RecursionCrunch

• 

  Home Screen

Inspiration

It may be a simple inspiration but as a rookie in programming, I started to program desktop calculator apps for fun using the basic knowledge I have. But I wondered how convenient it would be for students of all ages to have a calculator that could compute functions that could be calculated recursively, specifically factorials, arithmetic and geometric series and sums, and combinatorics. As a little bonus, a threw in a Fibonacci sequence calculator and visualizer.

What it does

It is simply a recursion calculator with a modern user interface and a simple visual component. For instance, for the arithmetic and geometric sequences, factorial, and Fibonacci sequence, I programmed the app to list out each iteration so that viewers could read and understand the pattern of the sequences. For the combinatorics, I pointed out their relationship with factorials. Finally, I added a pascal triangle visualizer--simply a pyramid of numbers in the Fibonacci sequence--so that viewers could understand the Fibonacci sequence.

How I built it

I built it using C# and Visual-Studio because I have always found both to be very comfortable.

Challenges I ran into

Initially, I wanted to make the "Ultimate Calculator" which would allow students to calculate matrices, regular expressions, and recursive functions. But I had many problems with arrays because C# is different in terms of their implementation. Also, I was not much of an expert in the language, so I had to cut down the project to make it more feasible. But I still ran into problems with occasional glitches in my UI so that certain buttons would not work or format correct, for instance. I still needed to add a reset button for the Pascal triangle, but I believe that once you close the program and reopen it, it should be fine.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I am surprised that I was able to code this long on such an invested project. I am definitely proud that I was able to apply what little I taught myself to my program.

What I learned

I have learned that I should not be overambitious and hard on myself because that has caused a lot of stress on me during this project.

What's next for RecursionCrunch

I really hope to expand the app by adding more recursion visualizers and a database of resources for students so that they could continue to learn more about the application and theory of recursive functions.

Built With

• c#
• visual-studio