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Using Reduce in Python

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12 views

Using Reduce in Python

Uploaded by

Elliot Lassey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Using Reduce in Python

kindly teach me how to use reduce in python

Sure, I'd be happy to explain how to use `reduce` in Python!

The `reduce` function is part of the `functools` module and is used to apply a function of two
arguments cumulatively to the items of a sequence (like a list) from left to right, so as to reduce the
sequence to a single value.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use `reduce`:

1. Import the `reduce` function:

You need to import `reduce` from the `functools` module because it’s not a built-in function in
Python.

python

from functools import reduce

2. Define a function to be applied:

The function you pass to `reduce` must take two arguments. This function will be applied
cumulatively to the items of the sequence.

python

def add(x, y):


return x + y

3. Apply `reduce` to a sequence:

You apply `reduce` by passing the function and the sequence you want to reduce. For example,
to sum the numbers in a list:

python

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = reduce(add, numbers)

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print(result) # Output: 15

In this case, `reduce` will apply `add` as follows:


Step 1: add(1, 2) -> 3
Step 2: add(3, 3) -> 6
Step 3: add(6, 4) -> 10
Step 4: add(10, 5) -> 15

Here’s a more complex example using `reduce` to find the product of all numbers in a list:

python

from functools import reduce

def multiply(x, y):


return x * y

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = reduce(multiply, numbers)
print(result) # Output: 120

In this example, `reduce` will apply `multiply` as follows:

Step 1: multiply(1, 2) -> 2


Step 2: multiply(2, 3) -> 6
Step 3: multiply(6, 4) -> 24
Step 4: multiply(24, 5) -> 120

Using a Lambda Function

You can also use a lambda function with `reduce` for simplicity:

python

from functools import reduce

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = reduce(lambda x, y: x + y, numbers)
print(result) # Output: 15

Here, the lambda function `lambda x, y: x + y` performs the same operation as the `add` function
defined earlier.

Additional Example: Concatenating Strings

Another example could be concatenating strings in a list:

python

from functools import reduce

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words = ['Hello', 'World', 'from', 'reduce']
result = reduce(lambda x, y: x + ' ' + y, words)
print(result) # Output: "Hello World from reduce"

In this example, `reduce` will apply the lambda function to concatenate the strings with a space
between them.

Summary

Import `reduce` from the `functools` module.


Define a function that takes two arguments.
Apply `reduce` with the function and the sequence to reduce.

Feel free to ask if you have any specific use case or further questions!
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