Recursion

Recursion / Slide 2

Ex. 1: The Handshake Problem

There are n people in a room. If each person
shakes hands once with every other person.
What is the total number h(n) of handshakes?

h(n) = h(n-1) + n-1 h(4) = h(3) + 3 h(3) = h(2) + 2 h(2) = 1

h(n): Sum of integer from 1 to n-1 = n(n-1) / 2

Recursion / Slide 3

Recursion
 In some problems, it may be natural to define
the problem in terms of the problem itself.
 Recursion is useful for problems that can be
represented by a simpler version of the same
problem.
 Example: the factorial function
6! = 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1
We could write:
6! = 6 * 5!
Recursion / Slide 4

Example 2: factorial function

In general, we can express the factorial
function as follows:
n! = n * (n-1)!
Is this correct? Well… almost.
The factorial function is only defined for
positive integers. So we should be a bit more
precise:
n! = 1 (if n is equal to 1)
n! = n * (n-1)! (if n is larger than 1)
Recursion / Slide 5

factorial function
The C++ equivalent of this definition:
int fac(int numb){
if(numb<=1)
return 1;
else
return numb * fac(numb-1);
}
recursion means that a function calls itself
Recursion / Slide 6

factorial function
 Assume the number typed is 3, that is, numb=3.
fac(3) :
3 <= 1 ? No.
fac(3) = 3 * fac(2)
fac(2) :
2 <= 1 ? No.
fac(2) = 2 * fac(1)
fac(1) :
1 <= 1 ? Yes.
return 1 int fac(int numb){
fac(2) = 2 * 1 = 2 if(numb<=1)
return fac(2) return 1;
fac(3) = 3 * 2 = 6 else
return fac(3) return numb * fac(numb-1);
}
fac(3) has the value 6
Recursion / Slide 7

factorial function
For certain problems (such as the factorial function), a
recursive solution often leads to short and elegant code.
Compare the recursive solution with the iterative solution:

Recursive solution Iterative solution

int fac(int numb){ int fac(int numb){

if(numb<=1) int product=1;
return 1; while(numb>1){
else product *= numb;
return numb*fac(numb-1); numb--;
} }
return product;
}
Recursion / Slide 8

Recursion

We have to pay a price for recursion:

 calling a function consumes more time and memory than
adjusting a loop counter.
 high performance applications (graphic action games,
simulations of nuclear explosions) hardly ever use recursion.

In less demanding applications recursion is an

attractive alternative for iteration (for the right
problems!)
Recursion / Slide 9

Recursion
If we use iteration, we must be careful not to
create an infinite loop by accident:

for(int incr=1; incr!=10;incr+=2)

...

Oops!
int result = 1;
while(result >0){
...
result++;
} Oops!
Recursion / Slide 10

Recursion
Similarly, if we use recursion we must be
careful not to create an infinite chain of
function calls:
int fac(int numb){ Oops!
return numb * fac(numb-1); No termination
}
condition
Or:
int fac(int numb){
if (numb<=1)
return 1;
else
return numb * fac(numb+1);
}
Oops!
Recursion / Slide 11

Recursion

We must always make sure that the recursion

bottoms out:

 A recursivefunction must contain at least one

non-recursive branch.
 The recursive calls must eventually lead to a
non-recursive branch.
Recursion / Slide 12

Recursion

 Recursion is one way to decompose a task into

smaller subtasks. At least one of the subtasks is
a smaller example of the same task.
 The smallest example of the same task has a
non-recursive solution.

Example: The factorial function

n! = n * (n-1)! and 1! = 1
Recursion / Slide 13

How many pairs of rabbits can be produced from a

single pair in a year's time?
 Assumptions:
 Each pair of rabbits produces a new pair of offspring every month;
 each new pair becomes fertile at the age of one month;
 none of the rabbits dies in that year.

 Example:
 After 1 month there will be 2 pairs of rabbits;
 after 2 months, there will be 3 pairs;
 after 3 months, there will be 5 pairs (since the following month the
original pair and the pair born during the first month will both produce a
new pair and there will be 5 in all).
Recursion / Slide 14

Population Growth in Nature

 Leonardo Pisano (Leonardo Fibonacci = Leonardo, son of

Bonaccio) proposed the sequence in 1202 in The Book of the
Abacus.
 Fibonacci numbers are believed to model nature to a certain
extent, such as Kepler's observation of leaves and flowers in
1611.
Recursion / Slide 15

Direct Computation Method

Fibonacci numbers:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ...
where each number is the sum of the preceding
two.

