[jagged-chisel]

That isn’t a requirement of an algorithm called a hash function

[gabetax]

From the article:

> For a function to be useful as a hash function, it must exhibit the property of uniform distribution

It's also listed as the first property on the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_function#Uniformity

[jagged-chisel]

I can’t find the text you quoted. The article starts off:

> A hash function is any function that can be used to map data of arbitrary size to fixed-size values

And the first sentence in the section you link says

> A good hash function should map the expected inputs as evenly as possible over its output range.

It doesn’t have to be “good” to be a hash function.

[anamexis]

That's not a meaningful definition of a hash function, then.

    def hash(val):
        return 0

[jagged-chisel]

Yes, this is a hash function. Whether it’s “useful” or “good” is the purview of the architect.

Tangential edit: https://xkcd.com/221/

[pcthrowaway]

The best thing about that one is that it seeds the panel with a random number every time you refresh

[throwmeaway1212]

That has a pretty uniform distribution..