CSE-309

Theory of Automata

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 Pragmatics
Pre-Requisites
No Pre-Requisite

Text book
Introduction to Computer Theory, Daniel
I.A. Cohen

Introduction to the Theory of Computation,

Michael Sipser

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 Quizzes
3 Quizez (n-1)

Marks Distribution
30 % Term exams, 30% Final, 10 % Quizzes,
10% Assignments, 10% Project, 10% Reading
Assignments

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 Automata, Computability & Complexity

Complexity Theory: Is problem easy or

hard?

Computation Theory: Is problem computable

or not?

Automata Theory: Definitions & properties

of mathematical models of computation.

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 Theory of Automata
Automata is plural of Automaton (Greek
work) means Something which works
automatically or Self-operating machine.

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 Course Goals
Provide computation Models
Analyze power of Models
Answer Intractability questions:
What computational problems
can each model solve?

Answer Time Complexity questions:

How much time we need to
solve the problems?
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 A widely accepted model of computation

CPU memory

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 The different components of memory

temporary memory

input
CPU
output

Program memory

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 3
Example: f ( x) x

temporary memory

input
CPU
output
Program memory
compute xx
2
compute x x
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 3
f ( x) x

temporary memory
input
x2
CPU
output
Program memory
compute xx
2
compute x x
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 3
temporary memory f ( x) x
z 2*2 4
f ( x) z * 2 8
input
x2
CPU
output
Program memory
compute xx
2
compute x x
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 3
temporary memory f ( x) x
z 2*2 4
f ( x) z * 2 8
input
x2
CPU
f ( x) 8
Program memory output
compute xx
2
compute x x
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 Automaton
temporary memory

Automaton
input
CPU
output

Program memory

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 Automaton
temporary memory

Automaton
input

output
transition

state

CPU+ProgramMem = States + Transitions

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 Different Kinds of Automata
Automata are distinguished by the temporary memory

Finite Automata: no temporary memory

Pushdown Automata: stack

Turing Machines: random access memory

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 Memory affects computational power:

More flexible memory

results to
The solution of more computational
problems

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 Finite Automaton

temporary memory

input
Finite
Automaton
output
Example: Elevators, Vending Machines,
Lexical Analyzers
(small computing power)
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 Pushdown Automaton
Temp.
memory Stack Push, Pop

Pushdown input

Automaton
output

Example: Parsers for Programming Languages

(medium computing power)
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 Turing Machine

Temp.
memory Random Access Memory

input
Turing
Machine
output

Examples: Any Algorithm

(highest known computing power)
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 Power of Automata
Simple More complex Hardest
problems problems problems

Finite Pushdown Turing

Automata Automata Machine

Less power More power

Solve more
computational problems
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 Turing Machine is the most powerful
known computational model

Question: can Turing Machines solve

all computational problems?

Answer: NO
(there are unsolvable problems)
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 Time Complexity of Computational Problems:

P problems:
(Polynomial time problems)

Solved in polynomial time

NP-complete problems:
(Non-deterministic Polynomial time problems)
Believed to take exponential
time to be solved

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