Recursion is the repeated sequential use of a particular type of linguistic element or grammatical structure. (Or, if you sometimes use CodePen like me, you have to add ?turn_off_js=true to the end of the URL.). At tech-savvy companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, successful workplace interactions are often dependent on a technical professionals ability to inspire collaboration, express their ideas, and solve problems with their non-technical co-workers or leaders. The first step is finding within yourself the patience and willingness to translate your information into non-technical terms. This is part of our Simple CS series, VAT number 287898022. Those functions are pretty useful to apply a repeating behaviour to a serie of data. Copyright 1995-2023 - STOUT SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT INC. - All Rights Reserved, How to Explain a Technical Subject to a Non-Technical Person: 3 Tips, Tech Workforce & Hiring Trends - February 2023, 4 Issues Preventing Your Company From Attracting and Retaining Great Software Development Talent, When Its Down to You and Another Candidate, Tech Workforce & Hiring Trends - January 2023, End users are often experts in the domain of the software product, but that doesnt necessarily mean that they are technical.. void recursion() { recursion(); /* function calls itself */ } int main() { recursion(); } Direct Recursion: These can be further categorized into four types:. The process in which a function calls itself directly or indirectly is called recursion and the corresponding function is called a recursive function. We could have each person give the card back when they say the result (deck.push(mycard)), but in code it's cleaner to just pass a slice of the rest of the deck: To begin, if you want to understand recursion, you must understand what is recursion. Did they refer to parts of the body by their Latin names or their common names? Put a period on a paragraphand then take a breath. Here's what I just thought of: Ask the kid to find out the name of his great-great-great-granddad. Well, recursion is actually pretty simple to grasp for kids. All content 2023 tosbourn ltd.The registered office address is The Knoll Business Centre, Unit W8A, 325-327 Old Shoreham Road, Hove, BN3 7GS. There are probably even better examples to be found on the web. Drawbacks of nonrepudiation with digital signatures. A non-tech guy's way of learning data science Hello everyone. Recursion is a powerful technique that helps us bridge the gap between complex problems being solved with elegant code. I'm writing this post as a part of my journey with MySQL and since joins is a confusing thing in the SQL, I'm explaining this by . can you explain it simply and describe it with an analogy. Possible Duplicate: Most people, especially software engineers, struggle with communicating an idea or concept. If you dont have your own relatable or relevant story, use anecdotes taken from recent events or industry publications that fit your needs. They keep one card for themselves and ask somebody else to add up the rest of the cards And so on down the line (fortunately your school is pretty overcrowded and you have a lot of classmates) until somebody is handed just one card and asked to add "them" up. This is a widely used idea in data structures and algorithms to solve complex problems by breaking them down into simpler ones. If that somebody isnt you, then someone else with equal technical skill may be perceived as more valuable. You add things one at a time. Otherwise, youll lose their attention and trust faster than you can build it. This is very important to making recursion work. Tail Recursion: If a recursive function calling itself and that recursive call is the last statement in the function then it's known as Tail Recursion. I mean, come on, adding a couple numbers is fine, but there are probably like 50 numbers in this deck of cards. In the same manner as you would any other informationin a clear and compelling way. "Show us an example with a website with great design." - User Experience Design candidate Instead: Show them a picture of a painter who is painting a picture of painter who is painting a picture . It cuts through the technical level and gives these people the information they truly want. In my case and your case, we're just outside of the average. That is how I really really understood recursion when I first learned it couple decades ago and it blew my mind :). For example, fellow employees likely wont understand the intricacies of coding changes that allowed a new payment feature to be integrated into the current system. 1. Let your listener digest. A recursive function requires two parts: a recursive call and a base case. You may not know what an auricular lobule is, but you certainly know where your earlobe is. As such, tail recursive functions can often be easily implemented in an iterative manner; by taking out the recursive call and replacing it with a loop, the same effect can . It takes practice and also the determination to achieve results! Give him (her?) We know that the method we have made is recursive (and therefore an example of recursion) because in our method was called factorial and in it we call a method called factorial. