Structuring a dataset

A set is a collection of items that are unordered and consists of unique elements (meaning they cannot be repeated). This data structure uses the same mathematical concept as finite sets, but it is applied to a computer science data structure.

Let's take a look at the mathematical concept of sets before we dive into the computer science implementation of it. In mathematics, a set is a collection of distinct objects.

For example, we have a set of natural numbers, which consists of integer numbers greater than or equal to 0—that is, N = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...}. The list of the objects within the set is surrounded by {} (curly braces).

There is also the null set concept. A set with no element is called a null set or an empty set. An example would be a set of prime numbers between 24 and 29. Since there is no prime number (a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself) between 24 and 29, the set will be empty. We will represent an...