what is the difference between hash() and md5()?

[unomateo]

Studying for php cert, and I ran across a practice question:

The fingerprint of a string can be determined using which of the following?

fingerprint() - 99.9% sure this is not it
hash()
md5()
none of the above

I think it is hash, but since hash can take md5 as an argument, isn't hash and md5 basically the same thing?

 

[jpadie]

hash is an optimised and abstracted method of hashing with different algorithms.

hash, using the md5 algo, will give the same result as md5(). but on anything other than small strings, hash() should be about 3 times as quick.

fingerprint, to me, is too vague a term to discern whether the question drives at one function over another.