*       always returns zero could be called a hash function. It is not.)
 * </ul>
 *
 * <p>Summarizing the last two points: "equal yield equal <i>always</i>; unequal yield unequal
 * <i>often</i>." This is the most important characteristic of all hash functions.
 *
 * <h3>Desirable properties</h3>
 *
 * <p>A high-quality hash function strives for some subset of the following virtues:
 *
 * <ul>