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9.2.4 Practical Examples of Hash Functions
Hash functions are applied in many practical scenarios:
• Database indexing: Keys are hashed to quickly locate records.
• Password security: User passwords are hashed before storage.
• Caching: File names or URLs are hashed to determine cache locations.
• Compilers: Variable names are hashed to manage symbol tables efficiently.
Example: String Hashing for Symbol Table in C++
This example demonstrates how variable names can be hashed to efficiently manage
a symbol table in a compiler. The polynomial rolling hash is widely used because it distributes
strings more evenly across the table.
9.3 Hash Tables
A hash table is the practical data structure that implements hashing. It stores data in
an array-like structure where the position of each element is determined by a hash function
applied to its key. The main advantage of hash tables is their ability to provide constant-time
average performance for insertion, deletion, and search operations. This makes them one of
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