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Glite Dictionary
recursion

recursion

4 8.9
A way to solve a problem by repeating a step on a smaller copy of it
  • noun
  • /rɪˈkɜrʒən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : recursión
  • In mathematics, recursion is used to define sequences, such as the Fibonacci series, where each term is the sum of the two preceding ones.
  • recursion tree
  • overhead of recursion
  • full recursion

And so that's another case where using recursion is is is very useful.

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Examples

  • So now let's do the recursion tree for this, OK?

  • So print the frontal cell, let recursion work its magic on what remains.

  • Our method of proof is mathematical induction. The recursion takes place on the order n of A.

    Academic text (2000)

  • For other dense linear algorithms, the use of recursion may not be as relevant.

    Academic text (2000)

  • For large problems, the geometric nature of the recursion "takes over," as the performance results demonstrate.

    Academic text (1997)

  • We show that blocking combined with recursion reduces all overheads to a tiny, acceptable level.

    Academic text (2000)

  • In our implementation, however, we combine blocking and recursion to produce a blocked version of their recursive algorithm.

    Academic text (2000)

  • We present a novel practical algorithm for Cholesky factorization by combining recursion and blocking.

    Academic text (2000)

  • David Shields's history of still photography in the silent period reveals a complex series of recursions.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The concept of recursion is essential in computer science, where a function calls itself to solve smaller instances of a problem.

Synonyms

recursiveness
vsrecursion
  • Specialized
8.5

A process or pattern that repeats by using its own parts

is the method of defining something by calling the function itself repeatedly

Surface Forms

recursion singular
recursions plural

Morphology

recursion = recur (semi-transparent) = recur + sion

Formally a standard nominalization of 'recur' with '-sion', but the technical computing sense is a specialized usage that may not be fully inferable to an average learner.

Etymology

Recursion comes from the Latin parts re- meaning 'again' and currere meaning 'to run', so it literally means 'to run again'. That's why in math and computer programming recursion describes a process that keeps 'running' itself or calling itself to repeat and build the result.