Recursion

Program #1: Factorial

This computes a factorial recursively.

#include <stdio.h>
 
/* 
 * compute n! recursively
 */
int fact(int n)
{
		/* error check */
		if (n < 0)
			return(-1);
		/* base case */
		if (n == 0)
			return(1);
		/* recursion */
		return(n * fact(n-1));
}
 
/*
 * convert string to int with error checking
 * no leading signs or magnitude checking
 */
int cvttoint(char *s)
{
		int n = 0;			/* integer being read */
 
		/* skip leading white space */
		while(isspace(*s))
			s++;
		/* if it's not a digit, it's not an integer */
		if (!isdigit(*s))
			return(-1);
		/* read in the integer */
		while(isdigit(*s))
			n = n * 10 + *s++ - '0';
		/* if it's ended by a NUL, it's an integer */
		return(*s ? -1 : n);
}
 
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
		int i;		/* counter in a for loop */
		int n;		/* number read in */
		int rv = 0;		/* exit status code */
 
		/*
		 * do each arg separately
		 */
		for(i = 1; i < argc; i++)
			if ((n = cvttoint(argv[i])) != -1)
				printf("%d! = %d\n", n, fact(n));
			else{
				/* error handler*/
				rv++;
				printf("%s: invalid number\n", argv[i]);
			}
 
		/*
		 * bye!
		 */
		return(rv);
}

Program #2. Greatest Common Divisor

This computes the GCD recursively.

/*
 * gcd -- compute the GCD of pairs of integers
 *
 * History
 * 1.0			Matt Bishop; original program
 * 1.1			Matt Bishop; made it recursive
 */
#include <stdio.h>
 
/*
 * macros
 */
#define BAD_GCD -1              /* error in arguments -- */
                                /* MUST be non-positive */
 
/*
 * recursive GCD
 */
int gcdr(int m, int n)
{
		/* base case(s) */
		if (m == 0)
			return(n);
		if (n == 0)
			return(m);
		/* now recurse */
		return(gcd(n, m % n));
}
 
/*
 * This function returns the greatest common divisor of its arguments
 * Notes: (1) if m = n = 0, the GCD is undefined -- so we return BAD_GCD
 *        (2) if m < 0 or n < 0, then gcd(m,n) > 0; so we can just make
 *            m and n both positive
 *        (3) if m = 0 and n != 0, gcd(m,n) = n (and vice versa)
 */
int gcd(int m, int n)
{
		int rem;			/* remainder for Euclid's algorithm */
 
		/*
		 * special cases
		 */
		/* error check -- if both 0, undefined */
		if (m == 0 && n == 0)
			return(BAD_GCD);
		/* make all negatives positive */
		if (m < 0) m = -m;
		if (n < 0) n = -n;
 
		/*
		 * now apply the recursive algorithm
		 */
		return(gcdr(m, n));
}
 
/*
 * the main routine
 */
void main(void)
{
		int m, n;			/* numbers to take the GCD of */
		int g;			/* the GCD of m and n */
		int c;			/* used to gobble up rest of line */
 
		/*
		 * loop, asking for numbers and printing the GCD
		 */
		while(printf("Enter two numbers: "),
							scanf("%d %d", &m, &n) != EOF){
			while((c = getchar()) != EOF && c != '\n')
				;
			/* print the result -- note that if the input */
			/* is invalid, gcd() simply returns BAD_GCD   */
			printf("The GCD of %d and %d is ", m, n);
			if ((g = gcd(m, n)) == BAD_GCD)
				printf("undefined.\n");
			else
				printf("%d.\n", g);
		}
 
		/*
		 * clean up output and exit
		 */
		putchar('\n');
		exit(0);
}

Program #3. Sorting

This is a very simple recursive sorting program.

#include <stdio.h>
 
/*
 * the array and its size
 */
int list[] = { 13, 82, 0, 16, 5, -1, 99, 0 };
int nlist = sizeof(list)/sizeof(int);
 
/*
 * recursive sort -- put smallest element at head of array
 * and then sort the rest
 */
void sort(int l[], int lsz)
{
		int i;          /* counter in a for loop */
		int tmp;        /* used to swap ints */
		int min;        /* index of minimum element */
 
		/* base case */
		if (lsz == 1)
			return;
 
		/* find index of smallest number in array */
		min = 0;
		for(i = 1; i < lsz; i++)
			if (l[i] < l[min])
				min = i;
 
		/* move smallest element to 0-th element */
		tmp = l[0];
		l[0] = l[min];
		l[min] = tmp;
		
		/* recurse */
		sort(&l[1], lsz-1);
}
 
int main(void)
{
		int i;			/* counter in a for loop */
 
		/* print initial array */
		printf("initial array: ");
		for(i = 0; i < nlist;i++)
			printf(" %3d", list[i]);
		putchar('\n');
 
		/* now sort */
		sort(list, nlist);
 
		/* print sorted array */
		printf("final array:   ");
		for(i = 0; i < nlist;i++)
			printf(" %3d", list[i]);
		putchar('\n');
		return(0);
}

ECS 30-A, Introduction to Programming
Spring Quarter 2002
Email: [email protected]