Beginning Java Data Structures and Algorithms

Remainder and Multiplication Hash Functions

For hash tables, a hash function maps a specific key's space into a smaller number range. More formally, a hash function, f, maps keys of a specific data type to integers in a fixed interval [0,..., N - 1]. We say f(x) hashes the value of x.

The hash function can accept only numeric data types. To allow us to use hash tables on more complex data types, we usually need to convert all these types into numeric representations. This translation varies, depending on the type of data. For example, a character can be changed into its UTF-8 (or ASCII) numeric equivalent. Converting a full string can be done by converting each character separately and then using a strategy to combine the characters into ...