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Recursion Tree Method

The document explains the concept of a recursion tree, which visually represents how a recursive function divides a problem into subproblems, with each node indicating a subproblem and its associated work cost. It highlights the usefulness of recursion trees in visualizing problem breakdowns and calculating overall time complexity, particularly for divide-and-conquer algorithms. Examples of recurrence relations, such as those used in Merge Sort, are provided to illustrate the method's application.

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2 views7 pages

Recursion Tree Method

The document explains the concept of a recursion tree, which visually represents how a recursive function divides a problem into subproblems, with each node indicating a subproblem and its associated work cost. It highlights the usefulness of recursion trees in visualizing problem breakdowns and calculating overall time complexity, particularly for divide-and-conquer algorithms. Examples of recurrence relations, such as those used in Merge Sort, are provided to illustrate the method's application.

Uploaded by

jipiha8024
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 PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Recursion Tree Method

Analyzing Recurrence Relations


Visually
What is a Recursion Tree
• Definition: A recursion tree is a visual
representation of how a recursive function
breaks a problem down into subproblems.
– Each node in the tree represents a recursive
subproblem.
– The children of a node represent the further
subproblems that arise when you solve that node.
– The cost at each node shows the amount of work
done outside the recursive calls
Why Use Recursion Trees?
• Visualize the breakdown of a problem.
• Understand how much work is done at each
level.
• Sum up the total work to find the overall time
complexity.
Example Recurrence
• Example: Merge Sort
T(n) = 2T(n/2) + O(n)
• Problem splits into 2 subproblems.
• O(n) cost for splitting & merging.
When to Use Recursion Tree
• You have a divide-and-conquer algoritham
• recurrence, like T(n) = aT(n/b) + f(n).
• You want to visualize the work breakdown.
Example Practice
Try drawing recursion trees for:
• T(n) = T(n/2) + O(1)
(Binary Search → O(log n))
• T(n) = 3T(n/4) + O(n)
(Strassen’s Algorithm style)
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + O(n^2)
(Naive matrix multiplication)

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