1 definition by The thing that shouldn't be...

1) A method of accessing values using a function that maps an element of a data structure into an index value, which can then be used to directly access that element.

2) A piece of furniture composed entirely of dried cannabis.
1) So you can either use a binary search on a sorted array to locate a corresponding object and get O(lg n) access time with an O(n lg n) sort time, or you could map the collection to a hash table and get O(1) access time with no sort time.

2) My attempt to sell kitchenware made out of narcotics and other illegal drugs failed horribly, even though the hash tables were a big hit. Literally.
by The thing that shouldn't be... November 11, 2010
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