C++ Data Structures and Algorithms

Associating a Value to a Key in a Hash Table

In the previous chapter, we discussed the hierarchical tree data type, which is a non-linear data type, that stores data in a tree-like structure. In this chapter, we are going to discuss another non-linear data type, the hash table, which stores data based on a key. The following topics are discussed in this chapter:

• Understanding hash tables
• Preventing a collision in a hash table
• Using a separate chaining technique to handle a collision
• Using an open addressing technique to handle a collision