Question

In iteration and recursion in C++, what happens if a condition is never true or there is no exit point?

a. The loop or function will not compile
b. An infinite loop is created
c. A run-time warning will display
d. A compiler warning is displayed

Answer 1

If a condition in a loop or recursive function in C++ is never true, an infinite loop is created. This can cause a program to never finish executing or, in the case of recursion, can lead to a stack overflow error due to excessive recursive calls.

Step-by-step explanation:

When dealing with iteration and recursion in C++, if a condition is never true leading to no exit point being reached, b. An infinite loop is created. In the case of iteration, such as a while or for loop, the iteration will continue indefinitely because the condition needed to exit the loop never becomes true. With recursion, if the function always calls itself and never reaches a base case or condition to stop recursing, the program will again enter an infinite loop of function calls.

This can lead to a program that never completes its intended task, continues to consume processing power, and can become unresponsive. Moreover, in the case of recursion, too many recursive calls may result in a stack overflow error because every function call consumes stack space, and there's a limit to how much space is available.