Course Title: Automata Theory
Course Overview:
Automata Theory is a branch of theoretical computer science that studies abstract machines and computational models. This course introduces students to the foundational concepts of automata theory, including finite automata, regular languages, context-free grammars, Turing machines, and computability. Students will learn about formal languages, automata types, and the limits of computation.
Course Objectives:
Understand the basic concepts of automata theory and formal languages.
Learn about different types of automata and their properties.
Study regular languages, context-free languages, and their grammars.
Explore Turing machines and computability theory.
Gain problem-solving skills through exercises and proofs.
Apply automata theory concepts to practical problems and applications.
Course Outline:
Introduction to Automata Theory
Definition of automata and its applications
Types of automata (finite automata, pushdown automata, Turing machines)
Formal languages and their importance in computer science
Finite Automata (FA)
Deterministic Finite Automata (DFA) and Non-deterministic Finite Automata (NFA)
Equivalence of DFA and NFA
Regular languages and regular expressions
Regular Languages and Grammars
Regular grammars and productions
Pumping lemma for regular languages
Closure properties of regular languages
Context-Free Grammars (CFG)
Definition of context-free grammars
Context-free languages (CFL)
Parsing techniques (top-down parsing, bottom-up parsing)
Pushdown Automata (PDA)
Definition and components of pushdown automata
Equivalence between CFG and PDA
Pumping lemma for context-free languages
Turing Machines (TM)
Definition and components of Turing machines
Variants of Turing machines (multi-tape TM, non-deterministic TM)
Turing machine computability and Halting problem
Computability Theory
Church-Turing thesis and computational models
Decidability and undecidability
Reductions and NP-completeness
Formal Language Properties
Closure properties of formal languages
Decision problems and language recognition
Time and space complexity of automata
Advanced Topics in Automata Theory
Regular expression to DFA conversion
CYK algorithm for context-free grammars
Universal Turing machines and computability classes
Applications of Automata Theory
Compiler design and syntax analysis
Lexical analysis and tokenization
Pattern matching and string processing
Assessment Methods:
Problem-solving assignments and proofs related to automata theory concepts.
Quizzes and exams covering theoretical concepts, proofs, and automata properties.
Programming assignments implementing automata algorithms and language recognition.
Analysis of case studies and applications of automata theory in computer science.
Textbook:
“Introduction to the Theory of Computation” by Michael Sipser
References:
“Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation” by John E. Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani, and Jeffrey D. Ullman
Online resources and tutorials on automata theory and formal languages
Admission Open for this course
Contact Number: 03307615544