a list diff_list2_list1 containing the elements that are in list2 but not in list1. This is done by converting list2 and list1 to sets and performing set difference (-) operation between them. The resulting set is then converted back to a list diff_list2_list1.
total_diff = diff_list1_list2 + diff_list2_list1: Combines the elements in both difference lists diff_list1_list2 and diff_list2_list1 into a single list.
print(total_diff): Finally print() function prints the resulting list containing the differences between the two lists, which in this case would be [3, 5, 9, 2, 4, 6, 8].

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Python program to find the intersection of two lists.
Write a Python program to find the symmetric difference between two lists.
Write a Python program to find the difference between two lists without using set operations.
Write a Python program to calculate the difference between multiple lists.

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