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Understanding Recursion in C Programming

The document explains recursion, a programming concept where a function calls itself until a base condition is met, emphasizing the importance of defining an exit condition to avoid infinite loops. It outlines the types of recursion (direct, indirect, linear, binary, and n-ary) and provides examples of recursive functions to calculate factorial and GCD. Advantages of recursion include cleaner code, easier problem-solving, and the ability to define all algorithms recursively.

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Kavitha Ms
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67 views4 pages

Understanding Recursion in C Programming

The document explains recursion, a programming concept where a function calls itself until a base condition is met, emphasizing the importance of defining an exit condition to avoid infinite loops. It outlines the types of recursion (direct, indirect, linear, binary, and n-ary) and provides examples of recursive functions to calculate factorial and GCD. Advantages of recursion include cleaner code, easier problem-solving, and the ability to define all algorithms recursively.

Uploaded by

Kavitha Ms
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ROHINI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

RECURSION
Recursion is defined as the function that calls itself repeatedly until condition is reached.
But while using recursion, programmers need to be careful to define an exit condition from the
function; otherwise it will go into an infinite loop.
Syntax:
Function1()
{
Function1();
}
Example:
Calculating the factorial of a number
Fact (n)= n*fact(n-1);
6! = 6*fact(n);
6! = 6 *5*fact(4)
6! = 6 * 5 * 4 *fact(3)
6! = 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 *fact(2)
6! =6 *5 * 4 * 3 *2 * fact(1)
6! = 6 *5 * 4 * 3 *2 * 1
6!=120
Advantage of recursion
 Recursion makes program elegant and cleaner.
 All algorithms can be defined recursively which makes it easier to visualize and
prove.
 Reduce unnecessary calling of function
 Easy to solve complex problems
Direct Recursion:
A function is directly recursive if it calls itself.
A( )
{
….
A( ); // call to itself

CS8251 PROGRAMMING IN C
ROHINI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

….
}
Indirect Recursion:
Function calls another function, which in turn calls the original function.
A( )
{
…
B( );
…
}
B( )
{
…
A( );// function B calls A
…
}

Linear Recursion - It makes only one recursive call.


Binary Recursion - It calls itself twice.
N-ary recursion - It calls itself n times.

CS8251 PROGRAMMING IN C
ROHINI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Program 1 : Find factorial using recursion


#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int fact(int);
void main()
{
int n, Result;
printf(“\n Enter any number:”);
scanf(“%d”, &n);
Result = fact(n);
printf (“Factorial value = %d”, Result);
getch();
}
int fact (int x)
{
if (x == 0)
return 1;
else
return x * fact(x – 1);
}
Output:

Enter any number: 4


Factorial value = 24

CS8251 PROGRAMMING IN C
ROHINI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Program 2 : Find the GCD of Two Positive Integer Numbers


#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
int gcd (int a, int b)
void main ()
{
int a, b;
printf(“\n Enter the two numbers:”);
scanf (“%d%d”, &a, &b);

CS8251 PROGRAMMING IN C

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