A hash function is a human-made algorithm that maps input data of arbitrary length to a fixed-length output (the hash digest). Parameters: (1) a message of arbitrary size as input, (2) a deterministic transformation function, (3) a fixed-length digest as output. Persistence: the mathematical construction is encoded as software or hardware and persists through documentation, implementation, and deployment. [formal: hash-function | substrate: mind | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.31]
Accepted ontology entry
hash-function
A hash function is a human-made algorithm that maps input data of arbitrary length to a fixed-length output (the hash digest). Parameters: (1) a message of arbitrary size as input, (2) a deterministic transformation function, (3) a fixed-l…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made algorithm that maps data of arbitrary size to a fixed-size output (the hash), designed so that identical inputs always produce identical outputs and different inputs produce different outputs.
Names and aliases
- hash-functionen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmr9lxelr009uhcxflfegr6mfINSTANCE_OF →
a hash function IS a specific kind of algorithm — it maps inputs to outputs via a defined computational procedure. The which-came-first test: algorithms predate hash functions historically. The removal test: remove algorithm — hash function ceases to operate as it IS an algorithm. This is INSTANCE_OF because a competent speaker would call a hash function 'an algorithm.'
- cmrgb4afa00wf2a1n12g836v1DERIVED_FROM →
Hash functions were developed within cryptography and emerged from cryptographic research. Cryptographic hash functions predate general-purpose hash functions used in computing. Which-came-first: cryptography (as a practice of secret communication) predates hash functions. Law 7.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 28, 2026, 5:52 PM UTC
- Content hash
- a25035cfc4df0348acc16913e5ad7e20bbc11d1f212a2f5a512b5d108bd76c28