Factorial program in Java using recursion

In this tutorial we are going to learn writing java program to calculate the Factorial of a given number using recursion.

You can also check : Factorial program in java using Iterative method.

What is Recursion?

Recursion is a method that defines something in terms of itself, which means it is a process in which a function calls itself again and again till condition satisfy.

A complete function can be split down into various sub-parts in recursion. It makes code look simple and compact. It is also defined as the process of defining a program or problem in terms of itself. Let’s have a look at the simple diagram that explains the working of recursion.

Our logic of Factorial program using recursion

• Our program will take an integer input from the user which should be a whole number.
• If the number input is negative then print ‘The factorial can’t be calculated’.
• Then use fact(num) user-defined recursive function that will return the factorial of the given number.

Let’s understand through a diagram how our recursive function will work on input 7.

Algorithm to calculate factorial using recursion

Java Program to calculate factorial using recursion

import java.util.*;
public class Main
{
    static long fact(long num){
        if (num == 0){
            return 1;
        }
        else{
            return(num * fact(num-1));
        }
    }
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        long num;
        Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.println("Enter a whole number to find Factorial ");
        num= sc.nextInt();
        System.out.println("Factorial = "+fact(num));
    }
}

Output 1

Enter a whole number to find Factorial 
5
Factorial = 120

Explanation

Output 2

Enter a whole number to find Factorial 
6
Factorial = 720

Explanation