Programming and Problem Solving with Java

Knowledge Goals

• To understand the concept of a recursive definition


• To understand the difference between iteration and recursion


• To understand when recursion is appropriate

Skill Goals

To be able to:

• Identify the base cases and the general case in a recursive definition


• Identify the sizeof the problem, that aspect that must decrease


• Write a recursive algorithm for a problem involving only simple variables


• Write a recursive algorithm for a problem involving structured variables

Recursion

1989
Tim Berners-Lee
proposes his idea
for the World Wide
Web, an internet-
based hypermedia
initiative for global
information sharing

1989

Intel releases its

latest microchip, the

80486, which

contains 1.2 million

transistors

1990

The launching of

Windows 3.0

furthers the legal

debate between

Microsoft and

Apple; the operating

system has a

marked

resemblance to the

Macintosh’s

operating system

1990

Intel releases the

i486 with its built-

in math coprocessor

and the iPSC/860.

Motorola introduces

the 68040 with its

on-chip floating

point unit

1990

Berners-Lee

develops the first

web-client and

server, the prototype

for the WWW,

which uses URLs,

HTML, and HTTP

1992

The widely

publicized computer

virus Michelangelo

is expected to

destroy 1 of 4 hard

drives on March 6th,

but proves to have

little effect