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Tracing Euclid's algorithm
Let me trace gcd(, ):
Call : gcd(, ) , so call gcd(, )
Call : gcd(, ) , so call gcd(, )
Call : gcd(, ) , so call gcd(, )
Call : gcd(, ) hits base case (), returns The GCD of and is . Notice how quickly the numbers shrink. This is why Euclid's algorithm is so efficient.
