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Recursion in Java

The document explains recursion in Java using an analogy of nesting dolls and a counting example. It defines recursion as a function that calls itself with a simpler problem until a base case is reached. A factorial function is provided as a code example to recursively calculate factorials.

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Mohammed Saim
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13 views

Recursion in Java

The document explains recursion in Java using an analogy of nesting dolls and a counting example. It defines recursion as a function that calls itself with a simpler problem until a base case is reached. A factorial function is provided as a code example to recursively calculate factorials.

Uploaded by

Mohammed Saim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Teach me Recursion in java in explaination that way a young boy can understand it
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Alright, let's imagine you have a set of nesting dolls, you know, those wooden dolls that fit inside

each other. Each doll has a smaller doll inside, and that smaller doll might have an even tinier

doll inside, and so on.

Now, think of recursion as a similar concept, but with actions or functions.

Imagine you have a task to do, let's say counting from 1 to 10. You start with 1, then you go to 2,

then 3, and so on, until you reach 10. That's like opening each nesting doll one by one until you

reach the smallest one.

Now, let's say you're counting, but instead of doing it yourself, you have a friend who is good at

counting. You ask your friend to count from 1 to 10. But your friend, being a little playful, tells

you this: "Start by counting from 1 to 9. Then when you're done, tell me. Then I'll add 10 to

whatever number you say."

That's recursion in action. Your friend is asking you to count up to a certain point, then come

back to them to do the next step. In programming, this is called a recursive function. It's a

function that calls itself with a slightly smaller or simpler version of the problem until it reaches

a point where it can directly solve it without calling itself again.

In Java, a simple example could be a factorial function. Let's say you want to find the factorial of

a number. Instead of computing it directly, you can break it down recursively like this:

java
Copy code

public class Factorial {


public static int factorial(int n) {
// Base case: if n is 0 or 1, factorial is 1
if (n == 0 || n == 1) {
return 1;
} else {
// Recursive case: n! = n * (n-1)!
return n * factorial(n - 1);
}
}

public static void main(String[] args) {


int number = 5;
int result = factorial(number);
System.out.println("Factorial of " + number + " is " + result);
}
}

Here, the factorial function calls itself with a smaller number until it reaches the base case

(which is when n becomes 0 or 1), and then it starts returning values back up the chain of

recursion, ultimately giving you the factorial of the original number.

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