Can anyone explain me what is happening in this code because i don't understand it at all. its from Recursion chapter

Question

def is_even(x):
if x == 0:
return True
else:
return is_odd(x-1)

def is_odd(x):
return not is_even(x)

print(is_odd(17))
print(is_even(23))

Answer 1

This code defines two functions, is_even() and is_odd(), which determine whether a given integer is even or odd.

The is_even() function first checks if the input integer x is equal to 0. If it is, then it returns True because 0 is an even number. If x is not equal to 0, then it calls the is_odd() function with the argument x-1 and returns the result of that call.

The is_odd() function determines whether an integer x is odd by returning the opposite of the result of calling is_even() with the argument x.

Finally, the code calls is_odd() and is_even() with the inputs 17 and 23, respectively, and prints the results. Since 17 is an odd number and 23 is an odd number, the program would output:

True
False

indicating that 17 is an odd number and 23 is not even number.

Answer 2

Reza Mardani
In Your description needs correction..
23 is not even..

Izo tmg ,According to your code,
This code uses recursion to determine whether a number is odd or even.

#`is_odd(x)`:
this checks if the number `x` is odd.

#`is_even(x)`:
this checks if the number `x` is even.
If `x` is equal to 0, it returns True,
Otherwise, it calls the function `is_odd(x-1)`.

So, the output of the code will be:
True ( 17 is odd)
False ( 23 is not even)

Answer 3

Function is_odd(17) runs like this:
1. Execute "return not is_even(17)"
2. In is_even(17), since 17 is not equal to 0, it execute "return is_odd(16)
3. In is_odd(16) once again call function is_even(x)
4. It gets repeat until is_odd(0), which execute is_even(0), it return True back to the caller is_odd(0), which become "return not True" and return "False" to the original caller is_odd(17), so it become "return not False", thus print out True.

Function is_even(23) runs in similar way:
1. Since 23 is not equal to 0, it execute "is_odd(22)"
2. In is_odd(22), and call function is_even(22)
3. It gets repeat until is_odd(0), which call is_even(0) and return "True" back to caller is_odd(0), and it return "True" back to is_even(1), and return "True" back to is_odd(1) until is_odd(23), one step before to the original caller is_ever(23). In is_odd(23) it become "return not True" which turn out to be "False" and return "False" back to original caller is_even(23), thus print out False.