Python’s min() Function

• iterable: The iterable to be searched for the minimum value.
• *iterables: Additional iterables to be searched for the minimum value.
• key (optional): A function to be called on each element of the iterable(s) for comparison.
• default (optional): The value to be returned if the iterable(s) are empty.

Example 1: Basic Usage

Let’s start with a simple example:

numbers = [3, 7, 2, 9, 1]
print(min(numbers))  # Output: 1

Here, min() finds the minimum value in the list numbers, which is 1.

Example 2: Using key Parameter

You can specify a key function to customize the comparison:

words = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(min(words, key=len))  # Output: apple

In this example, min() finds the shortest word in the list words based on their lengths.

Example 3: Finding Minimum of Multiple Iterables

min() can also find the minimum among multiple iterables:

list1 = [10, 20, 30]
list2 = [40, 5, 60]
print(min(list1, list2))  # Output: [10, 20, 30]

Here, min() compares the minimum values from list1 and list2, and returns the minimum of the two.

Example 4: Handling Empty Iterables

min() handles empty iterables gracefully:

empty_list = []
print(min(empty_list, default="No elements"))  # Output: No elements

In this case, since empty_list is empty, min() returns the default value "No elements".

Example 5: Using min() with Custom Objects

min() can be used with custom objects by specifying a key function:

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

people = [Person("Alice", 30), Person("Bob", 25), Person("Charlie", 35)]
youngest_person = min(people, key=lambda p: p.age)
print(youngest_person.name)  # Output: Bob

Here, min() finds the youngest person in the list people based on their ages.

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