Скачать или смотреть The Stack & Recursion

1. The call stack manages program flow by creating a distinct stack frame (or activation record) for every function or method invocation.
2. Each stack frame is critical for control flow, holding the function's local variables, arguments, and the return address (the instruction where the CPU should return after the function completes).
3. When a function calls itself recursively, each successive call allocates a whole new section or "frame" on top of the stack to store its unique local variables and arguments, preventing conflicts with previous calls.
4. If the recursion runs too deep or is infinite, the stack grows continuously until it runs out of allocated memory space, causing a stack overflow (a common runtime error resulting in a program crash).
5. Compilers in some languages may employ tail-call optimization (TCO), particularly for tail-recursive functions, allowing them to reuse the existing stack frame and prevent the asymptotic stack space requirements from growing linearly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This video summary details how the call stack functions as a memory manager for active subprograms. Imagine the call stack as a stack of plates in a cafeteria; each plate (stack frame) holds the "meal preparation notes" (variables, arguments, return address) for a single chef (function instance). When recursion happens, the chef keeps ordering the same meal, adding a new, identical plate (stack frame) on top each time. If the chef orders too many meals without finishing the previous ones, the stack gets too high and collapses (stack overflow). Tail-call optimization is like the cafeteria worker realizing the current plate is identical to the next one being ordered and just replacing the existing plate's contents instead of adding a new one, keeping the stack height constan