Using Integer as a key with HashMap in Java

Question

Recently I was looking for good implementation of hashCode() method in Java API and looked through Integer source code. Didn\'t expect that, but th

Answer 1

Adding to @Eran's answer, Java's HashMap also has a protection against "bad hash functions" (which Integer.hashCode() isn't, but still).

/**
 * Computes key.hashCode() and spreads (XORs) higher bits of hash
 * to lower.  Because the table uses power-of-two masking, sets of
 * hashes that vary only in bits above the current mask will
 * always collide. (Among known examples are sets of Float keys
 * holding consecutive whole numbers in small tables.)  So we
 * apply a transform that spreads the impact of higher bits
 * downward. There is a tradeoff between speed, utility, and
 * quality of bit-spreading. Because many common sets of hashes
 * are already reasonably distributed (so don't benefit from
 * spreading), and because we use trees to handle large sets of
 * collisions in bins, we just XOR some shifted bits in the
 * cheapest possible way to reduce systematic lossage, as well as
 * to incorporate impact of the highest bits that would otherwise
 * never be used in index calculations because of table bounds.
 */
static final int hash(Object key) {
    int h;
    return (key == null) ? 0 : (h = key.hashCode()) ^ (h >>> 16);
}

So your "simple hash" of an integer will actually be a bit different when working with HashMap.