Iteration for Factorials

[Hendrik van Rooyen]

 "Marco Mariani" <marc....arta.com> wrote:


> I don't see how my answer is in any way worse than those based on 
> lambda. Maybe I'm just envious because when I was his age I couldn't 
> google for answers. He should at least be able to do that, shouldn't he?
> But wait. That would mean understanding what a factorial is. That would 
> require a second search, or a textbook, or an understanding of 
> arithmetics before programming with or without recursion. Should we 
> blame the teachers?

Yes.  And burn their cars to get their attention!

Asking someone to write a factorial algorithm before he knows WTF a 
factorial "is", is either insane, or the ultimate demonstration of deliberate 
lack of cooperation and coordination between departments.
I feel kind of strongly about this ever since, as a student, the physics people
expected me to use mathematics that I had not been taught yet...

 ;-)

I shall try to refrain from commenting on the concept of introducing
recursion into a first course in CS - I am too much tainted by my ability
to mentally "see" the stack growth in a small processor to be qualified 
to comment.

- Hendrik