The built-in function max() helps to returns the largest element in a given iterable. It can also possible to find the largest element between two or more parameters.
# to find the largest item in an iterable
max(iterable, *iterables, key, default)
# to find the largest item between two or more objects
max(arg1, arg2, *args, key)
max() function with iterable has the following parameters.
max(iterable, *iterables, key, default)
| Parameter | Description | Required / Optional |
|---|---|---|
| iterable | an iterable such as list, tuple, set, dictionary, etc. | Required |
| *iterables | any number of iterables; can be more than one | Optional |
| key | a key function where the iterables are passed and comparison is performed | Optional |
| default | default value if the given iterable is empty | Optional |
max() function without iterable() have following parameters.
max(arg1, arg2, *args, key)
| Parameter | Description | Required / Optional |
|---|---|---|
| arg1 | an object; can be numbers, strings, etc | Required |
| arg2 | an object; can be numbers, strings, etc | Required |
| *args | any number of objects | Optional |
| key | a key function where each argument is passed and comparison is performed | Optional |
In case of passing an empty iterator, it will raise a ValueError exception for avoiding this, we can pass the default parameter.
And if we passing more than one iterators, then the largest item from the given iterators is returned.
| Input | Return Value |
|---|---|
| Integer | largest integer |
| String | the character with maximum Unicode value |
number = [13, 2, 8, 5, 10, 26]
largest_number = max(number);
print("The largest number is:", largest_number)
Output:
The largest number is: 26
languages = ["Python", "C Programming", "Java", "JavaScript"]
largest_string = max(languages);
print("The largest string is:", largest_string)
Output:
The largest string is: Python
square = {2: 4, -3: 9, -1: 1, -2: 4}
# the largest key
key1 = max(square)
print("The largest key:", key1) # 2
# the key whose value is the largest
key2 = max(square, key = lambda k: square[k])
print("The key with the largest value:", key2) # -3
# getting the largest value
print("The largest value:", square[key2]) # 9
Output:
The largest key: 2 The key with the largest value: -3 The largest value: 9
result = max(4, -5, 23, 5)
print("The maximum number is:", result)
Output:
The maximum number is: 23
class Data:
id = 0
def __init__(self, i):
self.id = i
def __str__(self):
return 'Data[%s]' % self.id
def get_data_id(data):
return data.id
# max() with objects and key argument
list_objects = [Data(1), Data(2), Data(-10)]
print(max(list_objects, key=get_data_id))
Output:
Data[2]
