Recursion is a method of solving a computational problem where a method calls itself with smaller instances of the same input. This can happen when
a method invokes itself or when a pair of methods invoke each other. It can be a useful tool, but unless the method includes a provision to break out
of the recursion and return
, the recursion will continue until the stack overflows and the program crashes.
Noncompliant Code Example
int myPow(int num, int exponent) {
num = num * myPow(num, exponent - 1); // Noncompliant
return num; // this is never reached
}
Compliant Solution
int myPow(int num, int exponent) {
if(exponent > 1) {
num = num * myPow(num, exponent - 1);
}
return num;
}