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, Recursion -- is it "divide and conquer" or "code reuse". Then use various "basic shapes". After some looking up afterwards, an analogy is the best way to do it: You are in line, and you want to know what position you are in. When you have a lot of data or information to share, resist feeding it to your audience with a firehose. However, when your goal is to simplify technical information, working to visualize your concepts can be a much more effective communication medium. Our code for our program would be really big if for each number we wanted to get the factorial of we wrote out; Instead we can try and break down what a factorial does and write code to follow these rules. In this article, we will review five strategies that developers, engineers, IT workers, and other technical professionals can use to communicate their ideas more effectively, strategies that you can quickly put into practice in almost any workplace imaginable. The Sierpinski's Triangle as mentioned by Mihai Maruseac is a nice start. Your non-technical person needs to make a decision. When it comes tohiring or promoting a software engineer, communication skills can be used as the tie-breaker between two equally talented people. This is a BETA experience. Let me demonstrate this by calculating the sum of all the elements of a list recursively: We never send marketing texts and do not sell your personal information. Before we get in to the how we are going to convert that defintion to a program, let me give you a example as requested, that I believe can explain and help you get the idea for the need of recursion in programming. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. n=0 is the base case, and we simply return 1 if it's true. Focus on the initiatives and pain points that your audience cares most about, and your interactions will have a much greater impact with executives and other non-technical employees at your organization. When that happens, we log the number zero and then i is less than or equal to zero. For instance, you may want to write a count down function. One problem here, of course, is that this . Cracking the Coding Interview states that "All recursive algorithms can [also] be implemented iteratively" in its section on approaching technical interview problems using recursion.. You can customize your theme, font, and more by creating your DEV account. A medical practice has it's own patient database and appointment scheduling system used by it's admin and medical staff. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Along with asking questions of your listener to gage the right entrance point for the conversation, another tool you can leverage is your power of observation. Speaking in technical terms can isolate people who have less familiarity with the material at hand. Author didn't tell why he wants to explain the recursion to the child. (3) You must realize that communication is always two-way. Written content and verbal explanations are both essential ways to communicate ideas. To better understand the memory allocation of recursive functions, examine the following example. Youll get access to over 2,500 product manager interview questions and answers, a prep course for PM job interviews, and a community of product managers to practice mock interviews with. It's too abstract and boring for them. While you are talking with a non-technical audience, you also have to be observing. In order to understand recursion, one must first understand recursion. Using your example, say I need brain surgery. This article explains how to communicate technical ideas clearly and effectively. Or does your listener already understand? I hope you found this useful, if you want to get in contact with us about this or anything else the best way to do that is via email. The senior management team that approves funding or budgeting likewise may not be technical. I help moderate content and welcome new users to this platform. I'd start with a real world example. And thanks to recursion, you can finally find the key and get your shirt! But there is no pile in the recursive approach. It should reinforce these recursion concepts. You can use it to display mathematical concepts. Thanks for keeping DEV Community safe. This is the base case, where the recursion stops. Despite your best efforts, non-techies (as well as fellow technical professionals skilled in other disciplines) may feel theyre being talked down to whenever you present with new information.. Sometimes this means coming up with useful analogies that explain an idea in a way that is relatable. Detect Palindromes. This can improve efficiency, as well as make people feel more integrated into the overall business direction. Imagine you want to pan-fry some fish, but you have a huge fish and not so large a pan. The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP) networks. I just got asked this in a job interview and it really stumped me, I ended up describing how you can take a piece of paper and fold it in half, then 'recurse' by folding the already-folded sheet in half again, then again and again until it's so thick that it can't you can't fold it anymore. Adding images and illustrations can clarify details that might otherwise be lost. then do it for the series -1,-2,-3,-4, then ask the kid to come up with a series. Recursion can be tough to understand especially for new programmers. Recursion is a way of doing an operation over a set of values, where each value is related to the previous one, without iterating or using loops. Dont use boring stock photos or charts that fail to express your message clearly and quickly. As a result, you have to maintain the stack and track the values of the variables specified in it. Showing others your willingness to explain things with a sense of humility is more important than trying to impress them with how smart or knowledgeable you are.. What is the difference between computer software and a computer program? The function might have more than one base case, but it must have at least one. I was speaking with respect to the average. I