How are dictionaries typically implemented in programming languages?
Using arrays for efficient indexing.
Using linked lists for fast insertions.
Using hashmaps to provide fast key-value lookups.
Using binary trees for sorted key storage.
A simple hash function for strings could involve summing the ASCII values of each character in the string. What is a potential drawback of this approach?
It's not reversible, meaning you can't get the original string from the hash.
It's computationally expensive.
It can't handle strings of varying lengths.
It can lead to a high number of collisions for anagrams.
What is the primary advantage of using a hashmap over a linear search in an array when searching for a specific value?
Hashmaps offer faster search times on average.
Hashmaps use less memory.
Hashmaps can handle duplicate values more efficiently.
Hashmaps can store sorted data.
What is a key advantage of using a hashmap over a sorted array for searching?
Hashmaps allow duplicate keys.
Hashmaps offer faster search on average.
Hashmaps maintain data in sorted order.
Hashmaps consume less memory.
If you were designing a simple hash function for strings, which operation would likely be a core component?
Finding the length of the string.
Converting characters to their ASCII codes and performing arithmetic operations.
Sorting the characters in the string alphabetically.
Reversing the string.
What is linear probing in the context of open addressing for collision resolution?
Using a linked list to store colliding elements at the same index.
Resizing the hash table to accommodate more elements.
Using a different hash function to avoid collisions.
Probing for an empty slot by sequentially searching from the collision index.
In a symbol table implementation using a hashmap, what do the keys usually represent?
Memory addresses of variables.
Values of variables.
Names of variables or identifiers.
Data types of variables.
What is a disadvantage of using hashmaps when the number of elements to be stored is not known in advance?
They might require resizing, which can be an expensive operation.
They are not suitable for storing data in a sorted order.
They are more complex to implement than linked lists.
They are less memory-efficient than arrays for storing a fixed number of elements.
In hashmap terminology, what does 'collision' refer to?
When two hashmaps have the same size.
When trying to delete a key that doesn't exist.
When a hash function produces the same output for all inputs.
When two keys map to the same index in the hashmap.
What is a significant disadvantage of using a hashmap when you need to retrieve elements in a sorted order?
Hashmaps don't inherently maintain order.
Hashmaps cannot handle duplicate values.
Hashmaps have high memory consumption.
Hashmaps have slow insertion times.