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Everything about Recursion (computer science)

Use of functions that call themselves

In computer science, recursion is a method of solving a computational problem where the solution depends on solutions to smaller instances of the same problem. Recursion solves such recursive problems by using functions that call themselves from within their own code. The approach can be applied to many types of problems, and recursion is one of the central ideas of computer science.The power of recursion evidently lies in the possibility of defining an infinite set of objects by a finite statement. In the same manner, an infinite number of computations can be described by a finite recursive program, even if this program contains no explicit repetitions. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Recursion (computer science)A 5-minute orientation
  2. Pick up a classic book: Computability and logicThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  3. Read the landmark paper: E-learning for introductory Computer Science concept on recursion applying two types of feedback methods in the learning assessmentCited 3 times
  4. Go sideways: Tail callA closely related topic
  5. Go sideways: Tree traversalA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

No dictionary entry for this exact phrase.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. History
  2. Structure of a recursive function
  3. Recursive data types
  4. Types of recursion
  5. Implementation issues
  6. Recursion versus iteration
  7. Tail-recursive functions
  8. Order of execution
  9. Recursive procedures
  10. Recursive data structures (structural recursion)
  11. Time-efficiency of recursive algorithms
  12. Recursion in Logic Programming

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics