Outline for April 18, 2025

Reading: zyBook text §6.16, 10
Due: Homework #2, due April 30, 2024

1. C compiler structure

2. C preprocessor
   1. #include
   2. #define [macros.c]
   3. #undef
   4. Predefined macros

3. Recursion
   1. Expressing a problem in terms of a simpler version of itself — use n!
   2. Function calling itself
   3. Similar to mathematical induction, but backwards
   4. Structure: base case, recursive case
   5. What happens if you omit the base case? (Bad things …)

4. How it works
   1. Program stack
   2. Walk through nfact.c, with n = 4
   3. Note nfact calls >nfact

5. Recursive greatest common divisor
   1. Go through Euclidean algorithm for computing gcd
   2. Walk through functiongcd, with m = 4 and n = 6
   3. Do it again with m = 126 and n = 28
   4. Go through program [gcd.c]

6. Recursive palindrome program
   1. Go through algorithm, working from outside in
   2. Write recursive case
   3. Write base case
   4. Put them together in [ispal.c]

7. Tower of Hanoi [tower.c]

Matt Bishop Office: 2209 Watershed Sciences Phone: +1 (530) 752-8060 Email: mabishop@ucdavis.edu

ECS 36A, Programming & Problem Solving Version of April 17, 2025 at 3:05PM

You can also obtain a PDF version of this.