What is recursion?
18-minute lesson · module-recursion-01
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What is recursion?
18-minute lesson · module-recursion-01
- Define recursion as a function that calls itself on a smaller input.
- Identify the base case that stops the recursion.
- Identify the recursive case that moves toward the base case.
- Trace a simple recursive function such as factorial or countdown by hand.
Source attribution
Status: adapted
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Interactive Edition — source · Recursion / What Is Recursion / The Three Laws of Recursion
Adaptation notes. Reading rewritten in our voice; the three-laws framing is the chapter's but the wording and examples (factorial, countdown-to-list) are ours. Hidden tests check the base case and several recursive cases.
License notes. Original chapter is GNU FDL 1.3 (Brad Miller, David Ranum, and the upstream Elkner/Downey/Meyers text). No verbatim text reproduced.