I want to keep track of the number of collisions I have. So far, I have observed 2 collisions. No items have been removed from the hash table. I add a single item Charlie to the hash table. The hash position for Charlie is 4. What will my updated values be?Note: We are using Linear Probing to handle collision resolution.

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, restate the scenario: The hash table uses linear probing for collision resolution, and you have already observed 2 collisions before inserting Charlie. The hash position for Charlie is 4. The current table (based on the diagram) shows that positions 4 and 5 are occupied (Anne at 4, Frank at 5), while 6 is empty.

Option a: '3 collisions' would imply only one additional collision occurred during the insertion. However, with linear probing, Charlie attempts slot 4 first and finds it occupied (collision #1), then moves to slot 5, which is also occupied (collision #2). Only after probing 6 would Charlie be inserted if 6 is empty. Since there are two pre-filled consecutive slots starting at 4, Charlie experiences two collisions during insertion, not one.

Option b: '2 collisions' suggests that inserting Charlie adds two collisions in total, or that there were only two collisions in the entire process after insertion. Given there were already 2 prior collisions, and Charlie encounters two more occupied slots before finding an empty slot, the total becomes 4 collisions, not just 2. Therefore this is incorrect.

Option c: 'It’s impossible to tell' is inaccurate because the diagram and the description provide enough information: we know which slots are occupied and Charlie’s hash index, so we can trace the probing sequence and count collisions.

Option d: '4 collisions' aligns with the step-by-step accounting: initial 2 collisions plus 2 additional collisions encountered during Charlie’s insertion (slots 4 and 5 are occupied), totaling 4. Charlie would be placed in slot 6 once an empty slot is found, but the question focuses on the updated collision count, which is 4.

In summary, linear probing checks index 4 (collision #1), then index 5 (collision #2), then inserts at index 6 (empty). The cumulative collision count becomes 4, matching option d.

FIT1008-FIT1054-FIT2085_S2_2025 Week 8 Workshop Quiz

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