hash tables the key into the array elementsthe keys are inserted into the linked list referenced from the corresponding entrythere' no need to probe for different slot new keys can be prepended to the linked list since the nodes are in no particular order figure illustrates the use of separate chaining to build hash table figure hash table using separate chaining the search operation is much simpler when using separate chaining after mapping the key to an entry in the tablethe corresponding linked list is searched to determine if the key is in the table when deleting keythe key is again mapped in the usual way to find the linked list containing that key after locating the listthe node containing the key is removed from the linked list just as if we were removing any other item from linked list since the keys are not stored in the array elements themselveswe no longer have to mark the entry as having been filled by previously deleted key separate chaining is also known as open hashing since the keys are stored outside the table the term closed hashing is used when the keys are stored within the elements of the table as described in the previous section to confuse things bitsome computer scientists also use the terms closed addressing to describe open hashing and open addressing to describe closed hashing the use of the addressing terms refers to the possible locations of the keys in relation to the table entries in open addressingthe keys may have been stored in an open slot different from the one to which it originally mapped while in closed addressingthe key is contained within the entry to which it mapped the table size used in separate chaining is not as important as in closed hashing since multiple keys can be stored in the various linked list but it still requires attention since better key distribution can be achieved if the table size is prime number in additionif the table is too smallthe linked lists will grow larger with the addition of each new key if the list become too largethe table can be rehashed just as we did when using closed hashing the analysis of the efficiency for separate chaining is similar to that of closed hashing as beforethe search required to locate key is the most time consuming