How to improve the speed of my selection process, python
Question: **Edit: Due to errors in my code i updated with my oldest, but working code**

I get a list of speed recordings from a database, and I want to find the max
speed in that list. Sounds easy enough, but I got some requirements for any
max speed to count:

If the max speed is over a certain level, it has to have more than a certain
number of records to be recognized as maximum speed. The reason for this logic
is that I want the max speed under normal conditions, not just an error or one
time occurrence. I also have a constraint that a speed has to be over a
certain limit to be counted, for the same reason.

Here is the example on a speed array:

    
    
    v = [8.0, 1.3, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.1, 14.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 13.8, 13.9, 13.7, 13.6, 13.5, 13.4, 15.7, 15.8, 15.0, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.2, 12.8, 12.7, 12.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.6, 9.0, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, 0.1, 0.0, 16.4, 16.5, 16.7, 16.8, 17.0, 17.1, 17.8, 17.7, 17.6, 17.4, 17.5, 17.3, 17.9, 18.2, 18.3, 18.1, 18.0, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 19.0, 19.1, 18.9, 19.2, 19.3, 19.9, 20.1, 19.8, 20.0, 19.7, 19.6, 19.5, 20.2, 20.3, 18.7, 18.8, 17.2, 16.9, 11.5, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 7.1, 12.9, 14.4, 13.1, 13.2, 12.5, 12.1, 12.2, 13.0, 0.2, 3.6, 7.4, 4.6, 4.5, 4.3, 4.0, 9.4, 9.6, 9.7, 5.8, 5.7, 7.3, 2.1, 0.4, 0.3, 16.1, 11.9, 12.0, 11.7, 11.8, 10.0, 10.1, 9.8, 15.1, 14.7, 14.8, 10.2, 10.3, 1.2, 9.9, 1.9, 3.4, 14.6, 0.6, 5.1, 5.2, 7.5, 19.4, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 0.5, 16.3, 16.2, 16.0, 16.6, 12.4, 11.0, 1.7, 1.6, 2.4, 11.6, 3.9, 3.8, 14.5, 11.1]
    

This is my code to find what I define as the true maximum speed:

    
    
    from collections import Counter
    while max(speeds)>30:
        speeds.remove(max(speeds))
    nwsp = []
    for s in speeds:
        nwsp.append(np.floor(s))
    count = Counter(nwsp)
    while speeds and max(speeds)>14 and count[np.floor(max(speeds))]<10:
        speeds.remove(max(speeds))
    while speeds and max(speeds)<5:
        speeds.remove(max(speeds))
    if speeds:
        print max(speeds)
        return max(speeds)
    else:
        return False
    

Result with v as shown over: 19.9

The reason that i make the nwsp is that it doesn't matter for me if f.ex 19.6
is only found 9 times - if any number inside the same integer, f.ex 19.7 is
found 3 times as well, then 19.6 will be valid.

How can I rewrite/optimize this code so the selection process is quicker? I
already removed the max(speeds) and instead sorted the list and referenced the
largest element using speeds[-1].

Sorry for not adding any unit to my speeds.


Answer: Your code is just slow because you call `max` and `remove` over and over and
over again and each of those calls costs time proportional to the length of
the list. Any reasonable solution will be much faster.

If you know that `False` can't happen, then this suffices:

    
    
    speeds = [8.0, 1.3, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.1, 14.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 13.8, 13.9, 13.7, 13.6, 13.5, 13.4, 15.7, 15.8, 15.0, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.2, 12.8, 12.7, 12.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.6, 9.0, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, 0.1, 0.0, 16.4, 16.5, 16.7, 16.8, 17.0, 17.1, 17.8, 17.7, 17.6, 17.4, 17.5, 17.3, 17.9, 18.2, 18.3, 18.1, 18.0, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 19.0, 19.1, 18.9, 19.2, 19.3, 19.9, 20.1, 19.8, 20.0, 19.7, 19.6, 19.5, 20.2, 20.3, 18.7, 18.8, 17.2, 16.9, 11.5, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 7.1, 12.9, 14.4, 13.1, 13.2, 12.5, 12.1, 12.2, 13.0, 0.2, 3.6, 7.4, 4.6, 4.5, 4.3, 4.0, 9.4, 9.6, 9.7, 5.8, 5.7, 7.3, 2.1, 0.4, 0.3, 16.1, 11.9, 12.0, 11.7, 11.8, 10.0, 10.1, 9.8, 15.1, 14.7, 14.8, 10.2, 10.3, 1.2, 9.9, 1.9, 3.4, 14.6, 0.6, 5.1, 5.2, 7.5, 19.4, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 0.5, 16.3, 16.2, 16.0, 16.6, 12.4, 11.0, 1.7, 1.6, 2.4, 11.6, 3.9, 3.8, 14.5, 11.1]
    
    from collections import Counter
    count = Counter(map(int, speeds))
    print max(s for s in speeds
              if 5 <= s <= 30 and (s <= 14 or count[int(s)] >= 10))
    

If the `False` case can happen, this would be one way:

