Recursion Formulas

I'm currently studying for the first term test in 236. I'm not sure if Danny is going to include some questions regarding recursion formulas. I believe the focus of this test is to determine our ability to apply the basic rules and properties of mathematical induction. If that's the case, then there is a good chance that some recursive methods may show up since they are basically applications of the properties we learned. So I'm gonna study as much of it as I can.

Like simple and complete induction, recursion requires you to look for patterns between cases to create a general formula and prove it. However, I've noticed that these patterns can sometimes be difficult to see. I think the main reason for this may be the fact that a pattern doesn't always take the form of an equality. Many of the examples from previous weeks require us to find and prove equalities. Recursion requires you to look at questions differently. Right now, I still have the tendency to look for an equality. So I take a bit longer to figure out recursive patterns than I would others. I'm confident that I will be able to perform this kind of induction. After all, the concept is still the same. It's just going to take a little getting used to. That means I've got a lot more studying to do if I want to feel confident about writing the test.