python-递归搜索列表的最大值

Question

Can Anyone please tell me why this code is returning RuntimeError: maximum recursion depth exceeded :

def maximum(tab, indDeb, indFin):
    if (indDeb == indFin):
        return indDeb
    else:
        m = (indDeb + indFin) / 2
        print "m = ", m
        k1 = maximum(tab, indDeb, indFin)
        k2 = maximum(tab, m+1, indFin)
        if (tab[k1] > tab[k2]):
            return k1
        else:
            return k2

if __name__ == "__main__":
    maximum([1, 2, 3, 4, 5], 0, 4)

Answer 1

Within maximum you are calling the function recursively without altering the arguments:

def maximum(tab, indDeb, indFin):
    # ...

    k1 = maximum(tab, indDeb, indFin)

This cannot but lead to infinite recursion.

Perhaps you wanted to limit the upper index instead:

k1 = maximum(tab, indDeb, m)

Answer 2

The line:

k1 = maximum(tab, indDeb, indFin)

should be:

k1 = maximum(tab, indDeb, m)