Python Program to print all distinct uncommon digits present in two given numbers

When it is required to print all the distinct uncommon digits that are present in two numbers, a method is defined that takes two integers as parameters. The method symmetric_difference() is used to get the uncommon digits that exist in one number but not in both.

What are Uncommon Digits?

Uncommon digits are digits that appear in one number but not in the other. For example, in numbers 567234 and 87953573214, the uncommon digits are 1, 6, 8, and 9.

Example

Below is a demonstration of finding distinct uncommon digits ?

def distinct_uncommon_nums(val_1, val_2):
    # Convert numbers to strings to access individual digits
    val_1 = str(val_1)
    val_2 = str(val_2)
    
    # Convert string digits to integers and create lists
    digits_1 = list(map(int, val_1))
    digits_2 = list(map(int, val_2))
    
    # Convert to sets to get unique digits
    set_1 = set(digits_1)
    set_2 = set(digits_2)
    
    # Find symmetric difference (uncommon digits)
    uncommon_digits = set_1.symmetric_difference(set_2)
    
    # Convert to list and sort in descending order
    result = list(uncommon_digits)
    result.sort(reverse=True)
    
    return result

# Test the function
num_1 = 567234
num_2 = 87953573214

print("The value of first number is:")
print(num_1)
print("The value of second number is:")
print(num_2)

uncommon = distinct_uncommon_nums(num_1, num_2)
print("Distinct uncommon digits are:")
for digit in uncommon:
    print(digit)

The value of first number is:
567234
The value of second number is:
87953573214
Distinct uncommon digits are:
9
8
6
1

How It Works

The algorithm follows these steps:

• Convert to strings: Numbers are converted to strings to access individual digits

• Extract digits: Each digit is mapped to integer and stored in a list

• Create sets: Lists are converted to sets to eliminate duplicate digits

• Find symmetric difference: The symmetric_difference() method returns digits present in either set but not in both

• Sort results: Uncommon digits are sorted in descending order for display

Alternative Approach Using Set Operations

You can also use the XOR operator (^) for symmetric difference ?

def find_uncommon_digits(num1, num2):
    # Get unique digits from both numbers
    digits1 = set(str(num1))
    digits2 = set(str(num2))
    
    # Find symmetric difference using ^ operator
    uncommon = digits1 ^ digits2
    
    # Convert to sorted list
    return sorted(map(int, uncommon), reverse=True)

# Example usage
number1 = 12345
number2 = 67890

result = find_uncommon_digits(number1, number2)
print(f"Numbers: {number1}, {number2}")
print(f"Uncommon digits: {result}")

Numbers: 12345, 67890
Uncommon digits: [9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

Conclusion

Use symmetric_difference() or the XOR operator (^) to find digits that exist in one number but not both. Converting numbers to sets automatically handles duplicate digits and makes comparison efficient.