What is the primary purpose of a hash function in a hash table?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the primary purpose of a hash function in a hash table?
To sort the data
To generate unique keys
To map data to a fixed size
To encrypt the data
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the primary purpose of a hash function in a hash table?
Step 1: Understand what a hash table is. A hash table is a data structure that stores data in a way that allows for quick access.
Step 2: Learn about hash functions. A hash function is a special formula that takes input data and converts it into a number.
Step 3: Know that the output number from the hash function is used as an index. This index tells the hash table where to store or find the data.
Step 4: Realize that the hash function creates a fixed size output. This means no matter how big or small the input data is, the output will always be the same size.
Step 5: Understand that using a hash function makes searching for data in a hash table much faster and more efficient.
