Data Structures and Algorithms - Old Questions

11. Write merits and demerits of recursive function over non-recursive function.

Merits of  recursive function

1. The code may be easier to write.

2. To solve such problems which are naturally recursive such as tower of Hanoi.

3. Reduce unnecessary calling of function.

4. Extremely useful when applying the same solution.

5. Recursion reduce the length of code.

6. It is very useful in solving the data structure problem.

7. Stacks evolutions and infix, prefix, postfix evaluations etc.

Demerits of  recursive function

1. Recursive functions are generally slower than non-recursive function.

2. It may require a lot of memory space to hold intermediate results on the system stacks.

3. Hard to analyze or understand the code.

4. It is not more efficient in terms of space and time complexity.

5. The computer may run out of memory if the recursive calls are not properly checked.