Western Governors University (WGU) ITSW 2113 D278 Scripting and Programming Foundations Practice Exam

Recursion is defined as a technique where a function calls itself to solve a problem. This programming concept allows for the breakdown of complex problems into simpler subproblems, which can be easier to manage and solve. In recursive functions, there's usually a base case that stops the recursion, thereby preventing infinite loops, and a recursive case that allows the function to call itself, gradually approaching the base case.

This method is particularly useful in various scenarios, such as traversing complex data structures like trees and graphs, calculating factorials, or solving mathematical problems like the Fibonacci sequence. The ability for a function to call itself helps to significantly reduce the amount of code needed to implement algorithms that would otherwise require extensive loops and additional data structures.

In contrast to recursion, simply repeating a code block typically refers to iterations or loops, which do not involve a function calling itself. An error during compilation is a technical issue that does not pertain to the concept of recursion itself, and a data structure for storing values is unrelated to the mechanism of functions calling themselves to process problems or data.