Recursive Factorial

Easy
18
1
83.3% Acceptance

In this lab, you will implement a Java method named factorial within the Main class. This method will calculate the factorial of a given positive integer using recursion and return the resulting value.

Objective

  • Implement a recursive method to compute the factorial of a number.
  • Ensure your method is efficient and handles various inputs correctly.

Method Signature

public static int factorial(int n)

Requirements

  • Your method should take a single int parameter, n, and return a int.
  • Use recursion to calculate the factorial.
  • Handle edge cases, such as when n is 0 (since 0! = 1).

Examples

  • factorial(5) should return 120, as 5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120.
  • factorial(0) should return 1, adhering to the mathematical convention that 0! = 1.

Edge Cases

  • Zero Case: The factorial of 0 is a special case and should return 1.
  • Positive Integers: Ensure your method correctly handles and returns the factorial for all positive integer inputs.

Testing

Your implementation will be tested for various scenarios, including the factorials of 5, 10, and 12, to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

Challenges

Challenge 1: Calculate the Factorial of 5

  • Objective: Implement a factorial method in the Main class that calculates the factorial of a given number. The method should take an int as an argument and return a long.
  • Task: Ensure your method correctly calculates the factorial of 5.
  • Expected Output: The method should return 120 when passed the value 5.

Challenge 2: Calculate the Factorial of 10

  • Objective: Your factorial method should handle larger numbers efficiently.
  • Task: Test your method's performance by calculating the factorial of 10.
  • Expected Output: The method should return 3628800 when passed the value 10.

Challenge 3: Calculate the Factorial of 12

  • Objective: Test the accuracy and performance of your method with an even larger input.
  • Task: Calculate the factorial of 12.
  • Expected Output: The method should return 479001600 when passed the value 12.