Introduction to Automata
Theory
Reading: Chapter 1
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What is Automata Theory?
◼ Study of abstract computing devices, or
“machines”
◼ Automaton = an abstract computing device
◼ Note: A “device” need not even be a physical
hardware!
◼ A fundamental question in computer science:
◼ Find out what different models of machines can do
and cannot do
◼ The theory of computation
◼ Computability vs. Complexity
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(A pioneer of automata theory)
Alan Turing (1912-1954)
◼ Father of Modern Computer
Science
◼ English mathematician
◼ Studied abstract machines called
Turing machines even before
computers existed
◼ Heard of the Turing test?
3
Theory of Computation: A
Historical Perspective
1930s • Alan Turing studies Turing machines
• Decidability
• Halting problem
1940-1950s • “Finite automata” machines studied
• Noam Chomsky proposes the
“Chomsky Hierarchy” for formal
languages
1969 Cook introduces “intractable” problems
or “NP-Hard” problems
1970- Modern computer science: compilers,
computational & complexity theory evolve
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Languages & Grammars
◼ Languages: “A language is a
Or “words” collection of sentences of
finite length all constructed
from a finite alphabet of
symbols”
◼ Grammars: “A grammar can
be regarded as a device that
enumerates the sentences of
a language” - nothing more,
nothing less
◼ N. Chomsky, Information
and Control, Vol 2, 1959
Image source: Nowak et al. Nature, vol 417, 2002
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The Chomsky Hierachy
• A containment hierarchy of classes of formal languages
Regular Context-
(DFA) Context-
free Recursively-
sensitive
(PDA) enumerable
(LBA) (TM)
6
The Central Concepts of
Automata Theory
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Alphabet
An alphabet is a finite, non-empty set of
symbols
◼ We use the symbol ∑ (sigma) to denote an
alphabet
◼ Examples:
◼ Binary: ∑ = {0,1}
◼ All lower case letters: ∑ = {a,b,c,..z}
◼ Alphanumeric: ∑ = {a-z, A-Z, 0-9}
◼ DNA molecule letters: ∑ = {a,c,g,t}
◼ …
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Strings
A string or word is a finite sequence of symbols
chosen from ∑
◼ Empty string is (or “epsilon”)
◼ Length of a string w, denoted by “|w|”, is
equal to the number of (non- ) characters in the
string
◼ E.g., x = 010100 |x| = 6
◼ x = 01 0 1 00 |x| = ?
◼ xy = concatentation of two strings x and y
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Powers of an alphabet
Let ∑ be an alphabet.
◼ ∑k = the set of all strings of length k
◼ ∑* = ∑0 U ∑1 U ∑2 U …
◼ ∑+ = ∑1 U ∑2 U ∑3 U …
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Languages
L is a said to be a language over alphabet ∑, only if L ∑*
➔ this is because ∑* is the set of all strings (of all possible
length including 0) over the given alphabet ∑
Examples:
1. Let L be the language of all strings consisting of n 0’s
followed by n 1’s:
L = {, 01, 0011, 000111,…}
2. Let L be the language of all strings of with equal number of
0’s and 1’s:
L = {, 01, 10, 0011, 1100, 0101, 1010, 1001,…}
Canonical ordering of strings in the language
Definition: Ø denotes the Empty language
◼ Let L = {}; Is L=Ø? NO
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The Membership Problem
Given a string w ∑*and a language L
over ∑, decide whether or not w L.
Example:
Let w = 100011
Q) Is w the language of strings with
equal number of 0s and 1s?
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Finite Automata
◼ Some Applications
◼ Software for designing and checking the behavior
of digital circuits
◼ Lexical analyzer of a typical compiler
◼ Software for scanning large bodies of text (e.g.,
web pages) for pattern finding
◼ Software for verifying systems of all types that
have a finite number of states (e.g., stock market
transaction, communication/network protocol)
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Finite Automata : Examples
action
◼ On/Off switch state
◼ Modeling recognition of the word “then”
Start state Transition Intermediate Final state
state
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Summary
◼ Automata theory & a historical perspective
◼ Chomsky hierarchy
◼ Finite automata
◼ Alphabets, strings/words/sentences, languages
◼ Membership problem
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