Why Does My Recursive JavaScript `taxes` Function Fail, and How Can I Fix It?

Understanding Recursion in JavaScript

In programming, recursion is a technique where a function calls itself to solve a problem. While powerful, it's essential to understand how recursion works to avoid errors.

The Problem: Recursion Not Terminating

In the provided function, the issue arises with the recursive call on line 9:

taxes(tax, newSalary); 

This recursive call doesn't return a value, leading to an undefined return value when the function terminates.

Resolving the Recursion Issue

To fix this, a return statement must be added to the function body within the recursive call, ensuring a value is returned each time the function calls itself.

return taxes(tax, newSalary);

By returning a value from the recursive call, the function can accumulate results and stop the recursion when the condition in line 6 is no longer met (i.e., taxWage ≤ minWage).

Recursive Function Flow

1. The function calculates initial taxes.
2. If the taxWage exceeds a predefined minimum wage (minWage), it calculates additional taxes recursively.
3. It updates the tax amount based on the tax rate and the taxWage.
4. It reduces the taxWage by the difference between the current and minimum wage.
5. It continues the recursion until the taxWage becomes equal to or less than the minimum wage.
6. The function accumulates the taxes along the way by adding them to the initial taxes.

The above is the detailed content of Why Does My Recursive JavaScript `taxes` Function Fail, and How Can I Fix It?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!