 Recursive definition:
 F(0) = 0;
 F(1) = 1;
 F(number) = F(number-1)+ F(number-2);
Recursion / Slide 16
Recursion / Slide 17

Example 3: Fibonacci numbers

//Calculate Fibonacci numbers using recursive function.
//A very inefficient way, but illustrates recursion well
int fib(int number)
{
if (number == 0) return 0;
if (number == 1) return 1;
return (fib(number-1) + fib(number-2));
}
int main(){ // driver function
int inp_number;
cout << "Please enter an integer: ";
cin >> inp_number;
cout << "The Fibonacci number for "<< inp_number
<< " is "<< fib(inp_number)<<endl;
return 0;
}
Recursion / Slide 18

Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company

A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
Recursion / Slide 19

Trace a Fibonacci Number

int fib(int num)
{
 Assume the input number is 4, that is, num=4: if (num == 0) return 0;
if (num == 1) return 1;
fib(4): return
4 == 0 ? No; 4 == 1? No. (fib(num-1)+fib(num-2));
}
fib(4) = fib(3) + fib(2)
fib(3):
3 == 0 ? No; 3 == 1? No.
fib(3) = fib(2) + fib(1)
fib(2):
2 == 0? No; 2==1? No.
fib(2) = fib(1)+fib(0)
fib(1):
1== 0 ? No; 1 == 1? Yes.
fib(1) = 1;
return fib(1);
Recursion / Slide 20

Trace a Fibonacci Number

fib(0):
0 == 0 ? Yes.
fib(0) = 0;
return fib(0);
fib(2) = 1 + 0 = 1;
return fib(2);
fib(3) = 1 + fib(1)
fib(1):
1 == 0 ? No; 1 == 1? Yes
fib(1) = 1;
return fib(1);
fib(3) = 1 + 1 = 2;
return fib(3)
Recursion / Slide 21

Trace a Fibonacci Number

fib(2):
2 == 0 ? No; 2 == 1? No.
fib(2) = fib(1) + fib(0)
fib(1):
1== 0 ? No; 1 == 1? Yes.
fib(1) = 1;
return fib(1);
fib(0):
0 == 0 ? Yes.
fib(0) = 0;
return fib(0);
fib(2) = 1 + 0 = 1;
return fib(2);
fib(4) = fib(3) + fib(2)
= 2 + 1 = 3;
return fib(4);
Recursion / Slide 22
Example 4: Fibonacci number w/o
recursion

//Calculate Fibonacci numbers iteratively

//much more efficient than recursive solution

int fib(int n)
{
int f[100];
f[0] = 0; f[1] = 1;
for (int i=2; i<= n; i++)
f[i] = f[i-1] + f[i-2];
return f[n];
}
Recursion / Slide 23

Fibonacci Numbers

 Fibonacci numbers can also be represented by the

following formula.
Recursion / Slide 24

Example 5: Binary Search

 Search for an element in an array
Sequential search
Binary search

 Binary search
Compare the search element with the
middle element of the array
If not equal, then apply binary search to
half of the array (if not empty) where the
search element would be.
Recursion / Slide 25

Binary Search with Recursion

// Searches an ordered array of integers using recursion
int bsearchr(const int data[], // input: array
int first, // input: lower bound
int last, // input: upper bound
int value // input: value to find
)// output: index if found, otherwise return –1

{ //cout << "bsearch(data, "<<first<< ", last "<< ", "<<value << "); "<<endl;
int middle = (first + last) / 2;
if (data[middle] == value)
return middle;
else if (first >= last)
return -1;
else if (value < data[middle])
return bsearchr(data, first, middle-1, value);
else
return bsearchr(data, middle+1, last, value);
}
Recursion / Slide 26

Binary Search
int main() {
const int array_size = 8;
int list[array_size]={1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 17};
int search_value;

cout << "Enter search value: ";

cin >> search_value;
cout << bsearchr(list,0,array_size-1,search_value)
<< endl;

return 0;
}
Recursion / Slide 27

Binary Search w/o recursion

// Searches an ordered array of integers
int bsearch(const int data[], // input: array
int size, // input: array size
int value // input: value to find
){ // output: if found,return
// index; otherwise, return -1

int first, last, upper;

first = 0;
last = size - 1;
while (true) {
middle = (first + last) / 2;
if (data[middle] == value)
return middle;
else if (first >= last)
return -1;
else if (value < data[middle])
last = middle - 1;
else
first = middle + 1;
}
}
Recursion / Slide 28

Recursion General Form

 How to write recursively?

int recur_fn(parameters){
if(stopping condition)
return stopping value;
// other stopping conditions if needed
return function of recur_fn(revised parameters)

