Please Explain Recursion

programming flash
1

http://www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/recursive.htm

IIyad, the owner of this website, was so kind as to put a tutorial about recursion on the Web (see above URL). I liked it alot but still don’t fully understand recursion and am wondering if you can explain to me why the output of the following AS3 code prints out the following:

End of the 4th function.

Specifically, I don’t understand why Flash goes from “End of the 5th function” to “End of the 4th function”. The code does not decrement n. Why wouldn’t it just output “End of the 5th function” and then exit the if clause and exit the function? Is there something in memory? Is n an array that pops out 5,4,3,2,1 before ending?

Here’s the basic recursive code:

function traceMe(n) {
if (n<=5) {

    trace("This is JUST AFTER THE if (n&lt;5) line");
  
trace("This is the "+n+"th time that the function is run.");

    trace("This is BEFORE the traceMe(n+1)");

traceMe(n+1);

    trace("This is before last line");

trace("End of the "+n+"th function.");

    trace("This is after last line");

}

}
traceMe(1);

HERE’s THE OUTPUT OF THE ABOVE CODE:

This is JUST AFTER THE if (n<5) line
This is the 1th time that the function is run.
This is BEFORE the traceMe(n+1)
This is JUST AFTER THE if (n<5) line
This is the 2th time that the function is run.
This is BEFORE the traceMe(n+1)
This is JUST AFTER THE if (n<5) line
This is the 3th time that the function is run.
This is BEFORE the traceMe(n+1)
This is JUST AFTER THE if (n<5) line
This is the 4th time that the function is run.
This is BEFORE the traceMe(n+1)
This is JUST AFTER THE if (n<5) line
This is the 5th time that the function is run.
This is BEFORE the traceMe(n+1)
This is before last line
End of the 5th function.
This is after last line
This is before last line
**End of the 4th function.
**This is after last line
This is before last line
End of the 3th function.
This is after last line
This is before last line
End of the 2th function.
This is after last line
This is before last line
End of the 1th function.
This is after last line