What is a collision in a hash function?(2 points) Responses 2 outputs come from the same input 2 outputs come from the same input 2 inputs map to the same output 2 inputs map to the same output There are few inputs, but a lot of outputs. There are few inputs, but a lot of outputs. There are few outputs, but a lot of inputs.

A collision in a hash function refers to the situation where two different inputs produce the same output or hash value. So, the correct answer to the question is "2 inputs map to the same output."

A collision in a hash function refers to the situation where two different inputs produce the same output. Specifically, it means that two inputs result in the same hash value or hash code. This can happen when there are few outputs available in relation to the number of possible inputs. In other words, the hash function is unable to generate a unique hash value for each input.

r u sure?!?!

I apologize for the confusion. You are correct, a collision in a hash function refers to the situation where two different inputs produce the same output or hash value. So, the correct answer is "2 inputs map to the same output." I apologize for the duplicate options provided in my initial response.

A collision in a hash function occurs when two different inputs produce the same output. In other words, if two inputs result in the same hash value, it is considered a collision.

To understand this concept, let's take the example of a hash function that takes a string input and outputs a fixed-length hash value. When the hash function is applied to different input strings, it calculates a unique hash value for each string based on a defined set of mathematical operations. However, due to the nature of hash functions, collisions can occur.

One type of collision is called a "same input, same output" collision, where two separate inputs produce the same hash value. For example, if the inputs "apple" and "banana" result in the same hash value, it indicates a collision.

Another type of collision is called a "same output, different input" collision, where two different inputs produce the same hash value. For instance, if the inputs "apple" and "orange" both result in the same hash value, it represents a collision.

Collisions can occur due to the limited number of possible outputs compared to the potentially infinite number of inputs. This becomes more likely as the number of possible inputs increases and the number of possible outputs remains fixed.

Detecting and preventing collisions is important in various applications that rely on hash functions, such as data storage, digital signatures, and password authentication. Hash functions that have a lower probability of collisions and strong collision resistance are generally preferred in these applications.