Recursion
Recursion is a programming technique where a function calls itself directly or indirectly to solve a problem by breaking it down into smaller, similar subproblems. It is a fundamental concept in computer science, often used for tasks like traversing data structures (e.g., trees, graphs), implementing algorithms (e.g., sorting, searching), and solving mathematical problems (e.g., factorial, Fibonacci sequence). Recursion relies on a base case to terminate the calls and prevent infinite loops.
Developers should learn recursion because it provides an elegant and concise solution for problems that have a naturally recursive structure, such as parsing nested data (e.g., JSON, XML), implementing divide-and-conquer algorithms (e.g., quicksort, merge sort), and handling hierarchical data (e.g., file systems, organizational charts). It is essential in functional programming languages and is widely used in algorithm design, data science, and software engineering to simplify complex tasks and improve code readability.