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Lecture 17 - Recursion

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5 views

Lecture 17 - Recursion

Uploaded by

hiraazhar2030
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Recursion

Object Oriented Programming In Java


Recursion

Recursion is the technique of making a function


call itself. This technique provides a way to break
complicated problems down into simple problems
which are easier to solve.

Recursion may be a bit difficult to understand.


The best way to figure out how it works is to
experiment with it.
Recursion

Recursion Example

Adding two numbers together is easy to do, but adding a


range of numbers is more complicated. In the following
example, recursion is used to add a range of numbers
together by breaking it down into the simple task of
adding two numbers:

Example
Use recursion to add all of the numbers up to 10.
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int result = sum(10);
System.out.println(result);
}
public static int sum(int k) {
if (k > 0) {
return k + sum(k - 1);
} else {
return 0;
}
}
Recursion

Example Explained

When the sum() function is called, it adds parameter k to


the sum of all numbers smaller than k and returns the
result. When k becomes 0, the function just returns 0.
When running, the program follows these steps:
10 + sum(9)
10 + ( 9 + sum(8) )
10 + ( 9 + ( 8 + sum(7) ) )
...
10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 + sum(0)
10 +9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1+0

Since the function does not call itself when k is 0, the


program stops there and returns the result.
Recursion

Halting Condition

Just as loops can run into the problem of infinite looping,


recursive functions can run into the problem of infinite
recursion. Infinite recursion is when the function never
stops calling itself. Every recursive function should have a
halting condition, which is the condition where the
function stops calling itself. In the previous example, the
halting condition is when the parameter k becomes 0.
Recursion

It is helpful to see a variety of different examples to


better understand the concept. In this example, the
function adds a range of numbers between a start and an
end. The halting condition for this recursive function is
when end is not greater than start:

Example
Use recursion to add all of the numbers between
5 to 10.
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int result = sum(5, 10);
System.out.println(result);
}
public static int sum(int start, int end) {
if (end > start) {
return end + sum(start, end - 1);
} else {
return end;
}
}
Recursion

The developer should be very careful with


recursion as it can be quite easy to slip into
writing a function that never terminates, or one
that uses excess amounts of memory or processor
power.
However, when written correctly recursion can be
a very efficient and mathematically-elegant
approach to programming.

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