In a hash table, what happens when the load factor exceeds a certain threshold?
Practice Questions
Q1
In a hash table, what happens when the load factor exceeds a certain threshold?
The table is resized and rehashed
The table becomes immutable
All entries are deleted
The hash function is changed
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a hash table, what happens when the load factor exceeds a certain threshold?
Step 1: Understand what a hash table is. It is a data structure that stores key-value pairs for fast access.
Step 2: Know what the load factor is. It is a measure of how full the hash table is, calculated as the number of entries divided by the total number of slots.
Step 3: Identify the threshold. This is a specific load factor value that, when exceeded, indicates the hash table is getting too full.
Step 4: When the load factor exceeds the threshold, the hash table needs to be resized. This means creating a new, larger array to hold the entries.
Step 5: Rehash all existing entries. This involves recalculating the position of each key-value pair in the new array based on the new size.
Step 6: Update the hash table to use the new array and the rehashed entries, ensuring efficient access times.
