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Consider a nested list. For example:

{{-1.}, {1.99196}, {-0.787432}, {-1.3562, -1., 1.3562}, {-1.77689}, {1.49709}, 
 {-1.}, {1.13944}, {-0.720512}, {-1., -0.84243, 1.68838}, {-0.667961}, 
 {-1.89495, -0.700922, 1.16473}, {-1.}, {1.21298}, {-0.750015}, {-1., -1., 1.}, 
 {-1.3879}, {1.83929}, {-1.}, {1.19503}, {-1.95681}, {1.26995}, {-1.25905}, 
 {1.}, {-1.}, {1.40958}, {-0.824416}, {-1.6483, -1., 1.}, {-1.59721}, {1.}, 
 {-1., 1., 1.83929}, {0.877628}, {-0.562781}, {-1., -0.578329, 1.91893}, 
 {-0.543689}, {-1.63758, -0.553375, 1.2279}, {-1.58235, -1., -0.631973}}`

I am wondering if it is possible to compute the differences of the elements in the lists. For example, if the nested list was just 

{{-1.}, {1.99196}, {-0.787432}, {-1.3562, -1., 1.3562}, {-1.77689}, {1.49709}, 
 {-1.}, {1.13944}, {-0.720512}, {-1., -0.84243, 1.68838}}

I would get:

{.3562, 2.3562, 0.15757, 2.53081}.

In other words, I would like the differences of the elements in lists that have more than one element.

I have tried some applications of Differences, but it is not quite working as expected. Any help and/or ideas are immensely appreciated.

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  • $\begingroup$ How about Differences /@ list // Flatten? $\endgroup$ – jjc385 May 24 '17 at 22:42
  • $\begingroup$ @jjc385 This works wonderfully, thank you! $\endgroup$ – David_Shmij May 24 '17 at 22:58
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It looks like you want to take Differences of all nested lists with more than one element. 

list = {{-1.}, {1.99196}, {-0.787432}, {-1.3562, -1., 1.3562}, {-1.77689}, {1.49709}, {-1.}, {1.13944}, {-0.720512},{-1., -0.84243, 1.68838}};

Differences /@ list

{{}, {}, {}, {0.3562, 2.3562}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {0.15757, 2.53081}}

Notice that Differences applied to a singleton list yields {}. You can get rid of the empty lists and flatten this into one list using Flatten :

Differences /@ list // Flatten

{0.3562, 2.3562, 0.15757, 2.53081}
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If your list is called L, try:

Differences@Flatten[L/.{_}->Nothing]

I do have an extra element compared to you, though. Is that a mistake on your part, or mine?

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  • $\begingroup$ Your mistake. It should be Flatten[Differences /@ (L /. {_} -> Nothing)] $\endgroup$ – m_goldberg May 25 '17 at 0:38

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