Java Recursion

Recursion in Java :

Recursion in Java is a programming technique where a method calls itself in order to solve problems.

In a recursive method, the solution to a problem is formulated in terms of smaller instances of the same problem.

Recursion is often used in scenarios where a problem can be broken down into smaller, simpler subproblems that are similar in structure to the overall problem.

Key components for using recursion in Java:

• Base Case: Every recursive method should have a base case. This is the condition for which the method stops calling itself and returns a result, preventing infinite recursion.

• General Case: The method typically calls itself with modified parameters to solve a smaller version of the original problem.

Example of a simple recursive function to calculate the factorial of a number:

Explanation of the recursive factorial method:

• Base case:  If n is 0 or 1, return 1 (the factorial of 0 and 1 is 1).
  
• General case:  For any other value of n, the method computes the factorial by multiplying n with the factorial of n-1.

When the method is called with factorial(5), it expands as follows:

Recursion can be powerful but requires care to ensure it doesn't lead to infinite loops. Stack overflow can occur if a base case is not correctly defined or if the recursive depth is too large .