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Recursion in C

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223 views

Recursion in C

Uploaded by

Samyak Anand
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 PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Recursion

Recursion / Slide 2

Recursion
Recursion is the process of repeating items in a
self-similar way.
In programming languages, if a program allows
you to call a function inside the same function,
then it is called a recursive call of the function.
void recursion() {
recursion(); /* function calls itself */
}
int main() {
recursion();
}
Recursion / Slide 3

Recursion
 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!
Recursion / Slide 4

Example 2: 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 a bit more
precise:
n! = 1 (if n is equal to 1)
n! = n * (n-1)! (if n is larger than 1)
Recursion / Slide 5

factorial function
The C equivalent of this definition:
int fac(int numb){
if(numb==1)
return 1;
else
return numb * fac(numb-1);
}
recursion means that a function calls itself
Recursion / Slide 6

factorial function
 Assume the number typed is 3, that is, numb=3.
fac(3) :
3 == 1 ? No.
fac(3) = 3 * fac(2)
fac(2) :
2 == 1 ?
No.
fac(2) = 2 * fac(1)
fac(1) :
1 == 1 ? Yes.
return 1 int fac(int numb){
fac(2) = 2 * 1 = 2 if(numb==1)
return fac(2) return 1;
fac(3) = 3 * 2 = 6 else
return fac(3) return numb * fac(numb-1);
}
fac(3) has the value 6
Recursion / Slide 7

Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company


A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
Recursion / Slide 8

factorial function
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:

Recursive solution Iterative solution

int fac(int numb){ int fac(int numb){


if(numb<=1) int product=1;
return 1; while(numb>1){
else product *= numb;
return numb*fac(numb-1); numb--;
}
}
return product;
}
Recursion / Slide 9

Recursion

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!)
Recursion / Slide 10

Recursion
If we use iteration, we must be careful not to
create an infinite loop by accident:

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


...

Oops!
int result = 1;
while(result >0){
...
result++;
}
Oops!
Recursion / Slide 11

Recursion
Similarly, if we use recursion we must be
careful not to create an infinite chain of
function calls:
int fac(int numb){ Oops!
return numb * fac(numb-1); No termination
}
condition
Or:
int fac(int numb){
if (numb<=1)
return 1;
else
return numb * fac(numb+1);
}
Oops!
Recursion / Slide 12

Recursion

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.
Recursion / Slide 13

Recursion

 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
Recursion / Slide 14

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);
Recursion / Slide 15

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 inp_number;
printf("Please enter an integer: “);
scanf(“%d”, &inp_number;
printf("The Fibonacci number for %d is “,inp_number, fib(inp_number));
return 0;
}
Recursion / Slide 16

Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company


A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
Example 3: Fibonacci number w/o
Recursion / Slide 17

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];
}
Recursion / Slide 18

Recursion General Form


 How to write recursively?

int recur_fn(parameters){
if(stopping condition)
return stopping value;
// other stopping conditions if needed
return function of recur_fn(revised parameters)

}
Recursion / Slide 19

Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company


A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
Recursion / Slide 20

Example 5: exponential func


 How to write exp(int numb, int power)
recursively?

int exp(int numb, int power){


if(power ==0)
return 1;
return numb * exp(numb, power -1);
}

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