What is the average and worst-case search time in a hash table?

The average search time for an element in a hash table is O(1), meaning constant time, due to direct access via the hash key.

However, in the worst case, when there are many collisions and all elements end up in a single bucket (for example, a linked list), the search time can degrade to O(n), where n is the number of elements in the table.

Therefore, it is important to use a good hash function and maintain a low load factor of the table to minimize collisions and ensure efficient search.