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How to find the difference between two lists in Python

How to find the difference between two lists in Python.

Here's a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to find the difference between two lists in Python:

  1. Start by creating two lists that you want to compare. For example, let's consider the following lists:
   list1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
list2 = [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  1. To find the difference between the two lists, you can use the set data structure in Python. Convert both lists to sets using the set() function:
   set1 = set(list1)
set2 = set(list2)
  1. Now, you can find the difference between the two sets using the - operator. Subtract set2 from set1 to get the elements that are present in set1 but not in set2:
   difference = set1 - set2
  1. Finally, convert the resulting set back to a list if needed, using the list() function:
   difference_list = list(difference)

The difference_list will contain the elements that are present in list1 but not in list2. In this example, difference_list will be [1, 2, 3].

Here's the complete code example:

list1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
list2 = [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

set1 = set(list1)
set2 = set(list2)

difference = set1 - set2
difference_list = list(difference)

print(difference_list) # Output: [1, 2, 3]

You can also find the difference between the lists using list comprehension. Here's an alternative code example:

list1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
list2 = [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

difference_list = [x for x in list1 if x not in list2]

print(difference_list) # Output: [1, 2, 3]

Both methods will give you the same result. Choose the one that suits your coding style and requirements.