Python's Dictionary Implementation

[[deleted user]]

The hash table is my favorite data structure... mostly because of its great scale ability (it has an O(1), or constant time, computational complexity). Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming: Volume 3" devotes 35 pages to the topic of hashing... there are many implementation choices to make when building a hash table. So, it was particularly interesting for me to see how Python made those choices, and to see how those choices varied across Python implementations.

[Erik]

I liked this chapter too. This sheds some nice light in to what's "under the covers". When using C# dictionaries, I just assume things will work fine without considering the details. How these tables and structures scale and grow is my favorite part.