Recursive Functions

A Recursive function can be defined as a routine that calls itself directly or indirectly.

In other words, a recursive function is a function that solves a problem by solving smaller instances of the same problem. This technique is commonly used in programming to solve problems that can be broken down into simpler, similar subproblems.

Need of Recursive Function:

A recursive function is a function that solves a problem by solving smaller instances of the same problem. This technique is often used in programming to solve problems that can be broken down into simpler, similar subproblems.

1. Solving complex tasks:

Recursive functions break complex problems into smaller instances of the same problem, resulting in compact and readable code.

2. Divide and Conquer:

Recursive functions are suitable for divide-and-conquer algorithms such as merge sort and quicksort, breaking problems into smaller subproblems, solving them recursively, and merging the solutions with the original problem.

3. Backtracking:

Recursive backtracking is ideal for exploring and solving problems like N-Queens and Sudoku.

4. Dynamic programming:

Recursive functions efficiently solve dynamic programming problems by solving subproblems and combining their solutions into a complete solution.

5. Tree and graph structures:

Recursive functions are great for working with tree and graph structures, simplifying traversal and pattern recognition tasks.

How to write a Recursive Function:

Components of a recursive function:

Base case: Every recursive function must have a base case. The base case is the simplest scenario that does not require further recursion. This is a termination condition that prevents the function from calling itself indefinitely. Without a proper base case, a recursive function can lead to infinite recursion.

Recursive case: In the recursive case, the function calls itself with the modified arguments. This is the essence of recursion - solving a larger problem by breaking it down into smaller instances of the same problem. The recursive case should move closer to the base case with each iteration.

Let's consider the example of factorial of number:

In this example, the base case is when n is 0, and the function returns 1. The recursive case multiplies n with the result of the function called with parameter n - 1. The process continues until the base case is reached.

It's essential to ensure that the recursive function has a correct base case and that the recursive calls lead to the base case, otherwise, the procedure might run indefinitely, leading to a stack overflow (exceeding the available memory allocated for function calls).

Below is the implementation of factorial of a number:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// Recursive Function to calculate Factorial of a number
int factorial(int n)
{
    // Base case
    if (n == 0) {
        return 1;
    }

    // Recursive case
    return n * factorial(n - 1);
}

// Driver Code

int main()
{
    int n = 4;

    cout << "Factorial of " << n
         << " is:" << factorial(n);
    return 0;
}

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Factorial {
    // Recursive Function to calculate the factorial of a number
    static int factorial(int n) {
        // Base case: If n is 0, the factorial is 1.
        if (n == 0) {
            return 1;
        }

        // Recursive case: Calculate the factorial by multiplying n with the factorial of (n - 1).
        return n * factorial(n - 1);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int n = 4;

        // Calculate and print the factorial of n.
        int result = factorial(n);
        System.out.println("Factorial of " + n + " is: " + result);
    }
}

# Recursive Function to calculate Factorial of a number
def factorial(n):
    # Base case
    if n == 0:
        return 1

    # Recursive case
    return n * factorial(n - 1)

# Driver Code
if __name__ == "__main__":
    n = 4

    print("Factorial of", n, "is:", factorial(n))

using System;

class Program
{
    // Recursive Function to calculate Factorial of a number
    static int Factorial(int n)
    {
        // Base case
        if (n == 0)
        {
            return 1;
        }

        // Recursive case
        return n * Factorial(n - 1);
    }

    // Driver Code
    static void Main()
    {
        int n = 4;

        Console.WriteLine("Factorial of " + n + " is: " + Factorial(n));
    }
}

// Function to calculate the factorial of a number using recursion
function factorial(n) {
    // Base case: If n is 0, the factorial is 1.
    if (n === 0) {
        return 1;
    }

    // Recursive case: Calculate the factorial by multiplying n with the factorial of (n - 1).
    return n * factorial(n - 1);
}

// Main function
function main() {
    // Given number
    let n = 4;

    // Calculate the factorial of n.
    let result = factorial(n);

    // Print the result
    console.log("Factorial of " + n + " is: " + result);
}

// Call the main function
main();

Factorial of 4 is:24

Time Complexity: O(n)
Auxiliary Space: O(n)