Shared State in a Recursive Method

Question

Consider the `recursiveFactorial` method, which uses a `static` variable `result`. Which statement best describes a potential issue with this implementation?

```java
public class SynchronizedRecursive {
    private static int result = 0;
    
    public static int recursiveFactorial(int n) {
        if(n <= 1) return 1;
        synchronized(SynchronizedRecursive.class) {
            result = n * recursiveFactorial(n - 1);
            return result;
        }
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(recursiveFactorial(5));
    }
}
```

Accepted Answer

Using a shared variable can cause incorrect results in a concurrent context, as recursive calls may overwrite its value if invoked by multiple threads.

Answer

There is no issue as the shared variable is only used to store the final result which is computed correctly.

Answer

The code will deadlock due to the recursive nature of the synchronized block.

Answer

The synchronized block entirely prevents any issues, making the use of a shared variable safe in all contexts.

Shared State in a Recursive Method

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