A hash table, also known as a hash map, is a data structure that provides an efficient way to store and retrieve data. It uses a hash function to map keys to their corresponding values, allowing for constant-time average-case performance for basic operations such as insertion, deletion, and lookup.
Here's a more detailed explanation of how hash tables work:
Key-Value Pairs
A hash table stores data in the form of key-value pairs. The key is a unique identifier, and the value is the data associated with that key. For example, in a phone book, the key could be a person's name, and the value could be their phone number.
Hash Function
The hash function is a mathematical algorithm that takes a key as input and generates a unique index or address within the hash table where the corresponding value is stored. The goal of the hash function is to distribute the keys evenly across the available storage space, minimizing collisions (when two different keys are mapped to the same index).
Collision Handling
Despite the best efforts of the hash function, collisions can still occur. When a collision happens, the hash table needs to have a strategy to handle it. Common collision handling techniques include:
Chaining: In this method, each index in the hash table holds a linked list or a similar data structure to st...
