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DS Lecture 14 Recursion

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66 views16 pages

DS Lecture 14 Recursion

Uploaded by

mahambilal020
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Data Structures

Static Data Structures


Recursion and their applications

5 November 2024 1
Recursion (3.5)
⚫ In some problems, it may be natural to define
the problem in terms of the problem itself.
⚫ Recursion is useful for problems that can be
represented by a simpler version of the same
problem.
⚫ Example: the factorial function
6! = 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1
We could write:
6! = 6 * 5!

2
Recursion (cont.)
⚫ Recursion is one way to decompose a task into
smaller subtasks. At least one of the subtasks is
a smaller example of the same task.

⚫ The smallest example of the same task has a


non-recursive solution.

⚫ Example: the factorial function


n! = n*(n-1)! and 1! = 1
3
Example: Factorial Function
⚫ In general, we can express the factorial
function as follows:
n! = n*(n-1)!
Is this correct? Well… almost.

⚫ The factorial function is only defined for


positive integers. So we should be more
precise:
f(n) = 1 if n = 1
= n*f(n-1) if n > 1
4
Factorial Function: Pseudo-code

int fac(int n){


if(n == 0)
return 1;
else
return n * fac(n-1);
}

recursion means that a function calls itself.

5
Visualizing Recursion
Example recursion trace:
Recursion trace
return 4*6 = 24 final answer
⚫ A box for each call

recursiveFactorial(4)
recursive call call return 3*2 = 6

⚫ An arrow from each recursiveFactorial(3)


call return 2*1 = 2
caller to callee recursiveFactorial(2)

⚫ An arrow from each call return 1*1 = 1


recursiveFactorial(1)
callee to caller call return 1
showing return value recursiveFactorial(0)

6
factorial function

The C++ equivalent of this definition:


int fac(int n){
if (n<=1)
return 1;
else
return n * fac(n-1);
}

recursion means that a function calls


itself
Recursive vs. Iterative Solutions
⚫ For certain problems (such as the factorial function), a
recursive solution often leads to short and elegant code.
Compare the recursive solution with the iterative solution:

int fac(int n){ int fac(int n){


if (n==0) int product = 1;
return 1; while(n>1){
else product *= n;
return (n * fac(n-1)); n--;
} }
return product;
}

8
A Word of Caution
⚫ To trace recursion, function calls operate as a stack –
the new function is put on top of the caller.
⚫ We have to pay a price for recursion:
calling a function consumes more time and
memory than adjusting a loop counter.
high performance applications (graphic action
games, simulations of nuclear explosions) hardly
ever use recursion.
⚫ In less demanding applications, recursion is an
attractive alternative for iteration (for the right
problems!)

9
Infinite Loops
If we use iteration, we must be careful not to create an
infinite loop by accident.

for (int incr=1; incr!=10; incr+=2)


...

int result = 1; Oops!


while(result > 0){
...
result++;
} Oops!
10
Infinite Recursion
Similarly, if we use recursion, we must be careful not
to create an infinite chain of function calls.

int fac(int n){ Oops!


return n * fac(n-1); No termination
} condition
int fac(int n){
if (n==0)
return 1;
else
return n * fac(n + 1);
}
Oops! 11
Tips

We must always make sure that the recursion


bottoms out:

⚫ A recursive function must contain at least one


non-recursive branch.

⚫ The recursive calls must eventually lead to a


non-recursive branch.

12
Direct Computation Method
⚫Fibonacci numbers:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ...
where each number is the sum of the
preceding two.

⚫Recursive definition:
F(0) = 0;
F(1) = 1;
F(number) = F(number-1)+ F(number-
2);
Example 2: Fibonacci numbers
//Calculate Fibonacci numbers using recursive function.
//A very inefficient way, but illustrates recursion well
int fib(int number)
{
if (number == 0) return 0;
if (number == 1) return 1;
return (fib(number-1) + fib(number-2));
}

int main(){ // driver function


int n;
cout << "Please enter an integer: ";
cin >> n;
cout << "The Fibonacci number for "<< n << " is “ << fib(n) << endl;
return 0;
}
Example 3: Fibonacci number w/o recursion

//Calculate Fibonacci numbers iteratively


//much more efficient than recursive solution

int fib(int n)
{
int f[100];
f[0] = 0; f[1] = 1;
for (int i=2; i<= n; i++)
f[i] = f[i-1] + f[i-2];
return f[n];
}

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