What is DataFrame.min_horizontal function in Polars?

The polars.DataFrame.min_horizontal function is designed to find the minimum value horizontally across columns in a DataFrame. It returns a series containing the minimum values across each row, named min.

Syntax

DataFrame.min_horizontal()
Finding the minimum value horizontally

This function takes no additional parameters. This function returns a series named min containing the minimum values across each row.

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Code

Now let’s see the code below to see the working of min_horizontal function in Polars:

import polars as pl
df = pl.DataFrame({
'length': [10, 12, 23, 65],
'width': [40, 5, 62, 32],
'height': [70, 8, 9, 23]
})
min_val = df.min_horizontal()
print(min_val)

Explanation

  • Lines 3–7: We created a DataFrame named df is created. The DataFrame has three columns (length, width, height) and four rows, with corresponding values provided in lists.

  • Line 9: We applied min_horizontal function to the DataFrame df to find the minimum values horizontally across each row. The result is assigned to the variable min_val, which will be a series containing the minimum values, with the name min. The min_horizontal function will find the minimum values across each row:

    • For row 0: The minimum value is 10.

    • For row 1: The minimum value is 5.

    • For row 2: The minimum value is 9.

    • For row 3: The minimum value is 23.

  • Line 10: Finally, the minimum values across each row, stored in the Series min_val, are printed to the console.

Conclusion

The polars.DataFrame.min_horizontal function in Polars provides a convenient way to find the minimum values horizontally across each row of a DataFrame. By applying this function, one obtains a series containing the minimum values with the name min. This facilitates quick and efficient analysis of row-wise minimum values in tabular data, offering valuable insights into the smallest values within each record of the DataFrame.

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