Recursion in Java
What is Recursion?
Recursion in Java is a process in which a method calls itself in order to solve a problem. Recursive
methods solve complex problems by breaking them down into simpler subproblems, each of which
is a smaller instance of the original problem.
How Recursion Works
A recursive method includes two main components:
- **Base Case**: The condition under which the recursion stops, preventing infinite loops.
- **Recursive Call**: A call to the method itself, with modified parameters, to solve a smaller instance
of the problem.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Recursion
- **Advantages**: Recursion can simplify code by reducing complex problems into simple
subproblems.
- **Disadvantages**: Recursive calls may use more memory and can be slower than iterative
solutions for certain problems.
Example of Recursion: Factorial Calculation
Here is an example of recursion in Java for calculating the factorial of a number:
public class Factorial {
public int factorial(int n) {
// Base case
if (n <= 1) {
return 1;
}
// Recursive call
return n * factorial(n - 1);
In this example, the factorial method calls itself with a decremented value of 'n' until it reaches the
base case (n <= 1).
Types of Recursion
- **Direct Recursion**: A method that directly calls itself.
- **Indirect Recursion**: A method that calls another method, which in turn calls the original method.
Key Considerations
- Ensure that a base case exists to prevent infinite recursion.
- Recursion may not be efficient for all problems, particularly those with large input sizes.
- Tail recursion (where recursive calls are the last operation) can be optimized by some compilers,
although Java does not currently support tail-call optimization.
