Index mapping: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:10, 2 February 2017

Revision as of 19:47, 10 May 2018

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{{distinguish2distinguish|text=[[Index map]], a finding aid in cartography}}

'''Index mapping''' (or ''direct addressing'', or a ''trivial [[hash function]]'') in [[computer science]] describes using an [[array data structure|array]], in which each position corresponds to a key in the [[Universe (mathematics)|universe]] of possible values.<ref name=cormen>{{cite book|last1=Cormen|first1=Thomas H.|title=Introduction to algorithms|date=2009|publisher=MIT Press|___location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=9780262033848|pages=253–255|edition=3rd|url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/introduction-algorithms|accessdate=26 November 2015}}</ref>

The technique is most effective when the universe of keys is reasonably small, such that [[Memory allocation|allocating]] an array with one position for every possible key is affordable.