When choosing a collision resolution strategy for a hash table, which factors are essential to consider?
Expected data distribution and load factor
Size of the keys and values being stored
Programming language and hardware architecture
All of the above
In the context of hashmaps, what does 'probing' refer to?
Finding an alternative slot for a key when a collision occurs.
Searching for a specific key in the hashmap.
Resizing the underlying array to accommodate more keys.
Determining the load factor of the hashmap.
How does an increasing load factor generally impact the performance of a hashmap?
It degrades performance due to a higher probability of collisions.
It improves performance by reducing memory usage.
It depends on the specific hash function being used.
It has no significant impact on performance.
In a hash table using separate chaining for collision resolution, what is the worst-case time complexity for searching for an element?
O(log n)
O(1)
O(n)
O(n log n)
How does the choice of a hash function impact the performance of a hashmap?
The hash function has a negligible impact on performance compared to the data structure itself.
A simple hash function is always preferred as it reduces computational overhead.
A well-chosen hash function minimizes collisions, leading to faster lookups and insertions.
A complex hash function guarantees a lower collision rate, improving performance.
What is the primary advantage of using a hashmap over a simple array for storing and retrieving data?
Hashmaps use less memory than arrays.
Hashmaps maintain data in sorted order, unlike arrays.
Hashmaps provide faster access to data based on a key, while arrays require linear search in some cases.
Hashmaps can store duplicate keys, while arrays cannot.
How does quadratic probing aim to mitigate the clustering problem in open addressing?
By using a second hash function to determine the probe sequence
By probing linearly with a fixed step size
By probing with quadratically increasing intervals
By probing with exponentially increasing intervals
What is a primary disadvantage of using linear probing for collision resolution in a hash table?
Complex implementation
Not suitable for open addressing
Increased potential for primary clustering
Higher memory overhead compared to chaining
What is a significant disadvantage of using a fixed-size hash table in conjunction with a hash function prone to collisions?
Increased memory usage due to the fixed size allocation
Inability to store data that exceeds the pre-defined table size
Complexity in implementing the hash function itself
Degraded performance due to chaining or open addressing for collision resolution
In a web server, which scenario is best suited for using a hashmap to optimize performance?
Storing and retrieving static website content like images and CSS files
Storing and retrieving user session data
Managing the order of user connections to ensure fairness
Maintaining a log of all incoming requests in chronological order