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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:& T: R/ z: B: D; `, p B$ ~
Key Idea of Recursion/ {% [# @1 W) W3 N3 v
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A recursive function solves a problem by:
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Breaking the problem into smaller instances of the same problem./ Q0 P& F( a9 e/ ^+ G/ D( ]
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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.1 e! K' I0 t b8 Z
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Components of a Recursive Function
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/ f" Y8 x6 Y: \5 K: D* G1 K5 v Base Case:- k2 Y0 y; A0 r: L: Z* Q9 `7 h8 g2 h
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This is the simplest, smallest instance of the problem that can be solved directly without further recursion.
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It acts as the stopping condition to prevent infinite recursion.
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' {. \- e7 y5 E7 F* w' S5 R Example: In calculating the factorial of a number, the base case is factorial(0) = 1.
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Recursive Case:
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: @ {5 x8 L3 {+ z, R' P This is where the function calls itself with a smaller or simpler version of the problem.
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Example: For factorial, the recursive case is factorial(n) = n * factorial(n-1).
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Example: Factorial Calculation
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; S# }6 ^8 j2 J) r# d: C2 h* |' xThe 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:! p. v1 v u9 z; c* p
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Base case: 0! = 1. n, O1 e& b: ~* O
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Recursive case: n! = n * (n-1)!
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& w4 c8 d( u1 u7 Z8 j l% dHere’s how it looks in code (Python):* ^$ O7 R" `( L" Y" x
python
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6 m' ^8 _: G, M4 O, h' B$ c" sdef factorial(n):
7 Q' c- b7 s5 H' r+ F" {+ E5 { # Base case
/ ~. K, c. s* `( Y# ~% K if n == 0:4 v8 B# v6 A7 _4 D. h' d, n
return 11 @3 B# ^" E2 F3 y, E: h7 j2 }, \% @3 K
# Recursive case
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return n * factorial(n - 1)
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# Example usage4 [7 ^/ n2 l* v3 `: S- O
print(factorial(5)) # Output: 120
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* [; a* w# H1 NHow Recursion Works5 _8 }: c/ p! x" a6 t
7 Y* @" ~, t$ M$ v* m" r5 J The function keeps calling itself with smaller inputs until it reaches the base case.
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/ _, S# \$ G0 G/ w Once the base case is reached, the function starts returning values back up the call stack.* V: b6 D }! V+ R
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These returned values are combined to produce the final result.
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' T; E; I3 Q: F( m0 f/ lFor factorial(5):( ?! B4 j2 B6 L, I. `7 V* W3 Z! H
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factorial(5) = 5 * factorial(4)5 o& Y" ~% t' A q5 c* s
factorial(4) = 4 * factorial(3)6 o1 Q- d5 x3 f" E
factorial(3) = 3 * factorial(2)
' k1 n0 J4 q* Y$ S6 ffactorial(2) = 2 * factorial(1)+ z$ u7 u: N m& T1 x
factorial(1) = 1 * factorial(0)
v6 p$ c9 R0 ~+ \! rfactorial(0) = 1 # Base case
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Then, the results are combined:- m( v3 o/ M( V ~' x
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factorial(1) = 1 * 1 = 1
" T- Y" L, H, _4 l& M6 G, Rfactorial(2) = 2 * 1 = 2
0 B/ ?3 z# q' z% jfactorial(3) = 3 * 2 = 6
" C+ Q1 O5 S6 b1 `8 Gfactorial(4) = 4 * 6 = 24
! M% s5 R) ~4 e. ufactorial(5) = 5 * 24 = 120
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Advantages 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).
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Readability: Recursive code can be more readable and concise compared to iterative solutions.
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Disadvantages of Recursion
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2 a' @$ R& }% z 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.0 {, e9 j. d0 g6 H* P/ F
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Inefficiency: Some problems can be solved more efficiently using iteration (e.g., Fibonacci sequence without memoization).* E: I) p7 K# d3 H0 }
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When to Use Recursion+ D6 Q$ x6 d- [5 g* b: z
' {. | K: P7 U" q1 A0 r Problems that can be broken down into smaller, similar subproblems (e.g., tree traversals, sorting algorithms like quicksort and mergesort).4 R: {- S8 \" c% Q: @
+ T+ ]* X7 |5 R- x! k Problems with a clear base case and recursive case.
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0 v0 n, g( ]9 W3 R, P& wExample: Fibonacci Sequence
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The Fibonacci sequence is another classic example of recursion. Each number is the sum of the two preceding ones:3 V, j7 ?/ x2 `- i: T) o* O; q
: e! _& o2 V3 o) t) Z# R: y) R Base case: fib(0) = 0, fib(1) = 1
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- O# p e, i; `+ C; i, S Recursive case: fib(n) = fib(n-1) + fib(n-2)
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python
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; x; w+ f0 [' R; f* A; x+ Y; ]def fibonacci(n):/ a0 ?" U3 w! R# }3 R
# Base cases! ~" {: v0 p% o8 N6 z: h4 Y
if n == 0:
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elif n == 1:( i; S) b0 B: x2 [/ H; X. I8 O
return 10 K- }3 I0 J' Z' }1 x6 ~) G" D
# Recursive case
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return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2)8 p3 [. B6 d* @. l% W( w- E2 e/ U
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# Example usage$ Z- }' x$ J H3 Y: ]) h1 E9 U
print(fibonacci(6)) # Output: 85 N- }: w' f7 [3 W$ K( |# F- l+ \0 A
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Tail Recursion
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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).+ n1 z% m. \* k4 v4 @* y
* ~; X# _ i p, L2 ~ R3 P1 {In 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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