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Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error)

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Date Tue, 3 May 2011 12:13:16 +1000
Subject Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error)
From Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
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Xref x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:4515

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On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 11:48 AM, rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> wrote:
> What are their space/time complexities?
> Which do you prefer?

They're pretty similar actually. If you rework the first one to not
use range() but instead have a more classic C style of loop, they'll
be almost identical:

def powI(x,n):
   result = 1
   while n > 0:
       result *= x
       n-=1
   return result

There's a subtle difference in that powR as you've coded it will
infinite-loop if given a negative exponent, while powI in any form
will simply return 1 (neither is technically correct, fwiw). Other
than that, the only difference is that one keeps its state on the call
stack, the other uses a temporary variable.

Performance would probably benefit from a special syntax meaning
"recurse", which would avoid the LOAD_GLOBAL for the function's name
(plus, things break if you pass recursive functions around after
compiling them - for instance, powR2=powR; def powR(x,n): os.exit() -
but if you do that, then you should expect to see nice bullet-holes in
your foot). However, I do not believe that Python would overall
benefit from any such thing.

Chris Angelico

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Thread

Fibonacci series recursion error lalit <opposite800@gmail.com> - 2011-04-29 20:22 -0700
  Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Gary Herron <gherron@islandtraining.com> - 2011-04-29 20:41 -0700
  Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Jason Friedman <jason@powerpull.net> - 2011-04-30 03:57 +0000
  Re: Fibonacci series recursion error harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-04-29 23:45 -0500
    Re: Fibonacci series recursion error harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-04-29 23:51 -0500
      Re: Fibonacci series recursion error harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-04-30 00:31 -0500
        Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2011-04-30 08:14 +0200
          Re: Fibonacci series recursion error rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-02 00:08 -0700
    Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Hans Georg Schaathun <hg@schaathun.net> - 2011-04-30 06:50 +0100
    Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Paul Rudin <paul.nospam@rudin.co.uk> - 2011-04-30 06:43 +0100
  Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-04-29 23:27 -0600
    Re: Fibonacci series recursion error harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-04-30 00:35 -0500
      Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2011-04-30 08:32 +0200
        Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-04-30 16:37 +1000
      Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Thomas Rachel <nutznetz-0c1b6768-bfa9-48d5-a470-7603bd3aa915@spamschutz.glglgl.de> - 2011-04-30 11:37 +0200
        Re: Fibonacci series recursion error harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-02 16:50 -0500
          Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 08:17 +1000
            Re: Fibonacci series recursion error harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-03 12:10 -0500
              Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-04 07:41 +1000
              Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 16:31 -0600
              Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-04 09:09 +1000
          Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-02 16:22 -0600
          Re: Fibonacci series recursion error Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 08:42 +1000
          Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-02 18:48 -0700
            Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 12:13 +1000
            Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 15:29 +1000
              Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 00:52 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Dave Angel <davea@ieee.org> - 2011-05-03 06:32 -0400
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 03:51 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 21:04 +1000
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-05-03 12:49 +0000
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-05-03 23:02 +1000
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Hans Mulder <hansmu@xs4all.nl> - 2011-05-12 00:06 +0200
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-13 04:11 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-13 07:55 -0600
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Hans Mulder <hansmu@xs4all.nl> - 2011-05-13 21:46 +0200
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Mark Dickinson <dickinsm@gmail.com> - 2011-05-13 14:48 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-14 10:24 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-14 15:19 -0600
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-05-14 20:32 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Mark Dickinson <dickinsm@gmail.com> - 2011-05-15 12:20 -0700
                Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Mark Dickinson <dickinsm@gmail.com> - 2011-05-15 12:29 -0700
            Re: Recursion or iteration (was Fibonacci series recursion error) Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-02 23:46 -0600

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