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Recursive Functions

The document discusses recursive functions, providing an example of binary search and outlining common recursive problems such as factorial calculation and Fibonacci sequence. It compares recursive and iterative approaches in terms of elegance, ease of understanding, stack usage, speed, risk, debugging, and use cases. The key takeaway is that recursion can be elegant and suitable for certain problems, while iteration may be more efficient and safer for others.

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avishkatheaviya
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7 views

Recursive Functions

The document discusses recursive functions, providing an example of binary search and outlining common recursive problems such as factorial calculation and Fibonacci sequence. It compares recursive and iterative approaches in terms of elegance, ease of understanding, stack usage, speed, risk, debugging, and use cases. The key takeaway is that recursion can be elegant and suitable for certain problems, while iteration may be more efficient and safer for others.

Uploaded by

avishkatheaviya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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RECURSIVE FUNCTIONS

Example of a recursive function


Note : Any recursive algorithm can be
implemented in iterative approach too
BINARY SEARCH ( let’s search for 27)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4 9 13 16 19 23 27 32 38 41 50

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4 9 13 16 19 23 27 32 38 41 50

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4 9 13 16 19 23 27 32 38 41 50
More examples on recursion
Common Recursive Problems
1. Factorial Calculation
Calculate the product of all positive integers up to n (n!).
2. Fibonacci Sequence
Find the nth number in the sequence where each number is the sum of the
two preceding ones.
3. Palindrome Check
Determine if a string reads the same forward and backward by comparing
characters recursively.
4. Sum of Natural Numbers
Compute the sum of all numbers from 1 to n by breaking down the problem
into smaller sums.
 String Reversal
Reverse a string by recursively processing characters from front to back.
Comparison: Recursive vs Iterative
Feature Recursive Iterative
Elegance Looks cleaner, math-like More mechanical

Easier for real-world


Ease of Understanding Great for teaching recursion
performance

Stack Usage Uses call stack → O(n) space Constant space → O(1)

Slower (due to function call Faster (tight loop, no stack


Speed for Large n
overhead) buildup)

Risk Stack overflow for large n Safe for large n

Debugging Harder to trace (deep calls) Easier (single loop)

Best when problem is recursive Best for linear computation


Use Case
by nature (e.g. tree traversal) like factorial

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