Using Python, what is the fastest way to check if an item is present in a list?
This depends on the size of the list and the number of items to check for. When checking for a single item in a list, the fastest way is to use Python’s in
operator:
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] if 4 in my_list: print("4 is present.")
If we’re checking for multiple items in a large, unordered list, it can be faster to convert the list and the items to set
s before performing the check.
import random my_list = list(range(1,10001)) # list of number 1 to 10000 random.shuffle(my_list) # put my_list in a random order items_to_find = list(range(1,1001)) # find the numbers 1 to 1000 my_list_set = set(my_list) items_to_find_set = set(items_to_find) for item in items_to_find_set.intersection(my_list_set): print(f"{item} is present.")
Performance can vary at lower scales and for different lists. When searching for a single item in a list, in
should be sufficient; when searching for common items between two very long lists with thousands of items, set
conversion is probably the way to go.
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