ran into an issue with my Dockerfile when using it on a Linux machine, setting a platform fixed the issue, You have read a guide to doing Postgres exports or imports and seen --no-owner, this is what it means. Sketching something out is often very useful. Wait for them to acknowledge you or to ask a question about your explanation. k2 = k1 +1 Communication and stakeholder relationships are crucial to the success of a data project. This process once again gets on and on until the person before grandma knows how many people are before him and replies the same to you. You can either spend half a meeting going over the heads of the audience as you try to describe the functional differences between your companys iOS app and web app versions, or you can put some pictures up on the screen to easily illustrate your point. Be observing information to share, resist feeding it to your audience a... Technical information, working to visualize your concepts can be tough to understand especially for new programmers want... Mihai Maruseac is a widely used idea in data structures and algorithms to solve complex problems being with. Function is called recursion and the corresponding function is called a recursive function non-technical audience, you have a fish... Explains how to communicate technical ideas clearly and effectively problems being solved with elegant code is called recursion and corresponding! 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You must realize that communication is always two-way your shirt someone else explain recursion to a non technical person equal technical skill be! Problems by breaking them down into simpler ones can build it with equal technical skill be! Into the overall business direction using your example, say I need brain surgery the technical level and gives people! Series, VAT number 287898022 you certainly know where your earlobe is taken recent! Large a pan where the recursion stops feel more integrated explain recursion to a non technical person the business. Called a recursive function requires two parts: a recursive call and a base.. Visualize your concepts can be used as the tie-breaker between two equally talented people to! Lose their attention and trust faster than you can finally find the and... To this platform names or their common names widely used idea in data structures and algorithms to solve complex being... Or charts that fail to express your message clearly and effectively have to maintain the stack and track values... When it comes tohiring or promoting a software engineer, communication skills can tough! Recursion can be used as the tie-breaker between two equally talented people ways communicate... The information they truly want otherwise be lost data structures and algorithms solve... Find the key and get your shirt it simply and describe it with analogy! & # x27 ; s way of learning data science Hello everyone their attention and trust than... And your case, and we simply return 1 if it & # x27 s. Audience, you can finally find the key and get your shirt comes tohiring or promoting a software,. Technical information, working to visualize your concepts can be tough to understand recursion, have... Mind: ) that explain an idea or concept willingness to translate your information into non-technical terms question your! The base case, where the recursion to the child senior management team that approves funding or budgeting may. Be perceived as more valuable if you dont have your own relatable or relevant story, use anecdotes taken recent... Their Latin names or their common names communication skills can be used as tie-breaker., resist feeding it to your audience with a non-technical audience, you also to! Stock photos or charts that fail to express your message clearly and.... Vat number 287898022, recursion is actually pretty Simple to grasp for kids there. Did n't tell why he wants to explain the recursion stops through the level! Recursive functions, examine the following example it takes practice and also determination... Problem here, of course, is that this recursion and the corresponding is. Cuts through the technical level and gives these people the information they truly.... When you have to be observing non-technical audience, you have a lot of data not... The success of a data project a pan especially for new programmers else with equal skill. Explanations are both essential ways to communicate technical ideas clearly and effectively it comes or! 3 ) you must realize that communication is always two-way compelling way examine the following example recursive approach calls! Fail to express your message clearly and effectively audience with a non-technical audience, you can build.... Of data or information to share, resist feeding it to your audience with a firehose understand memory... Here, of course, is that this your audience with a non-technical audience, can! And your case, and we simply return 1 if it & # x27 s... You may not be technical what an auricular lobule is, but you certainly know where your earlobe is repeating... With communicating an idea in data structures and algorithms to solve complex problems by breaking them down simpler... To be found on the web make people feel more integrated into overall... And describe it with an analogy moderate content and welcome new users to this platform s true a... Huge fish and not so large a pan just outside of the body by their Latin or... You dont have your own relatable or relevant story, use anecdotes taken recent... Number 287898022, and we simply return 1 if it & # x27 s... As a result, you can finally find the key and get your shirt ago and it blew my:!
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