Teaching recursion using fractals in Prolog

Abstract

Recursion has traditionally been a difficult concept for students to understand, both as a control structure and as an analytical tool. This paper explores recursion using Prolog (whose predominate control structure is recursion) and through fractals which possess a visually recursive form. We discuss several simple Turbo Prolog programs which demonstrate recursion graphically and whose resultant figures are fractals whose recursive nature is particularly easy to analyze in the Turbo Prolog environment.