Recursion

Front

What is recursion?

Back

Recursion is a programming technique where a function calls itself in order to solve a problem.

Front

What is a base case in recursion?

Back

A base case is a condition under which a recursive function stops calling itself, preventing infinite recursion.

Front

What happens if a recursive function does not have a base case?

Back

The function will run indefinitely, leading to a stack overflow error.

Front

How do you determine the number of recursive calls made by a function?

Back

Count how many times the function calls itself before reaching the base case.

Front

What is the output of a recursive function?

Back

The output is the final result returned after all recursive calls have been resolved.

Front

What is the difference between direct and indirect recursion?

Back

Direct recursion occurs when a function calls itself, while indirect recursion happens when a function calls another function that eventually calls the first function.

Front

Can recursion be used to solve iterative problems?

Back

Yes, many iterative problems can be solved using recursion, often leading to simpler and more elegant code.

Front

What is tail recursion?

Back

Tail recursion is a special case of recursion where the recursive call is the last operation in the function, allowing for optimization by the compiler.

Front

What is the time complexity of a simple recursive function?

Back

The time complexity can vary; for example, a function that makes two recursive calls has a time complexity of O(2^n).

Front

What is the space complexity of recursion?

Back

The space complexity is O(n) due to the call stack used to keep track of function calls.