What is the purpose of using recursion in a PHP function for calculating factorial values?
Using recursion in a PHP function for calculating factorial values allows for a concise and elegant solution to the problem. Recursion simplifies the code by breaking down the factorial calculation into smaller, more manageable subproblems. This approach is particularly useful when dealing with mathematical operations that involve repetitive calculations.
function factorial($n) {
if ($n <= 1) {
return 1;
} else {
return $n * factorial($n - 1);
}
}
// Example usage
echo factorial(5); // Output: 120