Final answer:
When converting a method from a recursive version into an iterative version, you transform a function that calls itself into a loop that repeatedly performs the same task.
Step-by-step explanation:
When converting a method from a recursive version into an iterative version, you are essentially transforming a function that calls itself into a loop that iteratively performs the same task. This can be done by using a stack or queue data structure to keep track of the intermediate results instead of relying on function calls. By eliminating recursion, iterative versions of methods can often be more efficient in terms of memory usage and execution time.
For example, let's consider a recursive function that calculates the factorial of a number:
int factorial(int n) {
if (n == 0)
return 1;
else
return n * factorial(n-1);
}
An iterative version can be implemented using a loop:
int factorial(int n) {
int result = 1;
for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
result *= i;
}
return result;
}
This iterative version uses a loop to multiply the numbers from 1 to n and keeps track of the intermediate result in the variable result.