This page provides an example of how hashing works in data structures. Hashing is a fundamental concept in computer science, often used for efficient data retrieval.

Example Scenario

Imagine you have a large dataset of users, and you want to quickly find a user's information by their ID. Using a hash table, you can achieve this in constant time, O(1).

Steps:

  1. Hash Function: Create a hash function that converts the user's ID into a unique index in the hash table.
  2. Insertion: Store the user's information at the index generated by the hash function.
  3. Retrieval: When searching for a user, use the hash function to find the index and retrieve the user's information.

Code Example

Below is a simple Python example demonstrating a hash table:

class HashTable:
    def __init__(self):
        self.size = 10
        self.table = [None] * self.size

    def hash_function(self, key):
        return key % self.size

    def insert(self, key, value):
        index = self.hash_function(key)
        self.table[index] = value

    def retrieve(self, key):
        index = self.hash_function(key)
        return self.table[index]

Learn More

For a deeper understanding of hashing and its applications, check out our Introduction to Hashing.

Images

  • hash_table
  • python_hash_table

Note: The images provided in the example are placeholders. Replace the URLs with actual images relevant to hashing and hash tables.