Which problem solving technique is based on breaking a complex problem into simpler subproblems?

Which problem solving technique is based on breaking a complex problem into simpler subproblems?

• A. Recursion
• B. GOFAI
• C. Brittleness
• D. Inscrutability

Answer: (A)

Breaking a complex problem into simpler subproblems is solved naturally by recursion, where a function calls itself with smaller inputs. Each recursive step handles a smaller version of the original problem, and when a base case is reached, the partial results are combined as the recursive calls unwind to form the final solution. This self-referential approach is ideal for problems that maintain the same structure at every scale, such as calculating factorials or traversing tree-like structures. The base case stops the recursion, while the recursive case reduces the problem size. Other terms describe broader AI approaches or tendencies, not the method of solving by breaking problems into subproblems: GOFAI is a broad symbolic AI paradigm, brittleness is a weakness where systems fail on unexpected inputs, and inscrutability is about models being opaque.

Breaking a complex problem into simpler subproblems is solved naturally by recursion, where a function calls itself with smaller inputs. Each recursive step handles a smaller version of the original problem, and when a base case is reached, the partial results are combined as the recursive calls unwind to form the final solution. This self-referential approach is ideal for problems that maintain the same structure at every scale, such as calculating factorials or traversing tree-like structures. The base case stops the recursion, while the recursive case reduces the problem size. Other terms describe broader AI approaches or tendencies, not the method of solving by breaking problems into subproblems: GOFAI is a broad symbolic AI paradigm, brittleness is a weakness where systems fail on unexpected inputs, and inscrutability is about models being opaque.