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Describe the default hash correctly, and mark a couple of CPython imp…
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…lementation details
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ncoghlan committed May 20, 2012
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20 changes: 16 additions & 4 deletions Doc/reference/datamodel.rst
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Expand Up @@ -35,12 +35,19 @@ represented by objects.)
Every object has an identity, a type and a value. An object's *identity* never
changes once it has been created; you may think of it as the object's address in
memory. The ':keyword:`is`' operator compares the identity of two objects; the
:func:`id` function returns an integer representing its identity (currently
implemented as its address). An object's :dfn:`type` is also unchangeable. [#]_
:func:`id` function returns an integer representing its identity.

.. impl-detail::

For CPython, ``id(x)`` is the memory address where ``x`` is stored.

An object's type determines the operations that the object supports (e.g., "does
it have a length?") and also defines the possible values for objects of that
type. The :func:`type` function returns an object's type (which is an object
itself). The *value* of some objects can change. Objects whose value can
itself). Like its identity, an object's :dfn:`type` is also unchangeable.
[#]_

The *value* of some objects can change. Objects whose value can
change are said to be *mutable*; objects whose value is unchangeable once they
are created are called *immutable*. (The value of an immutable container object
that contains a reference to a mutable object can change when the latter's value
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1258,7 +1265,12 @@ Basic customization

User-defined classes have :meth:`__eq__` and :meth:`__hash__` methods
by default; with them, all objects compare unequal (except with themselves)
and ``x.__hash__()`` returns ``id(x)``.
and ``x.__hash__()`` returns an appropriate value such that ``x == y``
implies both that ``x is y`` and ``hash(x) == hash(y)``.

.. impl-detail::

CPython uses ``hash(id(x))`` as the default hash for class instances.

Classes which inherit a :meth:`__hash__` method from a parent class but
change the meaning of :meth:`__eq__` such that the hash value returned is no
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