How to Check If a Set Is Empty in Python

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn how to check if a set is empty in Python. This involves understanding the concept of empty sets and utilizing different methods to determine their emptiness.

The lab guides you through creating an empty set using the set() constructor and verifying its type. You'll then explore how to use the len() function to check if a set is empty by determining the number of elements it contains. Finally, you'll learn how to evaluate a set as a boolean value to check for emptiness.

Skills Graph

Learn About Empty Sets

In this step, you will learn about empty sets in Python. An empty set is a set that contains no elements. It's a fundamental concept in set theory and is often used in programming to represent a collection that is initially empty but may later contain elements.

To create an empty set in Python, you can use the set() constructor without any arguments. Let's create an empty set and print it to see what it looks like.

1. Open the VS Code editor in the LabEx environment.

2. Create a new file named empty_set.py in the ~/project directory.

   ~/project/empty_set.py

3. Add the following Python code to the empty_set.py file:

   ## Create an empty set
   empty_set = set()
   
   ## Print the empty set
   print(empty_set)
   
   ## Check the type of the variable
   print(type(empty_set))

   This code first creates an empty set using set() and assigns it to the variable empty_set. Then, it prints the value of empty_set and its type using the type() function.

4. Run the Python script using the following command in the terminal:

   python ~/project/empty_set.py

   You should see the following output:

   set()
   <class 'set'>

   The output set() indicates that you have successfully created an empty set. The <class 'set'> confirms that the variable empty_set is indeed a set object.

   An empty set is different from None or an empty list []. It's a specific type of collection that represents the absence of elements. Understanding how to create and use empty sets is crucial for various programming tasks, such as initializing a collection before adding elements or checking if a set is empty before performing certain operations.

Use len() to Check

In this step, you will learn how to use the len() function to check if a set is empty. The len() function returns the number of elements in a set. For an empty set, it will return 0. This is a useful way to programmatically determine whether a set contains any elements.

Building upon the previous step, let's modify the empty_set.py file to include the len() function.

1. Open the empty_set.py file in the VS Code editor. It should be located in the ~/project directory.

2. Modify the empty_set.py file to include the following Python code:

   ## Create an empty set
   empty_set = set()
   
   ## Print the empty set
   print(empty_set)
   
   ## Check the type of the variable
   print(type(empty_set))
   
   ## Check the length of the empty set
   print(len(empty_set))

   In this code, we've added a line that uses the len() function to determine the number of elements in empty_set and prints the result.

3. Run the Python script using the following command in the terminal:

   python ~/project/empty_set.py

   You should see the following output:

   set()
   <class 'set'>
   0

   The output 0 confirms that the len() function correctly reports that the empty set has zero elements.

   You can also use len() to check the size of non-empty sets. For example, if you add elements to the set, len() will return the number of elements added. This makes len() a versatile tool for working with sets in Python.

Evaluate as Boolean

In this step, you will learn how an empty set evaluates as a boolean value in Python. In Python, certain values are considered "truthy" (evaluate to True in a boolean context) and others are considered "falsy" (evaluate to False). An empty set is considered a "falsy" value. This means that when you use an empty set in a conditional statement (like an if statement), it will be treated as False.

Let's modify the empty_set.py file to demonstrate this behavior.

1. Open the empty_set.py file in the VS Code editor. It should be located in the ~/project directory.

2. Modify the empty_set.py file to include the following Python code:

   ## Create an empty set
   empty_set = set()
   
   ## Print the empty set
   print(empty_set)
   
   ## Check the type of the variable
   print(type(empty_set))
   
   ## Check the length of the empty set
   print(len(empty_set))
   
   ## Evaluate the empty set as a boolean
   if empty_set:
       print("The set is not empty")
   else:
       print("The set is empty")

   In this code, we've added an if statement that checks the boolean value of empty_set. If empty_set is "truthy" (not empty), it will print "The set is not empty". Otherwise, it will print "The set is empty".

3. Run the Python script using the following command in the terminal:

   python ~/project/empty_set.py

   You should see the following output:

   set()
   <class 'set'>
   0
   The set is empty

   The output "The set is empty" confirms that the empty set is evaluated as False in a boolean context.

   This behavior is useful for writing concise and readable code. For example, you can check if a set has any elements before performing an operation that requires elements to be present. Understanding how empty sets evaluate as booleans is an important aspect of working with sets in Python.

Summary

In this lab, you learned about empty sets in Python and how to create them using the set() constructor without arguments. You also learned how to verify that a variable is indeed a set object using the type() function.

Furthermore, you started learning how to use the len() function to determine if a set is empty by checking the number of elements it contains.