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4.5

Intermediate

7h

Updated 2 months ago

Recursion for Coding Interviews in Python

The ultimate recursion guide! Master basics, solve real-world problems, and get interview-ready in hours with FAANG engineers’ proven strategies.

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If you’ve ever struggled with solving coding problems using recursion, or if you need to brush up your recursion skills for an interview, this course is for you! We will start with the basics of recursion before we practice solving actual coding problems. You’ll have access to detailed explanations and visualizations for each problem to help you along the way. By the time you have completed this course, you’ll be able to use all the concepts of recursion to solve complex, real-world problems. We hope that this course will help you ace all the recursion related questions during interviews at top tech companies!

If you’ve ever struggled with solving coding problems using recursion, or if you need to brush up your recursion skills for an i...Show More

Content

58 Lessons6 Quizzes15 Challenges

1.

Recursion Fundamentals

7 Lessons

Get familiar with recursion, memory usage, direct vs. indirect calls, and recursive problem-solving.

Who Should Take This Course?

What is Recursion?

Recursion and Memory Visualization

Direct Vs. Indirect Recursion

When to Use Recursion?

Understanding a Recursive Problem

Test Your Knowledge 1

2.

Iteration Vs. Recursion

11 Lessons

Walk through iteration vs recursion, conversion techniques, and practical challenges in coding.

Overview of Iterative Functions

Differences Between Iterative and Recursive Functions

Converting Iterative Code to Recursive Code

Count Vowels in a String

Challenge 1: Compute Square of a Number

Solution Review: Compute the Square of a Number

Challenge 2: Search First Occurrence of a Number

Solution Review: Search First Occurrence of a Number

Challenge 3: Corresponding Fibonacci Number

Solution Review: Corresponding Fibonacci Number

Test Your Knowledge 2

3.

Recursion with Numbers

10 Lessons

Break apart key recursion concepts, solving numbers and challenges like GCD, Pascal's Triangle, and conversions.

The Power of a Number

Sum of Integers from 1 to n

Challenge 1: Find the Greatest Common Divisor

Solution Review: Find the Greatest Common Divisor

Challenge 2: Pascal's Triangle

Solution Review: Pascal's Triangle

Challenge 3: Convert Decimal Number to Binary Number

Solution Review: Convert Decimal Number to Binary Number

Test Your Knowledge 3

4.

Recursion with Strings

10 Lessons

Break down complex ideas using recursion to manipulate and analyze strings.

Remove Tabs in a String

Remove All Adjacent Duplicates from a String

Merge Two Sorted Strings Lexicographically

Challenge 1: Length of a String

Solution Review: Length of a String

Challenge 2: Sum of Digits in a String

Solution Review: Sum of Digits in a String

Challenge 3: Check for a Palindrome

Solution Review: Check for a Palindrome

Test Your Knowledge 4

5.

Recursion with Arrays

10 Lessons

Take a closer look at recursive solutions for arrays in counting, inverting, replacing, and sorting tasks.

Count All Occurrences of a Number

Invert an Array

Replace All Negative Numbers with Zero

Challenge 1: Average of Numbers

Solution Review: Average of Numbers

Challenge 2: Balance Parenthesis

Solution Review: Balance Parenthesis

Challenge 3: Sort an Array

Solution Review: Sort an Array

Test Your Knowledge 5

6.

Recursion with Data Structures

9 Lessons

Explore recursion in reversing linked lists, depth-first traversal, and stack and graph manipulations.

Reverse Linked List

Depth First Traversal of Graph

Challenge 1: Length of a Linked List

Solution Review: Length of a Linked List

Challenge 2: Reverse a Stack

Solution Review: Reverse a Stack

Challenge 3: Topological Sorting of a Graph

Solution Review 3: Topological Sorting of a Graph

Test Your Knowledge 6

7.

Conclusion

1 Lessons

Learn how to improve problem-solving through recursion and practice across languages.

More on Recursion

Certificate of Completion

Showcase your accomplishment by sharing your certificate of completion.

Developed by MAANG Engineers

Every Educative lesson is designed by our in-house team of ex-MAANG software engineers and PhD computer science educators, and developed in consultation with developers and data scientists working at Meta, Google, and more. Our mission is to get you hands-on with the necessary skills to stay ahead in a constantly changing industry. No video, no fluff. Just interactive, project-based learning with personalized feedback that adapts to your goals and experience.

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"Your courses are simply awesome, the depth they go into and the breadth of coverage is so good that I don't have to refer to 10 different websites looking for interview topics and content."

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Hands-on Learning Powered by AI

See how Educative uses AI to make your learning more immersive than ever before.

Personalized Interview Prep

Skip the LeetCode grind with a custom roadmap that adapts to your goals. Hands-on practice for Coding Interviews, System Design, and more.

Mock Interviews

Test your skills in a simulated interview setting. Receive personalized feedback based on your performance. Available for Coding Interviews, System Design, and more.

AI Prompt

Build prompt engineering skills. Practice implementing AI-informed solutions.

Code Feedback

Evaluate and debug your code with the click of a button. Get real-time feedback on test cases, including time and space complexity of your solutions.

Explain with AI

Select any text within any Educative course, and get an instant explanation — without ever leaving your browser.

AI Code Mentor

AI Code Mentor helps you quickly identify errors in your code, learn from your mistakes, and nudge you in the right direction — just like a 1:1 tutor!

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Learn to use Amazon Polly for text-to-speech synthesis, integrating SSML for natural speech effects and enhancing applications.

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Algorithms for Coding Interviews in Python

Recursion for Coding Interviews in JavaScript

Python Quickstart for Experienced Programmers

Recursion for Coding Interviews in Java

Matplotlib for Python: Visually Represent Data with Plots

Python for Scientists and Engineers

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Free Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is recursion in Python, and how is it used in coding interviews?

Recursion in Python involves a function calling to solve smaller instances of the same problem. It is often used in coding interviews to test problem-solving skills.

Why is recursion important for coding interviews?

Recursion tests your ability to break down complex problems and use algorithms, skills important for technical interviews.

How do I prepare for recursion questions in Python coding interviews?

Practice problems like factorials, Fibonacci, and tree traversals using recursion in Python to enhance your understanding.

Is recursion commonly used in Python technical interviews?

Yes, recursion is often featured in Python interviews, especially in problems involving data structures like trees and graphs.

Should I use recursion or iteration in Python interviews?

While recursion is powerful, depending on the problem’s efficiency and complexity, interviewers may expect both recursion and iterative solutions.

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