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Hi! I think I’m starting to understand recursion generally. However, what I don’t understand is how we can use push() in this case…
I know we set up an empty array in the if statement, but wouldn’t that only be established when endNum-startNum === 0? Until then, no array exists, so don’t we need to establish an empty array in the else statement in order to push something into it?
Your code so far
function rangeOfNumbers(startNum, endNum) {
if (endNum - startNum === 0) {
return [startNum];
}
else {
var numbers = rangeOfNumbers(startNum, endNum - 1);
numbers.push(endNum);
return numbers;
}
};
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Challenge: Use Recursion to Create a Range of Numbers
numbers.push(endNum) doesn’t happen until var numbers = rangeOfNumbers(startNum, endNum - 1) resolves, so we get a stack of function calls all waiting for the exit condition (endNum - startNum === 0) to be met.
For example, if we start with rangeOfNumbers(1, 3) this leads to us calling rangeOfNumbers(1, 2) which calls rangeOfNumbers(1, 1). That actually returns a value ([1]), so numbers inside rangeOfNumbers(1,2) is [1] and we push to it and it returns [1, 2]. Now that rangeOfNumbers(1, 2) has returned, the numbers in our original rangeOfNumbers(1, 3) is resolved to [1, 2]. We can push to it and return the final result.
Recursive calls is like setting up a bunch of dominoes. The exit condition is what tips the last one over.
I’m glad I could help. Learning recursion is like learning yoga: at first it feels like you’re trying to twist your brain into unnatural shapes, but with practice, patience, and time it gives you flexibility and a strong core.
@ArielLeslie Thank you so much for this explanation. I was frustrated for about an hour trying to make sense of recursion in my head and I finally understand it now