Python Set clear() Method

The Python set clear() method removes all elements from a set, making it empty. This method modifies the set in place and doesn’t return any value. Once cleared, the set still exists but contains no elements.

The syntax of the clear() method is:

set.clear()

Python set clear() Parameters

The clear() method doesn’t take any parameters. It simply removes all elements from the set, regardless of their type or value.

Since sets are mutable, the clear() method modifies the original set rather than creating a new empty set. This is memory efficient when you need to empty a large set.

Let’s explore some examples to understand how the clear() method works:

# Example 1: Clearing a simple set
numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
numbers.clear()
print(numbers)  # Output: set()

# Example 2: Clearing a set with mixed types
mixed_set = {1, 'hello', (2, 3), 3.14}
mixed_set.clear()
print(mixed_set)  # Output: set()

# Example 3: Difference between clear() and reassignment
set1 = {1, 2, 3}
set2 = set1
set1.clear()
print(set1)  # Output: set()
print(set2)  # Output: set()

Note that using clear() is different from assigning an empty set. When you clear a set, all references to that set will see the change, while reassignment only affects the reassigned variable.