* Traversing an array should never be used for searching; * Using a hash is a pretty smart solution, except: - It has memory implication (hence not always can be used); - It slows down considerably for huge arrays (or, at least you have to build your own hash structure with some pretty hashing function); - In any case, questions arise: is it smart to build it every time one needs a lookup? What if the contents of an array change all the time?.., etc. * There are other algorithms in CS.