Should I use iteration or recursion?

If time complexity is the point of focus, and number of recursive calls would be large, it is better to use iteration. However, if time complexity is not an issue and shortness of code is, recursion would be the way to go.

Is it always possible to replace recursion with iteration?

Yes. Recursion just uses the program stack as a data structure to store and keep track of where you are in the algorithm. Any recursive implementation can be converted to an iterative implementation, which might or might not require implementing your own stack data structure.

When should you not use recursion?

Yes,you should avoid using recursion because it will need extra space . so for a big project you should avoid it. You can use it in loops where you have do some repeated(iterative ) task(ex.,factorial ,adding numbers ,Fibonacci numbers etc..) but when program size increases you should try to avoid it.

When would you use recursion?

When should I use recursion? Recursion is made for solving problems that can be broken down into smaller, repetitive problems. It is especially good for working on things that have many possible branches and are too complex for an iterative approach. One good example of this would be searching through a file system.

Is iteration always faster than recursion?

Memoization makes recursion palatable, but it seems iteration is always faster. Although recursive methods run slower, they sometimes use less lines of code than iteration and for many are easier to understand. Recursive methods are useful for certain specific tasks, as well, such as traversing tree structures.

What can be used to replace recursion?

Replace Recursion with Iteration….Mechanics

• Determine the base case of the Recursion. Base case, when reached, causes Recursion to end.
• Implement a loop that will iterate until the base case is reached.
• Make a progress towards the base case. Send the new arguments to the top of the loop instead to the recursive method.

Should you avoid recursion?

Yes, there are plenty of times I would not use recursion. Recursion is not free, it has a cost in stack space and that can often be a much more limited resource than some others. There’s also a time cost, however small, in setting up and tearing down stack frames.