When should I use tail recursion?

What is tail recursion and when should I use it?

Tail recursion is a specific form of recursion where the recursive call is the last operation in the function. You should use it when you want to optimize for space, as it can prevent stack overflow errors by reusing the current function's stack frame.

Can you give me an example of a tail recursive function?

Sure! Here's a simple example in Python:

def factorial(n, accumulator=1):
    if n == 0:
        return accumulator
    return factorial(n - 1, n * accumulator)

In this example, the recursive call to factorial is the last operation, making it tail recursive.

What are the advantages of using tail recursion?

The main advantages are improved performance and reduced risk of stack overflow. Tail recursion can be optimized by the compiler or interpreter to use constant stack space.

Are there any languages that do not support tail call optimization?

Yes, some languages like Java and C do not guarantee tail call optimization, which means tail recursive functions may not perform as efficiently as in languages like Scheme or Haskell that do support it.