1.

7 Recursion

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Objectives
• To learn the concept and usage of Recursion in C
• Examples of Recursion in C

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 What is recursion?
• Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is by solving a
smaller version of the exact same problem first

• Recursion is a technique that solves a problem by solving a

smaller problem of the same type

• a function that calls itself

Directly or
Indirectly (a function that is part of a cycle in the sequence of
function calls.)

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 Pictorial representation of direct and indirect
recursive calls

f1 f1 f2 … fn

Direct recursive call Indirect recursive call

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Syntax
function_name(parameter list)
{
…
//‘c’ statements
…
function_name(parameter values) // recursive call
…
}

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 Problems defined recursively
• There are many problems whose solution can be defined
recursively
Example: n factorial

1 if n = 0
n!= (recursive solution)
(n-1)!*n if n > 0

1 if n = 0
n!= (closed form solution)
1*2*3*…*(n-1)*n if n > 0
(also called as iterative
method)
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Coding the factorial function
• Iterative implementation
int Factorial(int n)
{
int fact = 1;

for(int count = 2; count <= n; count++)

fact = fact * count;

return fact;
}

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 Coding the factorial function
(An Example of Recursive Call)
• Recursive implementation

int Factorial(int n)
{
if (n==0) // base case
return 1;
else
return n * Factorial(n-1);
}

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 Coding the factorial function (cont.)

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 2*f(2)

2*f(1)

2*f(1)

=f(0)

=f(1)

=f(2)

=f(3)

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 More Interesting Example
Towers of Hanoi

• Move stack of disks from one peg to another

• Move one disk at a time
• Larger disk may never be on top of smaller disk
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 A Classical Case: Towers of Hanoi
• The towers of Hanoi problem involves moving a
number of disks (in different sizes) from one
tower (or called “peg”) to another.
– The constraint is that the larger disk can never be
placed on top of a smaller disk.
– Only one disk can be moved at each time
– Assume there are three towers available.

Source Temp Destination

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 A Classical Case: Towers of Hanoi

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 A Classical Case: Towers of Hanoi
• This problem can be solved easily by recursion.
• Algorithm:
if n is 1 then
move disk 1 from the source tower to the destination tower
else
1. move n-1 disks from the source tower to the temp tower.
2. move disk n from the source tower to the destination
tower.
3. move n-1 disks from the temp tower to the source tower.

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 Tower of Hanoi Program
#include <stdio.h> /* PRE: n >= 0. Disks are arranged
small to large on the pegs a, b,
and c. At least n disks on peg
void move (int n, int a, int a. No disk on b or c is smaller
c, int b); than the top n disks of a.
POST: The n disks have been moved
from a to c. Small to large
int main() { order is preserved. Other disks
int disks; on a, b, c are undisturbed. */
printf ("How many disks?");
scanf ("%d", &disks); void move (int n, int a, int c, int
b) {
if (n > 0)
move (disks, 1, 3, 2); {
move (n-1, a, b, c);
return 0; printf ("Move one disk
from %d to %d\n", a, c);
} // main
move (n-1, b, c, a);
• Is pre-condition satisfied before
} // if (n > 0)

this call to move? return;

} // move

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 Tower of Hanoi Program
#include <stdio.h> /* PRE: n >= 0. Disks are arranged
small to large on the pegs a, b,
and c. At least n disks on peg
void move (int n, int a, int a. No disk on b or c is smaller
c, int b); than the top n disks of a.
POST: The n disks have been moved
from a to c. Small to large
int main() { order is preserved. Other disks
int disks; on a, b, c are undisturbed. */
printf ("How many disks?");
scanf ("%d", &disks); void move (int n, int a, int c, int
b) {
if (n > 0)
move (disks, 1, 3, 2); {
move (n-1, a, b, c);
return 0; printf ("Move one disk
• If pre-condition
} // mainis satisfied here, is it still
from %d to %d\n", a, c);
move (n-1, b, c, a);
satisfied here? } // if (n > 0)

return; And here?

} // move

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 Tower of Hanoi Program
#include <stdio.h> /* PRE: n >= 0. Disks are arranged
small to large on the pegs a, b,
and c. At least n disks on peg
void move (int n, int a, int a. No disk on b or c is smaller
c, int b); than the top n disks of a.
POST: The n disks have been moved
from a to c. Small to large
int main() { order is preserved. Other disks
int disks; on a, b, c are undisturbed. */
printf ("How many disks?");
scanf ("%d", &disks); void move (int n, int a, int c, int
b) {
if (n > 0)
move (disks, 1, 3, 2); {
move (n-1, a, b, c);
return 0; printf ("Move one disk
from %d to %d\n", a, c);
} // main
move (n-1, b, c, a);
If pre-condition is true and } // if (n > 0)
Can we reason that this
if n = 1, does move satisfy return; program correctly plays
the post-condition? } // move
Tower of Hanoi?

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 Problems Suitable for Recursive Functions
• One or more simple cases of the problem have a
straightforward solution.
• The other cases can be redefined in terms of problems
that are closer to the simple cases.
• The problem can be reduced entirely to simple cases by
calling the recursive function.
– If this is a simple case
solve it
else
redefine the problem using recursion

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 Splitting a Problem into Smaller Problems

• Assume that the problem of size 1 can be solved

easily (i.e., the simple case).
• We can recursively split the problem into a
problem of size 1 and another problem of size n-
1.
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 Recursion vs. iteration
• Iteration can be used in place of recursion
– An iterative algorithm uses a looping construct
– A recursive algorithm uses a branching structure
• Recursive solutions are often less efficient, in terms of both
time and space, than iterative solutions
• Recursion can simplify the solution of a problem, often
resulting in shorter, more easily understood source code

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 Recursion vs. Iteration (Contd…)

• Some simple recursive problems can be “unwound” into

loops
• But code becomes less compact, harder to follow!
• Hard problems cannot easily be expressed in non-
recursive code
• Tower of Hanoi
• Robots or avatars that “learn”
• Advanced games

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Try it Yourself
• Generate a fibonacci series using recursion
Recursive definition for {fn }:
INITIALIZATION: f0 = 0, f1 = 1
RECURSION : fn = fn-1+fn-2 for n > 1
• Finding the GCD
• Euclid’s algorithm makes use of the fact that
gcd(x,y ) = gcd(y, x mod y)
gcd (x,y) = x if y=0
gcd(y, x mod y) otherwise

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Summary
• Discussed so far the
• What is a recursion (function) ?
• What is the need for the recursive function?
• Writing recursive functions using C
• How a hard/difficult problem can be solved by recursion
• Comparison of Recursion with Iterative method

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