Final answer:
The clear void method sets all elements of an integer array to 0 using recursion, with a base case of an array of size 0 and a recursive step that zeroes the last element and reduces the array size by one.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves writing a void method in programming to clear an integer array by setting all of its elements to 0 using recursion. A recursive method is a function that calls itself in order to break down the problem into smaller instances. Here is an example of how you might write the clear method in Java:
void clear(int[] array, int size) {
if (size == 0) {
// Base case: If the array is of size 0, it is already cleared.
return;
}
// Recursive case: Set the last element to 0 and call clear on the rest of the array.
array[size - 1] = 0;
clear(array, size - 1);
}
This method relies on the concept that an array of size 0 is already cleared, which serves as the base case for the recursion. If the size is greater than 0, the method sets the last element of the current array to 0 and calls itself with the reduced array size until it reaches the base case.