Question

Explain how hash functions are used to build a hash table. Ignore collisions and illustrate your answer by considering a function h(k) = k mod 5 hashing into a table with 5 slots.

Answer 1

Hash functions are used to map keys to indices in a hash table. The function h(k) = k mod 5 is used in this example. The hash values determine the indices where keys are stored in the table.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hash functions are used to build a hash table by mapping each key to a specific index in the table. The key is passed through the hash function, which computes a hash value. In this case, the function h(k) = k mod 5 is used.

For example, if we have keys 2, 5, 8, and 10, we apply the hash function to each of them. The resulting hash values are 2, 0, 3, and 0 respectively. These values correspond to indices in the table, so we store the keys accordingly.

This way, when given a key, we can quickly locate its corresponding value in the hash table by computing the hash value and accessing the respective index.