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Recursion in programming is a technique where a function calls itself in order to solve a problem. It is a powerful concept that allows you to break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable subproblems. Here's a detailed explanation:3 x, T1 K2 Q: d5 R2 t7 ^
Key Idea of Recursion
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A recursive function solves a problem by:) _, _5 _0 P8 g2 x& j
, O* U) A- V! k' A0 S, ~ Breaking the problem into smaller instances of the same problem./ h+ C f' }" E! Q( O8 O* r ~
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Solving the smallest instance directly (base case).
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Combining the results of smaller instances to solve the larger problem.
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0 R" ~& Y: x1 i( cComponents of a Recursive Function
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Base Case:- X# j3 N. f3 w2 {) P0 C& X* V
. I V) N$ _9 c. C9 L4 p This is the simplest, smallest instance of the problem that can be solved directly without further recursion. m; E/ O* d j7 r1 W3 G: ?
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It acts as the stopping condition to prevent infinite recursion.
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Example: In calculating the factorial of a number, the base case is factorial(0) = 1.
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1 j2 j9 i$ S+ \) J Recursive Case:2 [* S- o P5 V* w
9 M( `( ?! t, u This is where the function calls itself with a smaller or simpler version of the problem./ f! Q' b7 r: b
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Example: For factorial, the recursive case is factorial(n) = n * factorial(n-1).! i0 k+ d+ i' g0 q6 L1 M" L
+ z4 {; H! G# n: VExample: Factorial Calculation
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; {# g* x" j9 \* U( T( MThe factorial of a number n (denoted as n!) is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n. It can be defined recursively as:# q/ r4 n( {' R2 F$ x
! V( M* @( y# u& R, \. P Base case: 0! = 15 ]) |$ s$ L1 v8 ]& Z
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Recursive case: n! = n * (n-1)!
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Here’s how it looks in code (Python):
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def factorial(n):; d- _3 {3 d* ^ R2 Q# J2 E
# Base case
5 J7 m& W- u6 b* z Z+ q if n == 0:
4 C: u' s: \, a8 }% E: [/ P/ O m. J return 1+ z' q1 [# L( k
# Recursive case
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return n * factorial(n - 1)
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# Example usage
9 T- j8 `1 d+ f, p; {7 Oprint(factorial(5)) # Output: 120
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% Q! N" X: I: |& ^8 GHow Recursion Works
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The function keeps calling itself with smaller inputs until it reaches the base case.) k! {. r2 v$ {$ j8 s. q7 O
! N4 L/ N, U, `7 o5 f Once the base case is reached, the function starts returning values back up the call stack.
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These returned values are combined to produce the final result.
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For factorial(5):
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factorial(5) = 5 * factorial(4)* O' y& M5 B2 R* }; F6 N& z* _9 a
factorial(4) = 4 * factorial(3)
7 h) f1 Y( t- Z; H/ k; { Gfactorial(3) = 3 * factorial(2)
% f$ y2 q6 U- ?1 Z) {7 ?8 efactorial(2) = 2 * factorial(1)1 q" f0 j8 T/ x# ~. ?9 K+ Q. \
factorial(1) = 1 * factorial(0)
; L) K2 G/ n( b6 e: y1 Sfactorial(0) = 1 # Base case8 ]* w0 k K( O; M& B
+ a) d& D' B) a' ^ GThen, the results are combined:
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, T8 i# y6 f* w9 bfactorial(1) = 1 * 1 = 1) o! w) x# N8 Q# V T2 k
factorial(2) = 2 * 1 = 26 ?5 B D/ c* q% ?& W- h; D. v
factorial(3) = 3 * 2 = 6
' K2 {; `! w6 i- [! f2 L4 l, ofactorial(4) = 4 * 6 = 24
0 ~+ L8 G9 o+ \: w: R. ?factorial(5) = 5 * 24 = 120
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) X9 e/ p! ?4 S1 iAdvantages of Recursion
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Simplicity: Recursive solutions are often more intuitive and easier to write for problems that have a natural recursive structure (e.g., tree traversals, divide-and-conquer algorithms).% w7 i$ l. j9 \. }/ y, @) q4 k7 {
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Readability: Recursive code can be more readable and concise compared to iterative solutions.
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Disadvantages of Recursion% ~( \8 p$ G: R2 f) s" i
4 L: D& q z" c" h8 ?' [ Performance Overhead: Each recursive call adds a new layer to the call stack, which can lead to high memory usage and potential stack overflow for deep recursion.6 U* [' y. h% i. w W
0 W1 h9 m2 b3 R% F( e& N0 ] Inefficiency: Some problems can be solved more efficiently using iteration (e.g., Fibonacci sequence without memoization).
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When to Use Recursion
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' W' s/ _ y1 a1 J9 t& }+ k- k Problems that can be broken down into smaller, similar subproblems (e.g., tree traversals, sorting algorithms like quicksort and mergesort).
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' O2 f4 m+ o* J9 b; w3 }+ ^; p1 U Problems with a clear base case and recursive case.) y4 U. I( C% D; R; z
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Example: Fibonacci Sequence
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& v; E6 L y; S, OThe Fibonacci sequence is another classic example of recursion. Each number is the sum of the two preceding ones:
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. C* F7 |, \+ S/ ~6 b2 r. [; A Base case: fib(0) = 0, fib(1) = 1* q7 y% ]4 r$ V
2 b5 ]& [1 _% p& }; u Recursive case: fib(n) = fib(n-1) + fib(n-2)9 o' z' B. v, s! R
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python
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, s$ b; d" ~5 X7 N9 J8 G* v& pdef fibonacci(n):
0 Y2 `& F& @9 a9 ~ # Base cases" X9 G/ T) z' s; U
if n == 0:) k3 j; Q$ X9 {/ b& t _( Y0 s& E
return 06 H) t6 s0 D3 V1 T8 q6 J1 X$ c1 q
elif n == 1:, n1 I) L6 g, q! M; F# S9 z! ]: K0 X
return 14 m/ J& x% ~, b! r% i% w* O) F* `# l
# Recursive case
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return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2)- {7 z& ^% C! a& h
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# Example usage7 K6 \" X/ j% a7 _9 B
print(fibonacci(6)) # Output: 8
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Tail Recursion1 I2 L# i% [/ M- i, q- M
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Tail recursion is a special case of recursion where the recursive call is the last operation in the function. Some programming languages optimize tail-recursive functions to avoid stack overflow, but not all languages (e.g., Python does not optimize tail recursion).% Q$ d/ |& G/ E; |% Y
, V1 {. z: R6 E3 A$ e" cIn summary, recursion is a fundamental concept in programming that allows you to solve problems by breaking them into smaller, self-similar subproblems. It’s important to define a base case to avoid infinite recursion and to understand the trade-offs between recursion and iteration. |
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