Hashing Questions Medium
The purpose of a hash code in Ruby is to provide a unique identifier for an object. It is used to efficiently store and retrieve objects in hash-based data structures, such as Hashes. The hash code is generated using a hashing algorithm, which converts the object's data into a fixed-size numeric value. This hash code is then used as an index to store the object in a hash table, allowing for fast lookup and retrieval of objects based on their hash codes. Additionally, hash codes are also used for comparing objects for equality, as objects with the same hash code are considered potentially equal and further comparison is performed to determine their actual equality.