Master Recursion in Rust programming: Understanding Factorial with Call Stack & Code Implementation

📌 Learn Recursion in Rust with a Practical Factorial Example! 🚀

Recursion is a fundamental programming technique where a function calls itself until a specific condition is met. In this tutorial, we'll break down recursion using a factorial function in Rust, visualize the call stack, and implement the concept in code. Whether you're a beginner or looking to solidify your understanding, this video will help you master recursion effectively.

📌 What You Will Learn in This Video:
✅ What is recursion? Understanding its definition and how it works
✅ Factorial using recursion: Step-by-step breakdown
✅ Call stack visualization: How function calls are managed in memory
✅ Rust implementation: Writing a recursive factorial function
✅ Unwinding the stack: How recursive calculations return values
✅ Common issues & optimizations: Avoiding stack overflow & iterative approaches

🔹 Understanding Recursion with Factorial
Factorial of a number n! is calculated as:

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5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120
Using recursion, we can represent factorial as:

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n! = n × (n - 1)!
The base condition is 0! = 1, which stops infinite recursion.

🔹 How the Call Stack Works in Recursion
When calling factorial(5), it follows this sequence:
1️⃣ factorial(5) calls factorial(4)
2️⃣ factorial(4) calls factorial(3)
3️⃣ factorial(3) calls factorial(2)
4️⃣ factorial(2) calls factorial(1)
5️⃣ factorial(1) calls factorial(0), which returns 1 (base case)

Then, the values return in reverse order:
1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 = 120

🔹 Rust Implementation of Recursive Factorial Function
rust
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fn factorial(n: u64) - u64 {
if n == 0
1
else
n * factorial(n - 1)
}
}

fn main() {
let number = 5;
println!("The factorial of {} is {}", number, factorial(number));
}
🎯 This recursive function computes n! by reducing n until it reaches 0.

🔹 Alternative: Iterative Factorial for Better Performance
Recursive calls can lead to stack overflow for large values of n. An iterative approach is safer:

rust
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fn factorial_iterative(n: u64) - u64 {
let mut result = 1;
for i in 1..=n {
result *= i;
}
result
}
🔹 Why Should You Learn Recursion?
✅ Recursion simplifies complex problems like tree traversal, graph algorithms, and sorting
✅ Helps in understanding memory management and function calls
✅ Essential for competitive programming and coding interviews

📌 Watch the full video for in-depth explanations, coding examples, and practical insights!

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📢 Have questions? Drop them in the comments & let's discuss recursion! 🚀

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