Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.python > #28428

Re: Comparing strings from the back?

Path csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder4.news.weretis.net!ecngs!feeder2.ecngs.de!newsfeed.freenet.ag!news2.euro.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed5.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path <rosuav@gmail.com>
X-Original-To python-list@python.org
Delivered-To python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status OK 0.016
X-Spam-Evidence '*H*': 0.97; '*S*': 0.00; 'case.': 0.05; 'memory.': 0.05; 'python': 0.09; 'derived': 0.09; 'length.': 0.09; 'sep': 0.09; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'rationale': 0.16; 'wed,': 0.16; 'string': 0.17; 'wrote:': 0.17; 'comparing': 0.17; 'random': 0.24; 'second': 0.24; 'header:In- Reply-To:1': 0.25; 'common': 0.26; 'am,': 0.27; 'scale': 0.27; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.27; 'options': 0.27; 'actual': 0.28; 'equality': 0.29; 'probability': 0.29; 'restricted': 0.29; 'strings,': 0.29; 'character': 0.29; 'received:209.85.210.174': 0.30; 'received:mail-iy0-f174.google.com': 0.30; 'cases,': 0.33; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.33; 'received:google.com': 0.34; 'third': 0.34; 'compared': 0.35; 'data,': 0.35; 'follows:': 0.35; 'so,': 0.35; 'subject:?': 0.35; 'received:209.85': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'really': 0.36; 'but': 0.36; 'compare': 0.36; 'two': 0.37; 'received:209': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'little': 0.39; 'where': 0.40; 'header:Received:5': 0.40; 'real': 0.61; 'first': 0.61; 'chance': 0.61; 'more': 0.63; 'random,': 0.84; 'dozen': 0.91; 'same,': 0.91; 'average': 0.93
DKIM-Signature v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; bh=y9sksEKoI0q8MPNq+wfij0qwtDszDh1SSjl85QVd4Y4=; b=O2vcNQoiGVl46kSxltmYWZVgZmMCmzvM0sruXXWDsozpkO1ghntv94eD8FbUe+CwsL xPtWbsj7Sr8JkeQCd/vb8T1vmz9a7iMM+FoNCAPuqwbZlJo1ohqxV8y6gfhiWcKW2BJQ 8nkZGM8g7I9lk8fXMlQjU0669anYiQzRZ3gUvsWWyWXOrJK8UshWcBnuzlGHW8NQGo4Y 0QqBBUCCmFD18ykbv5f/pFGdYEab3lX94NFDZEN4kzQKN+9SFIfVKUVFsHeCcBErcsRC iQoga4NoX6ueXs2LcNcx5Sxe+vK/v243+BUfhCe2/XpjMF1ehha7zkv87/1PF0NGeu67 ztZA==
MIME-Version 1.0
In-Reply-To <k25afd$7vj$1@news.albasani.net>
References <roy-B37C28.21540103092012@news.panix.com> <504564ba$0$29978$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <k25afd$7vj$1@news.albasani.net>
Date Wed, 5 Sep 2012 07:59:43 +1000
Subject Re: Comparing strings from the back?
From Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
To python-list@python.org
Content-Type text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
X-BeenThere python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version 2.1.15
Precedence list
List-Id General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe <http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/>
List-Post <mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe <http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Newsgroups comp.lang.python
Message-ID <mailman.194.1346795987.27098.python-list@python.org> (permalink)
Lines 25
NNTP-Posting-Host 2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace 1346795987 news.xs4all.nl 6906 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:46451
X-Complaints-To abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref csiph.com comp.lang.python:28428

Show key headers only | View raw

On Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 2:32 AM, Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> wrote:
> How do you arrive at that conclusion? When comparing two random strings,
> I just derived
>
> n = (256 / 255) * (1 - 256 ^ (-c))
>
> where n is the average number of character comparisons and c. The
> rationale as follows: The first character has to be compared in any
> case. The second with a probability of 1/256, the third with 1/(256^2)
> and so on.

That would be for comparing two random areas of memory. Python strings
don't have 256 options per character; and in terms of actual strings,
there's so many possibilities. The strings that a program is going to
compare for equality are going to use a vastly restricted alphabet;
for a lot of cases, there might be only a few dozen plausible
characters.

