Python - Maximum difference across lists

When it is required to find the maximum difference across the lists, the abs() and the max() methods are used to calculate the absolute difference between corresponding elements and find the largest one.

Example

Below is a demonstration of the same −

my_list_1 = [7, 9, 1, 2, 7]
my_list_2 = [6, 3, 1, 2, 1]
print("The first list is :")
print(my_list_1)
print("The second list is :")
print(my_list_2)

my_result = max(abs(my_list_2[index] - my_list_1[index])
   for index in range(len(my_list_1)))

print("The maximum difference among the lists is :")
print(my_result)

Output

The first list is :
[7, 9, 1, 2, 7]
The second list is :
[6, 3, 1, 2, 1]
The maximum difference among the lists is :
6

Using zip() Method

An alternative approach using zip() to pair corresponding elements −

my_list_1 = [7, 9, 1, 2, 7]
my_list_2 = [6, 3, 1, 2, 1]

my_result = max(abs(a - b) for a, b in zip(my_list_1, my_list_2))
print("Maximum difference using zip():", my_result)

Maximum difference using zip(): 6

How It Works

• Two lists are defined and displayed on the console.

• The difference between corresponding elements is calculated by iterating through the lists.

• The abs() function ensures we get the absolute difference between values.

• The max() function finds the largest difference among all pairs.

• This maximum difference is stored in a variable and displayed as output.

Conclusion

Use max() with abs() to find the maximum absolute difference between corresponding elements. The zip() method provides a cleaner approach for pairing elements.