Learn and Master C Programming - Recursion in C/C++

The video tutorial explains recursion, focusing on the factorial function as an example. It covers the basics of recursion, including base cases and termination conditions, and highlights the potential for stack overflow. The tutorial compares recursive and iterative approaches, discussing when recursion is beneficial despite its performance drawbacks. It concludes with a practical demonstration of implementing factorial in Visual Studio, both iteratively and recursively.

What is a base case in a recursive function?

• The final case in a loop

• A case that causes a stack overflow

• A case that requires multiple recursive calls

• The simplest case that can be solved directly

What is a potential risk of not having a termination condition in a recursive function?

• The function will return incorrect results

• The function will run indefinitely, causing a stack overflow

• The function will not compile

• The function will execute faster

How is the factorial of a number calculated recursively?

• By dividing the number by the factorial of the previous number

• By multiplying the number by the factorial of the previous number

• By adding the number to itself

• By multiplying the number by itself

Why might recursion be chosen over iteration for some problems?

• Recursion is always faster

• Iteration cannot solve complex problems

• Recursion can mirror the problem more naturally and simplify the code

• Recursion uses less memory

What is a disadvantage of using recursion?

• It is difficult to understand

• It cannot be used for mathematical problems

• It can be expensive in terms of memory and CPU time

• It always results in incorrect outputs

What is the first step in implementing the factorial function iteratively?

• Initialize a variable to store the result

• Create a while loop

• Call the function recursively

• Define a recursive function

In the iterative implementation of factorial, what is the purpose of the loop?

• To subtract numbers from 1 to n

• To add numbers from 1 to n

• To multiply numbers from 1 to n

• To divide numbers from 1 to n

What is the base case in the recursive implementation of the factorial function?

• When n is an even number

• When n is greater than 10

• When n is 0 or 1

• When n is a negative number

How does the recursive factorial function handle more complex cases?

• By adding the current number to the factorial of the previous number

• By multiplying the current number by the factorial of the previous number

• By dividing the current number by the factorial of the previous number

• By subtracting the current number from the factorial of the previous number

What is a key benefit of using recursion for certain problems?

• It always executes faster than iteration

• It uses less memory

• It can reduce the amount of code needed

• It eliminates the need for loops