How is the process of searching for an element in a hash table carried out and what mechanisms are used?

Searching for an element in a hash table occurs in several steps:

1. The hash code of the key is computed using a hash function.
2. The hash code is transformed into an index of an array (bucket) where the element may be stored.
3. The element with the required key is searched within the selected bucket. If chaining is used, this may be a list or another structure where elements are iterated and keys are compared.

Main mechanisms:

• Hash function — transforms the key into a numerical value, evenly distributing elements across buckets.
• Collision resolution — if multiple keys fall into the same bucket, chaining (lists) or open addressing (probing neighboring cells) is used.

An example in C++ using std::unordered_map shows that these details are hidden, but under the hood, this is exactly how the search occurs.