Counter().most_common() is twice as fast as searching in a for-loop

day19.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from collections import defaultdict
+from collections import Counter
 from itertools import combinations
 from tools.aoc import AOCDay
 from tools.coordinate import Coordinate, DistanceAlgorithm
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ ROTATION_PATH = [
 
 
 def overlap(beacon1: Grid, beacon2: Grid) -> Union[Coordinate, None]:
-    diffs = defaultdict(int)
+    diffs = Counter()
     for c1 in beacon1.getActiveCells():
         for c2 in beacon2.getActiveCells():
             # Interestingly adding an if statement here to break out early when already 12 matches are found
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ def overlap(beacon1: Grid, beacon2: Grid) -> Union[Coordinate, None]:
             # and checking the results afterwards.
             diffs[c1 - c2] += 1
 
-    for d in diffs:
-        if diffs[d] >= 12:
-            return d
+    d = diffs.most_common(1)[0]
+    if d[1] >= 12:
+        return d[0]
 
 
 def converge(scanner_grids: List[Grid]) -> (Grid, List[Coordinate]):

day24.py

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ def getTheNumberFast(pushpull, adders, subbers, part2=False):
         inc = 1
     else:
         number_init = [9] * 14
-        inc = - 1
+        inc = -1
 
     z = int(1e9)
     number = number_init.copy()