Problem

Consider the following recursive algorithm for computing the sum of the first n cubes:...

Consider the following recursive algorithm for computing the sum of the first n cubes:

a. Set up and solve a recurrence relation for the number of times the algorithm’s basic operation is executed.

b. How does this algorithm compare with the straightforward nonrecursive algorithm for computing this sum?

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution 1

Step #1 of 2

The recursive algorithm for computing sum of the first $\mathrm{n}$ cubes is provided as follows:

ALGORITHM S(n)

// Input: A positive integer $\mathrm{n}$

// Output: The sum of the first $n$ cubes

if $n=1$ return 1

else return $\mathrm{S}(\mathrm{n}-1)+\mathrm{n}^{*} \mathrm{n}^{*} \mathrm{n}$

Assume that $\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n})$ be the number of multiplications made by the algorithm. The recurrence relation for $M(n)$ is provided as follows:

$$ \mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n})=\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-1)+2 $$

Solving this recurrence relation by using backward substitutions with $\mathrm{M}(1)=0$ is provided as follows:

$$ \begin{aligned} &\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n})=\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-1)+2 \\ &=[\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-2)+2]+2=\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-2)+2+2 \\ &=[\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-3)+2]+2+2=\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-3)+2+2+2 \\ &=[\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-4)+2]+2+2+2=\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-4)+2+2+2+2 \\ &=\ldots \ldots \text { and so on } \\ &=\mathrm{M}(\mathrm{n}-\mathrm{i})+2 \mathrm{i} \\ &=\ldots \ldots \text { and so on } \\ &=\mathrm{M}(1)+2(\mathrm{n}-1) \\ &=2(n-1) \end{aligned} $$

Step #2 of 2

The non-recursive algorithm for computing sum of the first $n$ cubes is provided as follows: ALGORITHM Non-recursive S(n)

// Computes the sum of the first n cubes non-recursively

// Input: A positive integer $n$

// Output: the sum of the first $n$ cubes

$$ S \leftarrow 1 $$

for $i \leftarrow 2$ to $n$ do

$$ \mathrm{S} \leftarrow \mathrm{S}+\mathrm{i}^{*} \mathrm{i}^{*} \mathrm{i} $$

return S

The number of multiplications made by this algorithm $=\sum_{\mathrm{i}=2}^{\mathrm{n}} 2$

$$ \begin{aligned} &=2 \sum_{\mathrm{i}-2}^{\mathrm{n}} 1 \\ &=2(\mathrm{n}-1) \end{aligned} $$

This is the same number as in the recursive version. Only difference is the non-recursive version doesn't carry the time and space overhead associated with recursion's stack.

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Solutions For Problems in Chapter 2.4

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