Recursion in Java
Recursion in Java
Recursion in Java:
Recursion is a programming technique that involves a function calling itself. In Java, recursion can be used to solve problems that can be broken down into smaller, simpler versions of themselves.
Here’s an example of a simple recursive function in Java that calculates the factorial of a given number:
public static int factorial(int n) {
if (n == 0) {
return 1;
} else {
return n * factorial(n-1);
}
}
In this example, the factorial() function calls itself with a smaller input value (n-1) until it reaches the base case of n=0, at which point it returns 1.
Another example of a recursive function in Java is one that calculates the nth Fibonacci number:
public static int fibonacci(int n) {
if (n <= 1) {
return n;
} else {
return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
}
}
In this example, the fibonacci() function calls itself twice with smaller input values (n-1 and n-2) until it reaches the base case of n=0 or n=1, at which point it returns the value of n.
It’s important to note that recursive functions can be less efficient than iterative (loop-based) functions, particularly for large input values, because of the added overhead of function calls and stack space used to maintain the call stack.