Recursion & Backtracking

Master recursive problem solving, backtracking, and exploring all solution possibilities.

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Overview

Recursion and backtracking are powerful techniques for solving complex problems by breaking them down into smaller subproblems. This section covers recursive thinking and systematic exploration of solution spaces.

Key Concepts

  • Recursive function design
  • Base cases and recursive cases
  • Backtracking template
  • Pruning and optimization
  • Memoization
  • State space exploration

Common Problems

Easy

  • Fibonacci Number
  • Power of Two
  • Climbing Stairs

Medium

  • Subsets
  • Permutations
  • Combinations
  • Letter Combinations of a Phone Number
  • Generate Parentheses

Hard

  • N-Queens
  • Sudoku Solver
  • Word Search II
  • Regular Expression Matching

Practice Tips

  1. Define base case: Always start with the termination condition
  2. State representation: Clearly define what state to track
  3. Backtracking pattern: Make choice, recurse, undo choice
  4. Pruning: Skip invalid branches early

Resources