Hash Table

Definitions

1. A data structure that maps keys to values using a hash function to compute an index into an array of buckets. Provides average O(1) lookup, insertion, and deletion. The backbone of dictionaries, objects, and caches everywhere.

   In plain English: A data structure that works like a super-fast filing cabinet — you give it a label (key) and it instantly knows exactly where to find or store the corresponding value.

   Example: "Switching from a sorted array to a hash table turned our search from O(log n) to O(1)."

Related Terms

• Backtracking
• Big-O
• Binary Tree
• Cell Array
• Frame Rate
• Graph
• Heap
• Reduction
• Big-O Notation
• Bloom Filter
• Ring Buffer
• LRU Cache
• K-Means
• Optimization
• Pathfinding
• Radix Sort
• Time Complexity
• Constraint Programming