Both maps and sets are data structures used in programming, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics:

1. Set:

– Purpose: A set is used to store unique elements.

– Operations: Common operations include adding elements, removing elements, and checking for the existence of elements.

– Uniqueness:Sets automatically handle duplicates, ensuring that each element is unique.

– Implementation:In many languages, sets are often implemented as hash sets, which provide average O(1) time complexity for insertion, deletion, and lookup operations.

– Use Case:Useful for tasks where you need to track a collection of unique items, like ensuring there are no duplicate values in a list.

2. Map (or Dictionary/Hash Table):

– Purpose:A map is used to store key-value pairs.

– Operations: Common operations include inserting a key-value pair, removing a key (and its associated value), and retrieving the value associated with a key.

– Keys: Keys in a map are unique, but values can be duplicated.

– Implementation: Maps are often implemented as hash tables, providing average O(1) time complexity for insertion, deletion, and lookup operations based on keys.

– Use Case:Useful for tasks where you need to associate values with keys, like looking up the meaning of a word in a dictionary.