Theorem 12.5

The expected number of probes in an unsuccessful search is at most 1/(1-$\alpha$).

For example, if the table is half full, $\alpha$ = 0.5, the number of probes is 2.

If the table is 90% full, $\alpha$ = 0.9, the number of probes is 10.

If $\alpha$ is constant, the performance of an unsuccessful search is O(1).