What are the differences between iterative and recursive functions in Python?

What are the differences between iterative and recursive functions in Python?

Iterative functions use loops to repeat code, while recursive functions call themselves to solve problems.

Can you give me an example of an iterative function?

Sure! Here's a simple iterative function to calculate the factorial of a number:

def factorial_iterative(n):
    result = 1
    for i in range(1, n + 1):
        result *= i
    return result

And what about a recursive function for the same task?

Here's a recursive version of the factorial function:

def factorial_recursive(n):
    if n == 0:
        return 1
    else:
        return n * factorial_recursive(n - 1)

Which one is more efficient?

Iterative functions are generally more memory efficient, while recursive functions can be more elegant but may lead to stack overflow for large inputs.