[dellamonica]

I think the basic idea is that the hash has a fairly uniform probability distribution, so knowing the prefix means you can estimate its location in a sorted list.

For instance if we were talking about n random sequences of digits then if you want to look for a number starting with 42 then you can start looking at the the 0.42n element and it is likely already very close to a match.

[piyh]

Is a uniform hash the same thing as a consistent hash?

[User23]

No. Consistent hashing and its easier to understand cousin rendezvous hashing are about maintaining properties after a rehash.