Editing Divide-and-conquer algorithm (section)

=== Stack size ===
In recursive implementations of D&C algorithms, one must make sure that there is sufficient memory allocated for the recursion stack, otherwise, the execution may fail because of [[stack overflow]].  D&C algorithms that are time-efficient often have relatively small recursion depth.  For example, the quicksort algorithm can be implemented so that it never requires more than <math>\log_2 n</math> nested recursive calls to sort <math>n</math> items.

Stack overflow may be difficult to avoid when using recursive procedures since many compilers assume that the recursion stack is a contiguous area of memory, and some allocate a fixed amount of space for it.  Compilers may also save more information in the recursion stack than is strictly necessary, such as return address, unchanging parameters, and the internal variables of the procedure.  Thus, the risk of stack overflow can be reduced by minimizing the parameters and internal variables of the recursive procedure or by using an explicit stack structure.