What are recursion trees and how do they work?

What are recursion trees and how do they work?

Recursion trees are a visual representation of the recursive calls made by a function. They help in analyzing the time complexity of recursive algorithms.

Can you give me an example of a recursion tree?

Sure! Consider the Fibonacci sequence. The recursion tree for Fibonacci(5) shows how many times Fibonacci is called for each value, branching out for each recursive call.

How do recursion trees help in understanding time complexity?

They help by illustrating the number of calls made at each level of recursion, allowing us to sum the costs and derive the overall time complexity.

Are there any limitations to using recursion trees?

Yes, recursion trees can become complex and hard to manage for deep recursions, and they may not always provide the most efficient way to analyze certain algorithms.