Fundamentals Of Programming in C

Presented By: Saket Kr Pathak M.Sc. NT & M AMITY Institute Of Information Technology

Recursion
Recursion is said as a mathematical concept which states that an expression such that each term is generated by repeating a particular mathematical operation. Here repeating is the iterative manner to perform same operation. As the approach of the programming language C, it can be performed and are in practice within the definition part of functions. Syntactically language provides the freedom to call function within its body defined. Definition of Recursion as the logical prospective view states simply the iterative manner to perform any code snippet in C, but we always need a terminating condition to control the going on iterations. In the following sections we will discuss the iterative manner of recursion and the terminating condition in bit expanded form.
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Recursive Functions
Recursive functions are not different from the syntactical structure of the general functions that we had discussed in previous sections. They have same return type, function name, parameters enclosed within parenthesis. Declaration:
int Think_and_ Play (int, char);

We had discussed the syntactical view of the function, where return type is int, function name is Think_and_Play and within the parenthesis we had defined the parameters as of data type integer with another one that is of data type character.

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Now let us manipulate the definition of the our function, that we had declared in the previous slide from the general aspect of definition we had practiced till now. Definition:
int _iFlag =0, _iTerminate = 0; int Think_and_Play(int _iBat, char _chBall) { if (_iFlag ==0) printf(This is game cricket going on.); _iFlag++; if(_iTerminate < 6) { printf(Hit the Ball with the Bat.); ++ _iTerminate; Think_and_Play(1, 0); return 1; } }
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As in sequence of explanation, this snippet code has few syntactical statements. In the very first the program counter encounters with the Variables of type integer that are global to the function. Then it encounters the return type of the function following with the function name, and the parameters defined. All of these has the considerable part in function definition structure of C language that we had discussed in the previous sections of declaration. As encounter with the right curly braces comes into just next statement, it considers the following structure is for definition. In the definition part, the first if condition is doing its formal responsibility to control the execution of print function where the defined condition will be true i.e. when the value of the variable _iFlag is strictly equal to 0.
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The next statement is simply incrementing the value stored in the memory location termed as _iFlag (the variable name).

Then our point of consideration comes into picture in the execution of second if structure. Here in this if structure program counter will execute the statements defined within if body, if and only if the condition gets true. It means whenever the condition defined with the if statements returns Boolean True value then the further body will execute. So we can consider the controlling system of the execution of if-body is properly controlled through the condition defined there in if statement.
Now within the body concerned, we have a print function that supports its definition with two arguments defined as String type and another is Variable Length Argument (i.e. null in the snippet). Function performs the role successfully and control passes further.
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The followed statement says to increment the value stored in the memory location corresponds to the variable name _iTerminate. Here logically this increasing value of _iTerminate and the if condition defined above will cause the terminating condition. At the near end of the body, we have a function call as Think_and_Play(, ). Since here we are calling the same function that is executing, is said as recursion. Therefore, calling of the function from its own body forms a loop like execution pattern and is said as recursion. It is also considered as the alternative programming pattern of looping structure (i.e. of for loop and while loop). The end statement says to return the value to the calling function as return 1, that declares the successful completion of all other statements defined above.
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Discussion
Typically, recursion is quite elegant and requires fewer variables to make the same calculation as iterative looping structural programs. It take care of its assigned records by maintaining the stack of arguments and variables for each invocation. It has been calculated in some machines a simple recursive program call with snippet defining one integer argument can be requires 8 32-bit words on the stack. Let us consider a snippet code of fibonacci sequence and calculate its efficiency in the following section.

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Snippet-Code:
int fibonacci (int _iNam) { if (_iNam <= 1) return _iNam; else return (fibonacci(_iNam-1)+fibonacci(_iNam-2)) }

Through main() call the fibonacci() with the index value to next generate recursive value.

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Dissection of fibonacci Program: int fibonacci (int _iNam) Here in the above statement the function name fibonacci has the parameter type defined as integer having the return type as integrer. The right braces comes as the starting point of the snippet code. if (_iNam <= 1) return _iNam; Here in the above two statements the condition followed by if, is establised as the terminating point if condition gets it satisfied. On the satisfactory mode of if statement the value stored in _iNam return back to the calling.
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 else return (fibonacci(_iNam -1) + fibonacci(_iNam - 2)); In the else part of the consecutive if statement the return value is a bit complex. At first the recursion takes place for the first part from left and returns 1 decremented value i.e. -1 to the previous value, simultaneously it maintains a stack of all the new variables and concern values for each invocation. That will be come in use for the next recursive call. The next recursive call initializes the variable with the decremented value as -2. At the end when function call completes then the respective sum of the value returns back to the calling statement in main(). The left braces shows the termination of the code snippet.

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As in the following we have the table showing 10 number of function calls in simultaneous recursion.
Value of _iNam 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Return Value of fibonacci(_iNam) 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 Number of Function calls in recursive computation. 1 1 3 5 9 15 25

7
8

13
21

41
67

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As in the above table describes, the value passed through the parameter, the value that the function returns and the number of recursive steps a function can perform up to 9 sequential calls. Cons: Recursive programs typically use a large amount of computer memory and the greater the recursion, the more memory used. Recursive programs can be confusing to develop and extremely complicated to debug. Pros: Recursion is a natural fit for some types of problems as Tower of Hanoi.

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Practice Towers of Hanoi Problem: The Classical Towers of Hanoi - an initial position of all disks is on post 'A.

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The target solution of the puzzle is to build the tower on post 'C'.

The number of discs can vary, but there are only three towers. The goal is to transfer the discs from one tower another tower. However you can move only one disk at a time and you can never place a bigger disc over a smaller disk.

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Algorithm to solve the above problem: Move the top 3 disks from Source to Auxiliary tower, Move the 4th disk from Source to Destination tower, Move the 3 disks from Auxiliary tower to Destination tower. Transfer the top 3 disks from Source to Auxiliary tower can again be thought as a fresh problem and can be solve in the same manner.

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Let us do it step by step: At first move the Disc1 to B and Disc2 to C as in following figure:

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Move the Disc1 to the top of the Disc2 at C and Disc3 at B.

Move the Disc1 to A at the top of Disc4 and Disc2 at B to the top of Disc3.

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 Move the Disc1 at B to the top of Disc2 and Disc4 at A.

Move the Disc1 at C to the top of Disc4 and Disc2 at A.

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 Move the Disc1 at A to the top of Disc2 and Disc3 to the top of disc4 at A.

Move the Disc1 at B and Disc2 at B to the top of Disc3.

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 Move the Disc1 at the top of Disc2 at C.

Congratulations you got your answer. Code implementation is up to you people as hint use the concept of stack and just follow the steps Above described.

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