5 Best Ways to Subtract One Polynomial from Another in Python

πŸ’‘ Problem Formulation: When working with polynomials in Python, one might encounter the need to perform basic arithmetic operations, such as subtraction. If we have two polynomials, say P(x) = 3x^2 + 2x + 1 and Q(x) = x^2 + x, the goal is to find the resulting polynomial after subtraction, which in this case should be R(x) = 2x^2 + x + 1.

Method 1: Using Numpy’s poly1d Class

The numpy library provides a method for creating polynomial objects using the poly1d class. These polynomial objects can be directly subtracted in an intuitive manner that resembles algebraic operations. This method requires the numpy library to be installed.

Here’s an example:

import numpy as np

P = np.poly1d([3, 2, 1])
Q = np.poly1d([1, 1, 0])
R = P - Q

print(R)

Output:

   2
2 x + 1 x + 1

This code snippet demonstrates the subtraction of two polynomials created with numpy‘s poly1d class. It succinctly performs the subtraction operation using the `-` operator and results in the expected polynomial R(x).

Method 2: Using the sympy Library

For symbolic mathematics, the sympy library is an ideal choice. This library provides tools for algebraic operations on polynomials, including subtraction, with exact symbolic representations. The sympy library is particularly useful for higher-level mathematical operations or when an exact symbolic answer is required.

Here’s an example:

from sympy import symbols
from sympy import expand

x = symbols('x')
P = 3*x**2 + 2*x + 1
Q = x**2 + x
R = expand(P - Q)

print(R)

Output:

2*x**2 + x + 1

This snippet utilizes the sympy library to define polynomials as symbolic expressions and then subtracts them. The expand function is used to ensure the resulting polynomial is simplified.

Method 3: List-based Coefficient Subtraction

A more manual way of subtracting polynomials is by representing them as lists of coefficients and then subtracting these lists element-wise. This method does not require any external libraries but requires careful handling of the lists, especially when polynomials are of different degrees.

Here’s an example:

P_coef = [3, 2, 1]  # Coefficients of P(x) = 3x^2 + 2x + 1
Q_coef = [1, 1, 0]  # Coefficients of Q(x) = x^2 + x

R_coef = [p - q for p, q in zip(P_coef, Q_coef)]

print(R_coef)

Output:

[2, 1, 1]

In this approach, we zip the coefficient lists P_coef and Q_coef together and subtract the elements pairwise, creating a new list R_coef that represents the coefficients of the resulting polynomial.

Method 4: Using the Polynomial Class of numpy

The numpy library also provides a Polynomial class under its numpy.polynomial module. This class handles polynomial operations and can be a more robust option than using poly1d, especially with future library support in mind.

Here’s an example:

from numpy.polynomial import Polynomial

P = Polynomial([1, 2, 3])  # Polynomials are input with coefficients in ascending order
Q = Polynomial([0, 1, 1])
R = P - Q

print(R)

Output:

Polynomial([ 1.,  1.,  2.], domain=[-1,  1], window=[-1,  1])

This snippet makes use of numpy’s Polynomial class to handle polynomials as first-class objects. The subtraction utilizes the β€˜-β€˜ operator, and the result is printed in a representation that includes coefficients, domain, and window.

Bonus One-Liner Method 5: Using List Comprehension and zip with Padding

To subtract polynomials of potentially different degrees in one line, you can use list comprehension along with zip_longest from the itertools module to handle the lists of coefficients, padding shorter polynomials with zeros as necessary.

Here’s an example:

from itertools import zip_longest

P_coef = [3, 2, 1]
Q_coef = [1, 1]
R_coef = [p - q for p, q in zip_longest(P_coef, Q_coef, fillvalue=0)]

print(R_coef)

Output:

[2, 1, 1]

This compact solution uses list comprehension to subtract element-wise. zip_longest pairs elements, padding with zeroes wherever the lists have different lengths, ensuring proper subtraction without explicit pre-processing of coefficient lists.

Summary/Discussion

  • Method 1: Numpy’s poly1d. Straightforward and clean syntax. Might not be suitable for symbolic algebra or polynomials with non-integer coefficients.
  • Method 2: sympy Library. Provides exact symbolic results. Might be overkill for simple numerical operations and has additional overhead compared to other methods.
  • Method 3: List-based Coefficient Subtraction. No external libraries needed. Can be error-prone and requires manual handling of lists of different lengths.
  • Method 4: numpy Polynomial Class. Robust and future-proof method within numpy. Slightly more complex syntax due to object’s representation containing additional information.
  • Method 5: One-Liner with zip_longest. Quick and concise. Might be less readable for those not familiar with itertools or complex list operations.