}
Recursion / Slide 29

Example 6: exponential func

 How to write exp(int numb, int power)
recursively?

int exp(int numb, int power){

if(power ==0)
return 1;
return numb * exp(numb, power -1);
}
Recursion / Slide 30

Example 6: number of zero

 Write a recursive function that counts the number of zero
digits in an integer
 zeros(10200) returns 3.
int zeros(int numb){
if(numb==0) // 1 digit (zero/non-zero):
return 1; // bottom out.
else if(numb < 10 && numb > -10)
return 0;
else // > 1 digits: recursion
return zeros(numb/10) + zeros(numb%10);
}
zeros(10200)
zeros(1020) + zeros(0)
zeros(102) + zeros(0) + zeros(0)
zeros(10) + zeros(2) + zeros(0) + zeros(0)
zeros(1) + zeros(0) + zeros(2) + zeros(0) + zeros(0)
Recursion / Slide 31

Problem Solving Using Recursion

Let us consider a simple problem of printing a message for n times.

You can break the problem into two subproblems: one is to print the
message one time and the other is to print the message for n-1 times.
The second problem is the same as the original problem with a
smaller size. The base case for the problem is n==0. You can solve
this problem using recursion as follows:
void nPrintln(char * message, int times)
{
if (times >= 1) {
cout << message << endl;
nPrintln(message, times - 1);
} // The base case is n == 0
}
Recursion / Slide 32

Think Recursively

Many of the problems can be solved easily using recursion if you

think recursively. For example, the palindrome problem can be
solved recursively as follows:

bool isPalindrome(const char * const s)

{
if (strlen(s) <= 1) // Base case
return true;
else if (s[0] != s[strlen(s) - 1]) // Base case
return false;
else
return isPalindrome(substring(s, 1, strlen(s) - 2));
}
Recursion / Slide 33

Recursive Helper Methods

The preceding recursive isPalindrome method is not efficient, because it creates a
new string for every recursive call. To avoid creating new strings, use a helper
method:
bool isPalindrome(const char * const s, int low, int high)
{
if (high <= low) // Base case
return true;
else if (s[low] != s[high]) // Base case
return false;
else
return isPalindrome(s, low + 1, high - 1);
}
bool isPalindrome(const char * const s)
{
return isPalindrome(s, 0, strlen(s) - 1);
}
Recursion / Slide 34

Example 7: Towers of Hanoi

 Only one disc could be moved at a time

 A larger disc must never be stacked above
a smaller one
 One and only one extra needle could be
used for intermediate storage of discs
Recursion / Slide 35

Towers of Hanoi
void hanoi(int from, int to, int num)
{
int temp = 6 - from - to; //find the temporary
//storage column
if (num == 1){
cout << "move disc 1 from " << from
<< " to " << to << endl;
}
else {
hanoi(from, temp, num - 1);
cout << "move disc " << num << " from " << from
<< " to " << to << endl;
hanoi(temp, to, num - 1);
}
}
Recursion / Slide 36

Towers of Hanoi
int main() {
int num_disc; //number of discs

cout << "Please enter a positive number (0 to quit)";

cin >> num_disc;

while (num_disc > 0){

hanoi(1, 3, num_disc);
cout << "Please enter a positive number ";
cin >> num_disc;
}
return 0;
}
Recursion / Slide 37

Eight Queens

Place eight queens on the chessboard such that no queen attacks

any other one.

queens[0] 0
queens[1] 4
queens[2] 7
queens[3] 5
queens[4] 2
queens[5] 6
queens[6] 1
queens[7] 3
Recursion / Slide 38
bool empty(int t[], int row, int col) {
for( int j = 0; j < row; j++) {
if (t[j] == col) //same column
return false;
if (abs(t[j] - col) == (row - j)) //on cross
line
return false;
}
return true;
}
bool queens(int t[], int row, int col) {
if (row == SIZE) // found one answer
return true;
for (col = 0; col <SIZE; col++)
{
t[row] = col;
if (empty(t, row, col) && queens(t, row +1, 0))
return true;
}
return false;
}
void print(int t[]){
// print solution
for(int i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
for(int j = 0; j < SIZE; j++) {
if (j == t[i])
cout << " Q ";
else
cout << " _ ";
}
cout << endl;
}
}
int main() {
int t[SIZE]={0};
for (int i= 0; i <SIZE; i++){
t[0] = i; //on first row, Queen on different
column
cout << endl << endl <<"i is: " << i << endl;
if (queens(t, 1,0))
print(t);
}
}