Welcome to JavaRanch.
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naming policy.
Find the
Map interface (and also Map.Entry) in the API and read it.
A HashMap is made with an array, default size 16, and a load factor, default 0.75f (75%); whenever the number of entries is greater than load factor * size (starts at 12) the array is replaced by one double the size and its contents redistributed.
The contents of the array are Map.Entry objects with a "K" (key) object and a "V" (value) object; their location is determined by key.hashCode() & (size - 1).
Now you know enough to be able to set up a HashMap yourself, if you insist on "reinventing the wheel."
[ June 26, 2008: Message edited by: Campbell Ritchie ]