How do I calculate the factorial of a number in JavaScript?

How do I calculate the factorial of a number in JavaScript?

You can calculate the factorial of a number using a recursive function or a loop. Which method would you prefer?

Can you show me the recursive method?

Sure! Here's a simple recursive function to calculate factorial:

function factorial(n) {
    if (n === 0) return 1;
    return n * factorial(n - 1);
}

You can call factorial(5) to get 120.

What about using a loop instead?

Here's how you can do it using a loop:

function factorial(n) {
    let result = 1;
    for (let i = 2; i <= n; i++) {
        result *= i;
    }
    return result;
}

This will also give you the factorial of the number.

Thanks! Can you explain how the recursive method works?

Of course! In the recursive method, the function calls itself with a decremented value until it reaches the base case (when n is 0). At that point, it starts returning the results back up the call stack, multiplying the values together.