Subj : Re: Are recursive functions ever needed?
To   : comp.programming
From : Mabden
Date : Sun Oct 02 2005 02:17 pm

"Tatu Portin" <axel86@mbnet.fi> wrote in message
news:S6v%e.208$nZ1.35@read3.inet.fi...
> Are recursive functions ever needed, i.e. cannot you just replace them
> with iterative clauses?
>
> Example:
>
> b = func (func (func (a)))
>
> compared to:
>
> b = a;
> for (i = 0; i < 3; i++)
>    {
>      b = func (b);
>    }

Ah. Homework or a Troll. Why think, when you can ask others to think for
you?! One day you may become a politician.

Are cars necessary? We have bicycles and horses and jet planes...

Recursion simplifies some tasks that can be a nightmare if you use
looping. But it takes a lot of memory because each call has to store the
previous results on the stack.

Programming == trade-offs. You will need to learn the what - why - how
YOURSELF to make those decisions that keep you employed.

-- 
Mabden

.