Recursion is a programming concept where a function calls itself either directly or indirectly to solve a problem. This powerful technique allows for the implementation of elegant and concise solutions to certain types of problems, particularly those that exhibit a recursive structure. Recursion is based on the principle of breaking down a complex problem into simpler, more manageable sub-problems.
The key components of a recursive function include a base case and a recursive case. The base case serves as the termination condition, preventing the function from calling itself indefinitely and leading to infinite recursion. The recursive case defines the logic where the function calls itself with a reduced or modified version of the original problem.