Does recursion have performance benefits over e.g. loops? No. Even so that loops in some situations may be better for performance.
Is there any benefit to using recursion? It may be the easiest and most readable (in code) solution for some problems.
Which are the 2 cases/parts of a recursive function? The base case and the recursive case.
What is the base case on a recursive function? It is the condition where to stop the recursion, to avoid infinite looping.
What is the recursive case on a recursive function? It is the condition where a function calls itself.
Suppose you need to iterate on something, but you are not allowed to use a for loop. What you could you use? A recursive function (which will need to have a base case).
How does the data structure named “stack” works? It acts as a “pile”. When you insert a new item, you insert at the top of the pile (push). When you remove an item, you remove it also from the top of the pile (pop).
What is a “call stack”? A call stack is a pile of functions calls, where one function calls another. Every time you add a function to the pile, you add it with its’ name and variables (names and values). When a function finishes its’ execution, it is popped and we go back to the previous function, which now will be at the top of the pile.
What happens when you call a function from another? The calling function is paused in a partially completed state, and its’ variables are stored in memory.
Explain each element on the call stack for the function below:
def greet(person):
print(f'Hello {person}!')
say_how_are_you(person)
print('Getting ready to say bye...')
bye()
greet function to the call stack with its’ name and the variable person name and value.print command is executed and the function is paused.say_how_are_you function to the call stack with its’ name and the variable person name and value.say_how_are_you function and remove it from the call stack when finished.greet is resumed, since it now is on the top of the stack.print command is executed and the greet function is paused again.bye function to the call stack.bye function and remove it from the call stack when finished.greet is resumed, since it now is on the top of the stack.greet function has nothing more to do, it finishes and is also removed from the call stack.