Hash Table and Collisions (2D)

Table Size

Buckets 11

Hash Function

Collision Strategy

Insert a Key

h(key) = (sum of char codes) mod 11

Table empty — add a key to begin.

Live Readout

Items inserted

Collisions

Load factor

0 / 11 = 0.00

How it works

A hash function turns a key into a bucket index. Sum of codes adds every character's code point and reduces it modulo the table size; polynomial ×31 instead multiplies the running total by 31 before adding each character, which spreads similar-looking keys (like "abc" and "cba") into different buckets far more evenly.

Two different keys landing in the same bucket is a collision. Chaining resolves it by keeping a small list per bucket — the new key is simply appended. Linear probing instead keeps exactly one slot per bucket and, on a collision, scans forward to the next empty slot, wrapping around the table if needed.

The load factor (items ÷ buckets) predicts performance: chaining degrades gracefully as it grows past 1, while linear probing clusters and slows sharply as the table fills up — which is why real hash tables resize themselves once the load factor crosses roughly 0.7.