gen-briefly-explain-a-hash-table-and-one-common-misconception-ab-e9c0

Briefly explain a hash table and one common misconception about it.

# Hash Table A **hash table** is a data structure that stores key-value pairs and provides very fast lookups, insertions, and deletions (typically O(1) average time). It works by using a hash function to convert keys into array indices, allowing direct access to stored values. ## Common Misconception **"Hash tables maintain insertion order"** — This is false for most traditional hash table implementations. Hash tables store elements based on their hash values, not insertion order, so iterating through a hash table typically produces items in an unpredictable sequence. (Note: Some modern implementations like Python's `dict` (3.7+) and Java's `LinkedHashMap` *do* preserve insertion order, but these are special variants, not the default behavior of standard hash tables.)