Unit 10 Overview
Sophie Anderson
6 min read
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Study Guide Overview
This unit covers recursion, a method of simplifying problems by repeatedly calling a subproblem. Key concepts include the base case (stopping condition), recursive calls (the repeating subproblem), and the call stack. The unit explores how to write recursive methods, compares recursion to iterative loops (trade-off: simplicity vs. speed/memory), and demonstrates recursive algorithms, including ArrayList traversal.
#The Big Takeaway Of This Unit
Recursion We can use recursion in order to simplify repeated codes and loops.
#Unit Overview
#Exam Weighting
- 5-7.5% of the test
- Roughly 2 to 3 multiple-choice questions
#Enduring Understanding
Sometimes, you can break down a large problem or task by doing a subproblem repeatedly. This is called recursion. If this sounds like loops and iteration, it's because all recursive (the adjective form of recursion) methods can be written as a loop! We will learn how to use recursion effectively and see how this will simplify our code!
#Building Computational Thinking
When writing recursion, notice how the code is much more simplified than if we were using loops. But, they will run slower, so we will sacrifice speed for conciseness in code. Recursive code has two main parts, the repeating/recursive part and the base case which makes sure we don't create an infinite loop in which our programs never stop.
#Main Ideas for This Unit
- Intro to Recursion
- How to code recursive methods
- Recursive Algorithms
#10.1: Recursion
#Intro to Recursion
Recursion is a way to simplify problems by having a subproblem that calls itself repeatedly. A recursive method has two parts: a base case and the recursive call. In the recursive...
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