- A recursive function is a function that calls itself to solve smaller instances of the same problem.
- An example of bad recursion is a function that calls itself indefinitely without a termination condition, leading to infinite recursion.
- A revised recursive function includes a base case to stop the recursion and prevent infinite loops.
- The base case in a recursive function is the condition under which the function stops calling itself.
- The recursive case in a function is where the function performs part of the work and calls itself with modified arguments.
- Recursion is useful for problems with self-similarity, such as summing a list, calculating factorials, and generating Fibonacci numbers.
- The recursive process involves the function breaking down a problem into smaller sub-problems until it reaches the base case.
- An example of recursion is the Euclidean algorithm for finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of two numbers.
- Recursion offers clarity and elegance in code but can be less efficient due to the overhead of multiple function calls.
- While recursion simplifies complex problems, it must be used carefully to avoid performance issues and stack overflow errors.
Python Programming
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- 2-1. The Software Development Process
- 2.2 The Five Steps of Software Development: Understanding the Problem
- 2.3 The Five Steps of Software Development: Defining Program Specifications
- 2.4 The Five Steps of Software Development: Planning the Solution
- 2.5 The Five Steps of Software Development: Writing the Code
- 2.6 The Five Steps of Software Development: Testing and Debugging
- 2.7 Design a Program
- 2-8. Input, Processing, and Output
- 2-9. Example Program: Grade Calculator
- 2-10. Variables
- 2-11. Expressions
- 2-12. Output Statements - The print() Function
- 2-13. Assignment Statements
- Summary
- Programming Exercises
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- 8-1. Why Functions?
- 8-2. The Syntax of Function Definition
- 8-3. Void Functions and Value Returning Functions
- 8-4. Function Arguments and Parameters
- 8-5. The if __name__ == "__main__": Statement
- 8-6. The yield Statement
- 8-7. Nesting Function Calls
- 8-8. Calling from the Call
- Summary
- Programming Exercises
Summary
Last updated: April 22, 2025