Recursive Method Mystery: Understanding the Concept

1. What is the base case in the given recursive method?

2. What are the general cases in the recursive method?

3. What is the output of the following statement: mystery(8, 20)?

Base case:

The base case occurs when n is equal to z. In this case, the method returns z, terminating the recursion.

General cases:

If n is greater than z, it makes a recursive call to mystery(z, n - z). If n is less than z, it makes a recursive call to mystery(z - n, n).

Output of mystery(8, 20):

The output of the statement mystery(8, 20) is 4.

The given recursive method mystery takes two integer arguments, z and n, and performs a mathematical operation based on the relationship between the two values.

Base Case: The base case occurs when n is equal to z. In this case, the method returns z, terminating the recursion.

General Cases: If n is greater than z, it makes a recursive call to mystery(z, n - z). If n is less than z, it makes a recursive call to mystery(z - n, n).

Understanding recursion is crucial in programming, as it allows for solving complex problems by breaking them down into simpler subproblems. By identifying base cases and general cases, we can navigate through recursive methods effectively. In the case of the mystery method, understanding how the base case and general cases operate is key to predicting its output for different inputs.