How does the choice of hashing algorithm, such as SHA-512 or Whirlpool, impact the security of password hashing in PHP?

The choice of hashing algorithm in PHP impacts the security of password hashing by determining the strength of the hash generated for storing passwords. Stronger algorithms like SHA-512 or Whirlpool provide better protection against brute force attacks and rainbow table attacks compared to weaker algorithms like MD5 or SHA-1.

// Using SHA-512 hashing algorithm for password hashing
$hashed_password = hash('sha512', $password);