Intersection and union of small sets
Input
set_intersection_union({1, 2, 3}, {2, 3, 4})
Output
([2, 3], [1, 2, 3, 4])
Intersection is {2,3} and union is {1,2,3,4}, returned as sorted lists.
Full lesson preview
Find the intersection and union of two sets
Compute the intersection and union of two collections, returning sorted lists for deterministic output.
Python practice16 minDictionaries & SetsIntermediateLast updated March 18, 2026
Problem statement
Given two iterables (e.g., lists or sets) of hashable items, compute their intersection and union. Return a tuple (intersection_list, union_list) where both lists are sorted in ascending order. Duplicate items in input should be ignored because sets only contain unique elements. Sorting ensures deterministic output for tests and users.
Task
Write a function that accepts two iterables, computes their set intersection and union, and returns both as sorted lists.
Examples
Input format
Two iterables containing hashable items (e.g., lists, sets, tuples).
Output format
A tuple of two lists: (sorted_intersection, sorted_union).
Constraints
Do not assume inputs are sets; convert them to sets first. Sorting should use the default order for the item types (numbers or strings).
Samples
Sample 1
Input
set_intersection_union([3, 1, 2], [2, 4])
Output
([2], [1, 2, 3, 4])
Duplicates removed; intersection [2], union [1,2,3,4].