Question

Write a simple recursive program to demonstrate your understanding of the concept. What are the biggest benefits to creating a program or method that utilizes recursion in Java? In what scenario would it be appropriate to utilize a stack over a recursive implementation? Please provide an example to illustrate your points.

In your answer, specifically think of and give a real-life scenario where:

• Recursion is used
• Recursion is preferred over iteration

Answer 1

Recursion Code

public class Factorial {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int num = 6;
        long factorial = multiplyNumbers(num);
        System.out.println("Factorial of " + num + " = " + factorial);
    }
    public static long multiplyNumbers(int num)
    {
        if (num >= 1)
            return num * multiplyNumbers(num - 1);
        else
            return 1;
    }
}

1. Recursion adds clarity and (sometimes) reduces the time needed to write and debug code (but doesn't necessarily reduce space requirements or speed of execution).
2. Reduces time complexity.
3. Performs better in solving problems based on tree structures.

For example, the Tower of Hanoi problem is more easily solved using recursion as opposed to iteration.

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