Lecture-03.pptVIP

Introduction to Algorithms Lecture 3 The Factorial We would like to write an algorithm that computes the factorial of a given non-negative integer number n. The factorial of 0 is 1. The factorial of n is n × (n-1) × (n -2) × ... × 2 × 1. Examples factorial(0) = 1 factorial(1) = 1 factorial(2) = 2 × 1 = 2 factorial(3) = 3 × 2 × 1 = 6 factorial(4) = 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 24 factorial(5) = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120 .... Ubiquity of Factorial You will see factorial many times in your studies and your career. Discrete Mathematics: The number of permutations of n items the number of ways n people can form a queue. the number of anagrams of “Amin” Mathematical Analysis: Appears in Taylor series, thus fundamental ..... ≡ ≡ ≡  This is going nowhere Remember finiteness condition on the length of an algorithm? We need a new ingredient... Recursion [ri-k?r’zhun] n. See recursion. Recursion: example How do you explain to a child who his ancestors are? Your parents, your parents parents, your parents parents parents, ... One way to explain it is: Your parents are your ancestors; The parents of your ancestors are also your ancestors. Two clauses Your parents are your ancestors; the base case The parents of your ancestors are also your ancestors. the recursive step You need both these ingredients! Defining factorial We can apply the same idea to the factorial function. Base case: factorial(0) = 1 Recursive step: factorial(n) = n × factorial(n ? 1) Exercise 3.1 Use the Factorial algorithm to compute: Factorial(0) Factorial(6) A bit of intuition... Try to split the problem into parts. Base case: What is an easy case to solve? Inductive step: How can I get a step closer to the base case from any starting point? Use the solution to a “simpler” version of the same problem to help you get there. DANGER! Make sure you always write down the base case. Never, ever, ever leave it out! What does this program do? Calculation NoBase(2) = 2 + NoBase(1) = 2 + (1 + NoBase(0)) = 2 + (1 + (0