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Hash Functions (cont)

A slightly more sophisticated hash function 

int hash(char *key, int N)
{
   int h = 0;  char *c;
   int a = 127; // a prime number
   for (c = key; *c != '\0'; c++)
      h = (a * h + *c) % N;
   return h;
}

Converts strings into integers in table range.

But poor choice of a (e.g. 128) can result in poor hashing.