Quadratic probing is a collision resolution technique used in hash tables that helps to find the next available slot when a collision occurs. Instead of checking sequentially as in linear probing, it uses a quadratic function to calculate the step size for subsequent probes, which reduces clustering and improves performance. This method is essential for maintaining efficient operations in hash table implementations, especially as the load factor increases.
congrats on reading the definition of quadratic probing. now let's actually learn it.