Python: Determine which triples sum to zero

Last update on April 17 2025 13:02:59 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Zero-Sum Triples Finder

Write a Python program to determine which triples sum to zero from a given list of lists.

Input: 
[[1343532, -2920635, 332], [-27, 18, 9], [4, 0, -4], [2, 2, 2], [-20, 16, 4]] 
Output:
[False, True, True, False, True]

Input:  
[[1, 2, -3], [-4, 0, 4], [0, 1, -5], [1, 1, 1], [-2, 4, -1]]
Output:
[True, True, False, False, False]

Visual Presentation:

Python: Determine which triples sum to zero.

Sample Solution-1:

Python Code:

# License: https://bit.ly/3oLErEI

# Define a function named 'test' that takes a list of lists of numbers 'nums' as input
def test(nums):
    # Use a list comprehension to check if the sum of each triple in 'nums' is equal to zero
    return [sum(t) == 0 for t in nums]

# Assign a specific list of lists 'nums' to the variable
nums = [[1343532, -2920635, 332], [-27, 18, 9], [4, 0, -4], [2, 2, 2], [-20, 16, 4]]

# Print a message indicating the original list of lists
print("Original list of lists:", nums)

# Print a message indicating the operation to be performed
print("Determine which triples sum to zero:")
# Print the result of the test function applied to 'nums'
print(test(nums))

# Assign another specific list of lists 'nums' to the variable
nums = [[1, 2, -3], [-4, 0, 4], [0, 1, -5], [1, 1, 1], [-2, 4, -1]]

# Print a message indicating the original list of lists
print("\nOriginal list of lists:", nums)

# Print a message indicating the operation to be performed
print("Determine which triples sum to zero:")
# Print the result of the test function applied to 'nums'
print(test(nums))

Sample Output:

Original list of lists: [[1343532, -2920635, 332], [-27, 18, 9], [4, 0, -4], [2, 2, 2], [-20, 16, 4]]
Determine which triples sum to zero:
[False, True, True, False, True]

Original list of lists: [[1, 2, -3], [-4, 0, 4], [0, 1, -5], [1, 1, 1], [-2, 4, -1]]
Determine which triples sum to zero:
[True, True, False, False, False]

Flowchart:

Sample Solution-2:

Python Code:

# License: https://bit.ly/3oLErEI

# Define a function named 'test' that takes a list of lists of numbers 'nums' as input
def test(nums):
    # Initialize an empty list to store Boolean values indicating if a triple sums to zero
    zero_sums = []
    
    # Iterate through each triple in the list of lists 'nums'
    for trip in nums:
        # Iterate through each pair of indices i, j in the triple
        for i in range(len(trip)):
            for j in range(i + 1, len(trip)):
                # Iterate through each index k greater than j
                for k in range(j + 1, len(trip)):
                    # Check if the sum of elements at indices i, j, and k is equal to zero
                    if trip[i] + trip[j] + trip[k] == 0:
                        # If a zero sum is found, append True to the 'zero_sums' list and break the loop
                        zero_sums.append(True)
                        break
                else:
                    continue
                break
            else:
                continue
            break
        else:
            # If no zero sum is found, append False to the 'zero_sums' list
            zero_sums.append(False)
    
    # Return the list of Boolean values indicating whether each triple sums to zero
    return zero_sums

# Assign a specific list of lists 'nums' to the variable
nums = [[1343532, -2920635, 332], [-27, 18, 9], [4, 0, -4], [2, 2, 2], [-20, 16, 4]]

# Print a message indicating the original list of lists
print("Original list of lists:", nums)

# Print a message indicating the operation to be performed
print("Determine which triples sum to zero:")
# Print the result of the test function applied to 'nums'
print(test(nums))

# Assign another specific list of lists 'nums' to the variable
nums = [[1, 2, -3], [-4, 0, 4], [0, 1, -5], [1, 1, 1], [-2, 4, -1]]

# Print a message indicating the original list of lists
print("\nOriginal list of lists:", nums)

# Print a message indicating the operation to be performed
print("Determine which triples sum to zero:")
# Print the result of the test function applied to 'nums'
print(test(nums))

Sample Output:

Original list of lists: [[1343532, -2920635, 332], [-27, 18, 9], [4, 0, -4], [2, 2, 2], [-20, 16, 4]]
Determine which triples sum to zero:
[False, True, True, False, True]

Original list of lists: [[1, 2, -3], [-4, 0, 4], [0, 1, -5], [1, 1, 1], [-2, 4, -1]]
Determine which triples sum to zero:
[True, True, False, False, False]

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Python program to identify and return a list of booleans indicating which sublists sum to zero from a list of triple lists.
Write a Python program to check each triple in a list of triples and return True if the elements sum to zero.
Write a Python program to use list comprehension to verify zero-sum properties for each triple in a nested list.
Write a Python program to iterate through a list of triple lists and determine for each whether their sum is zero.

Go to:

Previous: Sort the numbers by the sum of their digits.
Next: Find string s that, when case is flipped gives target where vowels are replaced by chars two later.

Python Code Editor :

Have another way to solve this solution? Contribute your code (and comments) through Disqus.