Recursion: A function is called'recursive 'if a statement within the body of a function calls the same function. It
is also called'circular definition '. Recursion is thus a process of defining something in terms of itself.
Program: To calculate the factorial value using recursion.
#include
int fact(int n);
int main(){
int x, i;
printf("En ter a value for x: \n");
scanf("%d" ,&x);
i = fact(x);
printf("\n Factorial of %d is %d", x, i);
return 0;
}int fact(int n){
/* n=0 indicates a terminatin g condition */
if (n
return (1);
}else{
/* function calling itself */
return (n * fact(n - 1));
/*n*fact(n -1) is a recursive expression */
}
}
Output:
Enter a value for x:
4
Factorial of 4 is 24
Explanatio n:
fact(n) = n * fact(n-1)
If n=4
fact(4) = 4 * fact(3) there is a call to fact(3)
fact(3) = 3 * fact(2)
fact(2) = 2 * fact(1)
fact(1) = 1 * fact(0)
fact(0) = 1
fact(1) = 1 * 1 = 1
fact(2) = 2 * 1 = 2
fact(3) = 3 * 2 = 6
Thus fact(4) = 4 * 6 = 24
Terminating condition( n
infinite loop.)
is also called'circular definition '. Recursion is thus a process of defining something in terms of itself.
Program: To calculate the factorial value using recursion.
#include
int fact(int n);
int main(){
int x, i;
printf("En ter a value for x: \n");
scanf("%d" ,&x);
i = fact(x);
printf("\n Factorial of %d is %d", x, i);
return 0;
}int fact(int n){
/* n=0 indicates a terminatin g condition */
if (n
return (1);
}else{
/* function calling itself */
return (n * fact(n - 1));
/*n*fact(n -1) is a recursive expression */
}
}
Output:
Enter a value for x:
4
Factorial of 4 is 24
Explanatio n:
fact(n) = n * fact(n-1)
If n=4
fact(4) = 4 * fact(3) there is a call to fact(3)
fact(3) = 3 * fact(2)
fact(2) = 2 * fact(1)
fact(1) = 1 * fact(0)
fact(0) = 1
fact(1) = 1 * 1 = 1
fact(2) = 2 * 1 = 2
fact(3) = 3 * 2 = 6
Thus fact(4) = 4 * 6 = 24
Terminating condition( n
infinite loop.)
