Hash Maps and Sets in Netlist Connectivity and Fan-Out Counting Quiz

Assess your understanding of how hash maps and sets enable fast lookups, deduplication, and efficient analysis in netlist connectivity and fan-out counting. This quiz focuses on practical concepts, typical applications, and fundamental usage patterns.

1. Fundamental usage of hash maps

   When counting the number of outputs (fan-out) connected to a node in a netlist, which data structure is best for mapping each node to its fan-out count for fast updates and lookups?

   1. Circular queue
   2. Linked stack
   3. Binary tree
   4. Hash map
   5. Array list

2. Duplicate connection management

   Which data structure should you use to avoid counting duplicate connections between the same set of nodes in a netlist?

   1. Stack
   2. Sot
   3. Set
   4. Deque
   5. Queue

3. Hash set for deduplication

   If a netlist has repeated wire connections listed multiple times, what allows you to rapidly check whether a connection has already been seen?

   1. Hash cap
   2. Skip map
   3. Fifo stack
   4. Array stack
   5. Hash set

4. Key characteristics

   What is the principal advantage of using a hash map to store net-to-node mappings in a netlist?

   1. It enables constant-time lookups
   2. It optimizes memory by recursion
   3. It compresses data losslessly
   4. It stores elements in insertion order
   5. It sorts the nodes automatically

5. Counting fan-out efficiently

   In a netlist scenario, what is the benefit of using a hash map for counting outputs per gate over a simple array if node identifiers are non-sequential strings?

   1. Arrays are always faster
   2. Only hash maps can sort nodes
   3. Arrays cannot hold any values
   4. Hash maps always use less memory
   5. Hash map keys can be non-sequential strings

6. Hash collisions

   When using a hash map for signal-to-node connections, what does a hash collision refer to?

   1. A node without any connection
   2. An unordered list of connections
   3. Two keys producing the same hash value
   4. A node connected to itself
   5. Duplicate values in the output

7. Unordered collections

   If you use a hash set to store all net names in your netlist, which order are the elements guaranteed to be iterated?

   1. Order of insertion
   2. Reversed order
   3. No specific order is guaranteed
   4. Numerical order
   5. Alphabetical order

8. Fan-out count calculation

   Suppose a netlist uses a hash map where the key is a node name and the value is the number of outputs; what should you do to increment the fan-out count for a node after processing a new connection?

   1. Add a new key for each output
   2. Reset all counts to zero
   3. Remove and reinsert the node
   4. Sort the entire hash map
   5. Increase the value associated with the node's key by one

9. Membership checking

   Which operation is performed most efficiently by a hash set when analyzing whether a signal already exists in the connectivity list?

   1. Checking for membership
   2. Merging sets
   3. Calculating sums
   4. Sorting connections
   5. Ordering elements

10. Practical scenario application

    If you want to ensure each wire is listed only once per net in your netlist connectivity report, which technique should you use?

    1. Count only the first listed wire
    2. Rearrange wires by length
    3. Ignore all wires ending with zero
    4. Add each wire to a set before reporting
    5. Store wires in a queue for all nets