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Thread: StackOverflowError with recursive method

  1. #1
    Member samfin's Avatar
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    Default StackOverflowError with recursive method

    Hi,

    This is my first post here so hi all and bear with me.

    I am trying to solve problem 14 on Project Euler to find the longest Collatz sequence under 1000000. I have come up with the following code.

    public void solution14()
        {
           for(int i=1; i<1000000; i++)
           {
              collatz(i);
           } 
        }
     
        public int collatz(int n)
        {
            count++;
            if(n==1)
            {
                return 1;
            }
            if(n%2==0)
            {
                n=n/2;
            }
            else
            {
                n=n*3+1;    
            }
            collatz(n);
            return count;
        }

    The problem is that I am getting stack overflow error when I run the solution14 method and have the call to collatz(i) inside the for loop. If I call collatz(1000000) or any other number, I get the right answer with no errors.
    If I reduce the loop from 1000000 to 100000 it will work fine. Can anyone help please

    Thanks

    Sam


  2. #2
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    Default Re: StackOverflowError with recursive method

    else
    {
    n=n*3+1;
    }
    collatz(n);

    300001

    collatz(300001)

    n = 900003 + 1 = 900004

    collatz(1 million)

    n = 3 million and 1

    collatz (3 million and 1)

    n = 9 million and 4

    collatz ((9 million and 4) / 2)

    4500002

    2250001

    6750004

    3375002

    1687501

    5062504

    2531252

    1265626

    632813

    1898440

    949220

    474610

    237305

    711916

    355958

    177979

    533938

    266969

    800908

    400454

    200227

    600682

    300341

    901024

    450512

    225256

    112628

    56314

    28157

    84472

    42236

    21118

    10559

    31678

    15839

    47518

    23759

    71278

    35639

    106918

    53459

    160378

    80189

    240568

    120284

    60142

    30071

    90214

    45107

    135322

    67661

    202984

    101492

    50746

    25373

    76120

    38060

    19030

    9515

    28546

    14273

    42820

    21410

    10705

    32116

    16058

    8029

    24088

    12044

    6022

    3011

    9034

    4517

    13552

    6776

    3388

    1694

    847

    2542

    1271

    3814

    1907

    5722

    2861

    8584

    4292

    2146

    1073

    3220

    1610

    805

    2416

    1208

    604

    302

    151

    454

    227

    682

    341

    1024

    512

    256

    128

    64

    32

    16

    8

    4

    2

    1

    done

  3. #3
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    Default Re: StackOverflowError with recursive method

    I'm not certain on this, but if the same stack is handling between 1 and 1000000 it will be overwhelmed.

  4. #4
    Administrator copeg's Avatar
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    Default Re: StackOverflowError with recursive method

    Welcome to the forums. Use some simple print line debugging to print out the values of i and see when the exception is being thrown. Then run the collatz function with just this value and print out the n values produced. (hint, also print out Integer.MAX_VALUE and compare it with the values produced, you should see that an int can get maxed out and produce unexpected behavior...)

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to copeg For This Useful Post:

    samfin (December 2nd, 2010)

  6. #5
    Member samfin's Avatar
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    Default Re: StackOverflowError with recursive method

    I found the numbers it wasn't working with and printed the output. As n got closer to the max value of int it would flip to a random minus number and then flip between -1 and -2 for ever more. Changed it to long and all ok. Thanks for your help.

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