this is simple...

[ToshiBoy]

I am a newbie... and the first to admit it... but this has me stuffed:

I have two lists A and B that are both defined as range(1,27) I want
to find the entries that are valid for A = BxB

so here is my code:

A = range(1,27)
B = range(1,27)

for b in B:
if b*b in A:
print b
else:
B.remove(b)

I get, as expected 1,4,9,16,25 printed out being the only members of B
where the condition is true, but when I print B I get:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25]

1 to 5 is correct, but why doesn't the remove method remove 7 and
above? What am I doing wrong here?

 

[Mel]

I have two lists A and B that are both defined as range(1,27) I want
to find the entries that are valid for A = BxB [ ... ]
I get, as expected 1,4,9,16,25 printed out being the only members of B
where the condition is true, but when I print B I get:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25]

1 to 5 is correct, but why doesn't the remove method remove 7 and
above? What am I doing wrong here?

Try this:


A = range(1,27)
B = range(1,27)
C = []

for b in B:
print "Trying", b
if b*b in A:
print b
C.append (b)
else:
print "Removing", b
B.remove(b)
print 'B', B
print 'C', C


The essential problem is that your `B.remove`s are pulling the rug out from
under your `for b in B:`. There are ways to mess with B while you iterate.
Running though B backwards will do: `for b in B[::-1]:`, or iterating over
a copy of B: `for b in B[:]:` or `for b in list(B):`. Leaving B alone and
building up the desired items in C is probably simplest.

Mel.

 

[Maric Michaud]

Le Saturday 28 June 2008 06:30:25 ToshiBoy, vous avez écrit :

I am a newbie... and the first to admit it... but this has me stuffed:

I have two lists A and B that are both defined as range(1,27) I want
to find the entries that are valid for A = BxB

so here is my code:

A = range(1,27)
B = range(1,27)

for b in B:
if b*b in A:
print b
else:
B.remove(b)

I get, as expected 1,4,9,16,25 printed out being the only members of B
where the condition is true, but when I print B I get:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25]

1 to 5 is correct, but why doesn't the remove method remove 7 and
above? What am I doing wrong here?

This is a frequent error from beginner, you're iterating over a list while
modifying it, the result is undefined.

The most immediate solution is to use a copy of the list you iterate over :

[169]: A = range(1,27)

[170]: B = range(1,27)
[171]: for b in B[:] :

if b*b in A:
print b
else:
B.remove(b)
.....:
.....:
1
2
3
4
5

[176]: B

...[176]: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Note that this can be easily done with the simpler :

B = [ e for e in B if e*e not in A ]

 

[ToshiBoy]

I have two lists A and B that are both defined as range(1,27) I want
to find the entries that are valid for A = BxB [ ... ]
I get, as expected 1,4,9,16,25 printed out being the only members of B
where the condition is true, but when I print B I get:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25]

1 to 5 is correct, but why doesn't the remove method remove 7 and
above? What am I doing wrong here?

Try this:

A = range(1,27)
B = range(1,27)
C = []

for b in B:
    print "Trying", b
    if b*b in A:
        print b
        C.append (b)
    else:
        print "Removing", b
        B.remove(b)
print 'B', B
print 'C', C

The essential problem is that your `B.remove`s are pulling the rug out from
under your `for b in B:`.  There are ways to mess with B while you iterate.
Running though B backwards will do: `for b in B[::-1]:`, or iterating over
a copy of B: `for b in B[:]:` or `for b in list(B):`.  Leaving B alone and
building up the desired items in C is probably simplest.

        Mel.

Thank you, of course! Didn't even think of that... that I was
modifying my iterators...

Thank you