Which of the following is true about deleting a key-value pair from a hash table that uses separate chaining to resolve collisions?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The prompt asks which statement is true about deleting a key-value pair from a hash table that uses separate chaining to resolve collisions.

Option context (based on the provided correct answer): 'c. Deleting from the hash table can be done with simple linked-list node deletion, and no rehashing is required.'

Analysis of the correct option:
- In a separate chaining hash table, each bucket stores a linked list (or another dynamic structure) of key-value pairs that hash to that bucket. When deleting a key, you locate the appropriate bucket by applying the hash function, then traverse the linked list to find the node with the matching key and unlink that node from the list. This operation is a standard linked-list deletion and does not require rebuilding or rehashing the entire table because the number of buckets and their distribution are unchanged by a single deletion. Rehashing is typically triggered by resizing the table when load factors exceed or fall below certain thresholds, not by removing one key-value pair unless the implementation explicitly resizes on deletions for other reasons.

Why this option is correct: It correctly describes the primary deletion mechanism in separate chaining — remove the node from the bucket's linked list without affecting the bucket array itself or requiring rehashing. The structure of the table remains intact; only the contents of the affected chain are modified. This aligns with common hash-table implementations where deletions are local to the chain and do not necessitate recomputing hashes or relocating many entries.

Possible misconceptions addressed:
- Some might think deletions always trigger rehashing or resizing; that is not generally true for deletions unless a specific implementation policy requires shrinking the table when the load factor becomes very low.
- Another misconception could be that you must rebuild the entire table after deletion; in separate chaining, you typically only unlink the node in the relevant chain.
- Thinking that deletion must involve special cases beyond unlinking a node (e.g., head pointer adjustments) is incorrect; while edge cases exist (deleting the head of the list), standard linked-list deletion handles those by updating the head pointer as needed.

Additional notes: When performing the deletion, ensure proper updates to pointers (including updating the head of the list if the first node matches) and handle memory deallocation as appropriate for the language being used.

2025W Quiz 5

Which of the following is true about deleting a key-value pair from a hash table that uses separate chaining to resolve collisions?

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2025W Quiz 5

Which of the following is true about deleting a key-value pair from a hash table that uses separate chaining to resolve collisions?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

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Consider an implementation of a hash table with linear probing where the hash function runs in constant time and the cost of comparison is also constant. What is the best-case time complexity of the __getitem__ method? Consider n is the number of items in the hash table.

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Question at position 2 About how many steps would be needed when searching for a particular key in a hash map with 1000 nodes?1000150010

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