Recursion

Lecture Objectives

• Learn about recursive definitions

• Explore the base case and the general case
of a recursive definition
• Learn about recursive algorithms
 Lecture Objectives (Cont’d)

• Learn about recursive methods

• Become aware of direct and indirect
recursion
• Explore how to use recursive methods to
implement recursive algorithms
 Recursive Definitions

• Recursion
 Process of solving a problem by reducing it to smaller
versions of itself

• Recursive definition
 Definition in which a problem is expressed in terms of a
smaller version of itself
 Has one or more base cases
Recursive Definitions (Cont’d)

0! = 1 (By Definition!)
n! = n x (n – 1) ! If n > 0
3! = 3 x 2!
2! = 2 x 1!
1! = 1 x 0!

0! = 1 (Base Case!)

1! = 1 x 0! = 1x1=1
2! = 2 x 1! = 2x1=2
3! = 3 x 2! = 3x2=6
 Recursive Definitions (Cont’d)
• Recursive algorithm
 Algorithm that finds the solution to a given problem by
reducing the problem to smaller versions of itself
 Has one or more base cases
 Implemented using recursive methods

• Recursive method
 Method that calls itself

• Base case
 Case in recursive definition in which the solution is
obtained directly
 Stops the recursion
 Recursive Definitions (Cont’d)

• General solution
 Breaks problem into smaller versions of itself

• General case
 Case in recursive definition in which a smaller
version of itself is called
 Must eventually be reduced to a base case
 Recursive Definitions (Cont’d)

• Directly recursive: a method that calls itself

• Indirectly recursive: a method that calls
another method and eventually results in the
original method call
• Tail recursive method: recursive method in
which the last statement executed is the
recursive call
• Infinite recursion: the case where every
recursive call results in another recursive call
 Tracing a Recursive Method

• Recursive method
 Logically, you can think of a recursive method having
unlimited copies of itself
 Every recursive call has its own
• Code
• Set of parameters
• Set of local variables
Tracing a Recursive Method (Cont’d)

• After completing a recursive call

 Control goes back to the calling environment
 Recursive call must execute completely before control
goes back to previous call
 Execution in previous call begins from point
immediately following recursive call
 Designing Recursive Methods

• Understand problem requirements

• Determine limiting conditions
• Identify base cases
Designing Recursive Methods (Cont’d)

• Provide direct solution to each base case

• Identify general case(s)
• Provide solutions to general cases in terms
of smaller versions of general cases
 Recursive Factorial Method

public static int fact(int num) {

if (num = = 0)
return 1;
else
return num * fact(num – 1);
}
Recursive Factorial Method (Cont’d)

Figure 1: Execution path of fact(4)

Largest Value in Array

Figure 2: Array with six elements

 Largest Value in Array (Cont’d)
• if the size of the list is 1
- the largest element in the list is the only element in the
array
• else
- to find the largest element in list[a]...list[b]
a. find the largest element in list[a +
1]...list[b]
and call it max
b. compare list[a] and max
• if (list[a] >= max)
the largest element in list[a]...list[b] is
list[a]
• else
the largest element in list[a]...list[b] is max
 Largest Value in Array (Cont’d)

public static int largest(int[] list, int lowerIndex, int upperIndex) {

int max;
if (lowerIndex == upperIndex)
return list[lowerIndex];
else {
max = largest(list, lowerIndex + 1,
upperIndex);
if (list[lowerIndex] >= max)
return list[lowerIndex];
else
return max;
}
}
Execution of largest(list, 0, 3)

Figure 3: Array with four elements

System.out.println(largest(list, 0, 3));
Execution of largest(list, 0, 3) (Cont’d)

Figure 4: Execution of largest(list, 0, 3)

Recursive Fibonacci
Recursive Fibonacci (Cont’d)

public static int rFibNum(int a, int b, int n) {

if (n == 1)
return a;
else if (n == 2)
return b;
else
return rFibNum(a, b, n -1) +
rFibNum(a, b, n - 2);
}
Recursive Fibonacci (Cont’d)

Figure 5: Execution of rFibNum(2, 3, 5)

 Recursion and the Method Call Stack
• Method call stack used to keep track of method
calls and local variables within a method call
• Just as with nonrecursive programming, recursive
method calls are placed at the top of the method
call stack
• As recursive method calls return, their activation
records are popped off the stack and the previous
recursive calls continue executing
• Current method executing is always method
whose activation record is at top of stack
Recursion and the Method Call Stack (Cont’d)

Figure 6: Method calls on the program execution stack

Towers of Hanoi Problem with Three
Disks

Figure 7: Tower of Hanoi Problem with three disks

Towers of Hanoi: Three Disk Solution

Figure 8: Tower of Hanoi Problem with three disks – Solution 1

Towers of Hanoi: Three Disk Solution (Cont’d)

Figure 9: Tower of Hanoi Problem with three disks – Solution 2

Towers of Hanoi: Recursive Algorithm

public static void moveDisks(int count, int needle1, int needle3, int needle2) {
if (count > 0) {
moveDisks(count - 1, needle1,
needle2, needle3);
System.out.println("Move disk " + count
+ " from needle "
+ needle1 + " to needle "
+ needle3 + ". ");
moveDisks(count - 1, needle2,
needle3, needle1);
}
}
 Recursion or Iteration?

• Two ways to solve particular problem

 Iteration
 Recursion

• Both iteration and recursion use a control

statement
 Iteration uses a repetition statement
 Recursion uses a selection statement
 Recursion or Iteration? (Cont’d)
• Iteration and recursion both involve a termination test
 Iteration terminates when the loop-continuation condition fails
 Recursion terminates when a base case is reached

• Recursion can be expensive in terms of processor time

and memory space, but usually provides a more
intuitive solution
Programming Example: Decimal to Binary

public static void decToBin(int num, int base) {

if (num > 0) {
decToBin(num / base, base);
System.out.print(num % base);
}
}
Execution of decToBin(13, 2)

Figure 10: Execution of decToBin(13, 2)

Sierpinski Gaskets of Various Orders

Figure 11: Sierpinski Gaskets

Programming Example: Sierpinski Gasket

• Input: non-negative integer indicating level of

Sierpinski gasket
• Output: triangle shape displaying a
Sierpinski gasket of the given order
• Solution includes:
 Recursive method drawSierpinski
 Method to find midpoint of two points
Programming Example: Sierpinski Gasket (Cont’d)

private void drawSierpinski(Graphics g, int lev,Point p1, Point p2, Point p3) {
Point midP1P2;
Point midP2P3;
Point midP3P1;
if (lev > 0) {
g.drawLine(p1.x, p1.y, p2.x, p2.y);
g.drawLine(p2.x, p2.y, p3.x, p3.y);
g.drawLine(p3.x, p3.y, p1.x, p1.y);
midP1P2 = midPoint(p1, p2);
midP2P3 = midPoint(p2, p3);
midP3P1 = midPoint(p3, p1);
drawSierpinski(g, lev - 1, p1, midP1P2,midP3P1);
drawSierpinski(g, lev - 1, p2, midP2P3, midP1P2);
drawSierpinski(g, lev - 1, p3, midP3P1, midP2P3);
}
}
Programming Example: Sierpinski Gasket (Cont’d)

Figure 12: Sierpinski Gaskets: Recursion depth of 3

 Lecture Summary

• Recursive definitions
• Recursive algorithms
• Recursive methods
• Base cases
• General cases
 Lecture Summary (Cont’d)

• Tracing recursive methods

• Designing recursive methods
• Varieties of recursive methods
• Recursion vs. Iteration
• Various recursive functions explored