Steven D'Aprano <ste...@remove.this.cybersource.com.au> writes:
def fact(n):
if n < 0: raise ValueError
if n = 0: return 1
return fact(n-1)*n
At the risk of premature optimization, I wonder if there is an idiom for
avoiding the unnecessary test for n <= 0 in the subsequent recursive
calls?
Reverse the test order
def fact(n):
if n > 0: return fact(n-1)*n
if n == 0: return 1
raise ValueError
You must test recursive versus terminal case every call in any case.
Nearly always, the first test passes and second is not done.
You only test n==0 once, either to terminate or raise exception.
This works for any integral value and catches non-integral values.
(There is some delay for that, but only bad calls are penalized.)
Terry Jan Reedy
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