But even so, it's going to scale approximately linearly with the
string length. If they're really random, then yes, there's little
chance that either a 1MB string or a 2MB string will be the same, but
with real data, they might very well have a long common prefix. So
it's still going to be more or less O(n).

ChrisA

Back to comp.lang.python | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Comparing strings from the back? Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2012-09-03 21:54 -0400
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-04 12:07 +1000
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-04 02:17 +0000
    Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dan Sommers <dan@tombstonezero.net> - 2012-09-03 21:56 -0700
    Re: Comparing strings from the back? Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-09-04 08:50 +0100
    Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-04 18:32 +0200
      Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-04 18:07 +0000
        Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-05 11:17 +0200
      Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-05 07:59 +1000
        Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-05 11:24 +0200
          Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-05 11:43 +0200
            Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-05 14:30 +0000
              Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-05 16:51 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-05 16:24 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-05 22:47 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-06 08:33 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dave Angel <d@davea.name> - 2012-09-06 06:07 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-07 04:06 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-07 19:10 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-08 00:55 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-08 11:53 +0000
                RE: Comparing strings from the back? "Prasad, Ramit" <ramit.prasad@jpmorgan.com> - 2012-09-13 18:39 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-13 15:37 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-13 20:48 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 00:46 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-13 21:54 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 01:38 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-13 23:06 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 04:03 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 01:20 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 04:53 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 03:26 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 07:36 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-14 10:16 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 07:43 -0400
                RE: Comparing strings from the back? "Prasad, Ramit" <ramit.prasad@jpmorgan.com> - 2012-09-14 22:43 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 23:10 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-16 18:11 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-17 14:05 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-09-16 23:06 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2012-09-17 13:35 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Neil Hodgson <nhodgson@iinet.net.au> - 2012-09-18 09:14 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2012-09-18 08:12 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-18 11:55 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-18 11:59 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-18 12:17 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-19 00:47 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-19 02:20 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-18 16:40 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-09-19 00:48 +0100
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-09-13 20:53 +0100
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-13 17:06 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-14 03:39 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-14 14:15 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-09-13 22:17 +0100
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dwight Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2012-09-13 17:35 -0400
                RE: Comparing strings from the back? "Prasad, Ramit" <ramit.prasad@jpmorgan.com> - 2012-09-14 21:32 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-07 19:40 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Gelonida N <gelonida@gmail.com> - 2012-09-08 17:52 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2012-09-10 08:59 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-10 13:45 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-10 14:06 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2012-09-11 09:51 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-09-11 11:55 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-11 00:26 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-10 14:32 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-10 14:43 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-11 00:56 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2012-09-11 09:41 +0000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-06 12:04 +0100
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steve Howell <showell30@yahoo.com> - 2012-09-14 17:51 -0700
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2012-09-06 08:13 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-06 22:29 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 15:43 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dave Angel <d@davea.name> - 2012-09-06 10:23 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 16:33 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 16:42 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dave Angel <d@davea.name> - 2012-09-06 11:54 -0400
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 16:34 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Gelonida N <gelonida@gmail.com> - 2012-09-08 17:50 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 15:37 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-07 00:39 +1000
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 17:36 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-06 17:44 +0200
                Re: Comparing strings from the back? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-09-07 04:07 +0000
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2012-09-04 01:13 -0400
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-09-04 08:56 +0100
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2012-09-04 11:58 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Neil Hodgson <nhodgson@iinet.net.au> - 2012-09-05 12:18 +1000
    Re: Comparing strings from the back? MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2012-09-05 03:39 +0100
    Re: Comparing strings from the back? Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2012-09-04 22:48 -0400
    Re: Comparing strings from the back? Johannes Bauer <dfnsonfsduifb@gmx.de> - 2012-09-05 16:33 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2012-09-05 10:29 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-09-05 18:33 +1000
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2012-09-05 11:48 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2012-09-05 17:45 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dan Goodman <dg.gmane@thesamovar.net> - 2012-09-10 18:07 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-10 16:33 +0000
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dan Goodman <dg.gmane@thesamovar.net> - 2012-09-10 19:32 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Dan Goodman <dg.gmane@thesamovar.net> - 2012-09-10 19:44 +0200
  Re: Comparing strings from the back? Oscar Benjamin <oscar.j.benjamin@gmail.com> - 2012-09-10 21:52 +0000

csiph-web