recursion

(noun)

the act of defining an object (usually a function) in terms of that object itself

Related Terms

Examples of recursion in the following topics:

  • Sequences

    • Sequences whose elements are related to the previous elements in a straightforward way are often specified using recursion.
    • To specify a sequence by recursion requires a rule to construct each consecutive element in terms of the ones before it.
    • The Fibonacci sequence can be defined using a recursive rule along with two initial elements.