Text a non-coder friend what recursion is

About this exercise

Your friend is a nursing major who has never coded and asked what recursion is. Get a text message under 60 words, plain text, that uses the nesting-dolls example from your notes, avoids code and jargon, and ends with 'Make sense?'

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the code example. The AI shows code, which a nursing major can't read. Try: Say: "No code. Use the nesting dolls."
• Using lecture words. Words like 'base case' lose a non-coder immediately. Try: Add: "Don't use the words function, stack overflow, base case or parameter."
• Wrong sign-off. The AI ends with an offer to explain more. Try: Say: "End with exactly: Make sense?"
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 12 words."
• Forgetting where it's going. AI formats for a screen, with bold and headings that show up as stray symbols. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

• Names the reader
• Asks for a text message
• Uses the dolls
• Bans jargon and code
• Sets the ending and length

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