    
    
    speeds = [8.0, 1.3, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.1, 14.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 13.8, 13.9, 13.7, 13.6, 13.5, 13.4, 15.7, 15.8, 15.0, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.2, 12.8, 12.7, 12.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.6, 9.0, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, 0.1, 0.0, 16.4, 16.5, 16.7, 16.8, 17.0, 17.1, 17.8, 17.7, 17.6, 17.4, 17.5, 17.3, 17.9, 18.2, 18.3, 18.1, 18.0, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 19.0, 19.1, 18.9, 19.2, 19.3, 19.9, 20.1, 19.8, 20.0, 19.7, 19.6, 19.5, 20.2, 20.3, 18.7, 18.8, 17.2, 16.9, 11.5, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 7.1, 12.9, 14.4, 13.1, 13.2, 12.5, 12.1, 12.2, 13.0, 0.2, 3.6, 7.4, 4.6, 4.5, 4.3, 4.0, 9.4, 9.6, 9.7, 5.8, 5.7, 7.3, 2.1, 0.4, 0.3, 16.1, 11.9, 12.0, 11.7, 11.8, 10.0, 10.1, 9.8, 15.1, 14.7, 14.8, 10.2, 10.3, 1.2, 9.9, 1.9, 3.4, 14.6, 0.6, 5.1, 5.2, 7.5, 19.4, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 0.5, 16.3, 16.2, 16.0, 16.6, 12.4, 11.0, 1.7, 1.6, 2.4, 11.6, 3.9, 3.8, 14.5, 11.1]
    
    from collections import Counter
    count = Counter(map(int, speeds))
    valids = [s for s in speeds
             if 5 <= s <= 30 and (s <= 14 or count[int(s)] >= 10)]
    print max(valids) if valids else False
    

Or sort and use `next`, which can take your `False` as default:

    
    
    speeds = [8.0, 1.3, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.1, 14.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 13.8, 13.9, 13.7, 13.6, 13.5, 13.4, 15.7, 15.8, 15.0, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.2, 12.8, 12.7, 12.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.6, 9.0, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, 0.1, 0.0, 16.4, 16.5, 16.7, 16.8, 17.0, 17.1, 17.8, 17.7, 17.6, 17.4, 17.5, 17.3, 17.9, 18.2, 18.3, 18.1, 18.0, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 19.0, 19.1, 18.9, 19.2, 19.3, 19.9, 20.1, 19.8, 20.0, 19.7, 19.6, 19.5, 20.2, 20.3, 18.7, 18.8, 17.2, 16.9, 11.5, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 7.1, 12.9, 14.4, 13.1, 13.2, 12.5, 12.1, 12.2, 13.0, 0.2, 3.6, 7.4, 4.6, 4.5, 4.3, 4.0, 9.4, 9.6, 9.7, 5.8, 5.7, 7.3, 2.1, 0.4, 0.3, 16.1, 11.9, 12.0, 11.7, 11.8, 10.0, 10.1, 9.8, 15.1, 14.7, 14.8, 10.2, 10.3, 1.2, 9.9, 1.9, 3.4, 14.6, 0.6, 5.1, 5.2, 7.5, 19.4, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 0.5, 16.3, 16.2, 16.0, 16.6, 12.4, 11.0, 1.7, 1.6, 2.4, 11.6, 3.9, 3.8, 14.5, 11.1]
    
    count = Counter(map(int, speeds))
    print next((s for s in reversed(sorted(speeds))
                if 5 <= s <= 30 and (s <= 14 or count[int(s)] >= 10)),
               False)
    

Instead of `Counter`, you could also use `groupby`:

    
    
    speeds = [8.0, 1.3, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.1, 14.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 13.8, 13.9, 13.7, 13.6, 13.5, 13.4, 15.7, 15.8, 15.0, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.2, 12.8, 12.7, 12.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.6, 9.0, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, 0.1, 0.0, 16.4, 16.5, 16.7, 16.8, 17.0, 17.1, 17.8, 17.7, 17.6, 17.4, 17.5, 17.3, 17.9, 18.2, 18.3, 18.1, 18.0, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 19.0, 19.1, 18.9, 19.2, 19.3, 19.9, 20.1, 19.8, 20.0, 19.7, 19.6, 19.5, 20.2, 20.3, 18.7, 18.8, 17.2, 16.9, 11.5, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 7.1, 12.9, 14.4, 13.1, 13.2, 12.5, 12.1, 12.2, 13.0, 0.2, 3.6, 7.4, 4.6, 4.5, 4.3, 4.0, 9.4, 9.6, 9.7, 5.8, 5.7, 7.3, 2.1, 0.4, 0.3, 16.1, 11.9, 12.0, 11.7, 11.8, 10.0, 10.1, 9.8, 15.1, 14.7, 14.8, 10.2, 10.3, 1.2, 9.9, 1.9, 3.4, 14.6, 0.6, 5.1, 5.2, 7.5, 19.4, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 0.5, 16.3, 16.2, 16.0, 16.6, 12.4, 11.0, 1.7, 1.6, 2.4, 11.6, 3.9, 3.8, 14.5, 11.1]
    
    from itertools import *
    groups = (list(group) for _, group in groupby(reversed(sorted(speeds)), int))
    print next((s[0] for s in groups
                if 5 <= s[0] <= 30 and (s[0] <= 14 or len(s) >= 10)),
               False)
    

Just in case all of these look odd to you, here's one close to your original.
Just looking at the speeds from fastest to slowest and returning the first
that matches the requirements:

    
    
    def f(speeds):
        count = Counter(map(int, speeds))
        for speed in reversed(sorted(speeds)):
            if 5 <= speed <= 30 and (speed <= 14 or count[int(speed)] >= 10):
                return speed
        return False
    

Btw, your definition of _"the true maximum speed"_ seems rather odd to me. How
about just looking at a certain percentile? Maybe like this:

    
    
    print sorted(speeds)[len(speeds) * 9 // 10]
    

