GC WOMEN UNIVERSITY SIALKOT

Department of Computer Science

Title Theory of Automata
Code CS-201
Credit Hours Weight 03 (3+0) Credit Hours
Lectures 03 Lectures / Week
Duration 01 Hour/Lecture
Instructor Name: Ms. Ayesha Raana
Name: Designation: Lecturer Contact: ayesha.raana@gcwus.edu.pk
Prerequisite Discrete Structures
Category Core
Aims and The course introduces some fundamental concepts in automata theory and
Objectives formal languages including grammar, finite automaton, regular expression,
formal language, pushdown automaton, and Turing machine. Not only do they
form basic models of computation, they are also the foundation of many
branches of computer science e.g. compilers, software engineering, concurrent
systems, etc. The properties of these models will be studied and various rigorous
techniques for analyzing and comparing them will be discussed, by using both
formalism and examples Finite State Models: Language definitions
preliminaries, Regular expressions/Regular languages, Finite automata (FAs),
Transition graphs (TGs), NFAs, Kleene‟s theorem, Transducers (automata with
output), Pumping lemma and non-regular language Grammars and PDA:
Context free grammars, Derivations, derivation trees and ambiguity, Simplifying
CFLs , Normal form grammars and parsing, Decidability, Chomsky‟s hierarchy
of grammars Turing Machines Theory : Turing machines, Post machine,
Variations on TM , TM encoding, Universal Turing Machine, Context sensitive
Grammars, Defining Computers by TMs.

Learning After completing this course, the students will have:

Outcomes  The course aims to develop an appreciation of the theoretical
foundations of computer science through study of mathematical
& abstract models of computers and the theory of formal
languages
 To give the students a better understanding of defining formal
languages so that they may define different constructs of any
programming language.
 To acquaint the students with the recursive iteration of parts
of procedure using Context Free Grammars.

 To familiarize the students with Push Down Automata so that

they may design parser in Compiler Construction
 Theory of formal languages and use of various abstract
machines as recognizers and parsing will be studied for
identifying/validating the synthetic characteristics of
programming languages

 To give the students an insight of the evolution of Computers by

showing them the working of Turing machines
 Syllabus The course deals with the concept of computability and mathematical models,
such as finite automata, grammars and Turing machines, and the relations
between these models. The following topics are included in this course:
Automata: finite automata, stack automata and Turing machines.
Determinism and non-determinism. Regular expressions, transformation from
regular expressions to finite automata and conversely, deterministic and non-
deterministic automata.
Formal languages: grammars, Chomsky’s hierarchy, context-free grammars and
regular grammars, closure properties. The relation between grammars and
variants of automata. The pumping lemmas for regular and context-free
languages, respectively.
The universal machine, the halting problem and other undecidable problems
Reference 1. Introduction to Computer Theory, second edition Daniel I. A. Cohen,
Books ISBN: 0072496681
2. An Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata, 3rd Edition, Peter
Linz
3. Introduction to Theory of Computation 3rd Edition, Michael Sipser
4. Handouts/Case Studies & Slides
5. Open internet access

Week Lecture Topic Source Book SESSIONAL

(Introduction to
Computer
Theory, second
edition Daniel I.
A. Cohen)
Introduction to Automata theory, Its CHP # 1
1 background, Formal Languages.
Introduction to defining languages, CHP # 2
alphabet, language, word, null string, length
of a string, reverse of a string, Palindrome,
1 2 Kleene closure
Formal definition of Regular Expressions, CHP # 3
defining languages with regular
expressions, Languages associated with
3 regular expression
Equality of Regular Expressions, CHP # 4
Introducing the
4 Language EVEN-EVEN
5 Examples of regular Expression CHP # 4
2 Introducing Finite Automata., Defining CHP # 5 Quiz # 01
languages using
Finite Automata. Constructing Finite
Automata for different languages
6
3 Recognizing the language defined by the CHP # 5
given Finite
7 Automata
8 More examples related to Finite Automata. CHP # 6
Transition Graphs with examples
 Generalized Transition Graphs, Non- CHP # 6
9 determinism in case of Transition Graphs.
Non-deterministic FA‟s. Differences CHP # 6
10 between FA and NFA. With examples
Kleene’s Theorem: Converting Regular CHP # 7
Expression into FA. Conversing NFA into
4
11 Regular Expression
Kleene‟s Theorem: converting NFA into CHP #7 Quiz #02
DFA
12
Kleene‟s Theorem: converting NFA into CHP # 7
DFA
13
Finite Automata with output. Moore and CHP # 8
5 Mealy Machines
14
Finite Automata with output. Moore and CHP # 8 Assignment#1
Mealy Machines
15
Regular Languages, Closure properties (i.e. CHP # 8
Union,
Concatenation, Kleene closure,
Complements and
Intersections) of Regular Languages with
16 examples
6
Decidability, decision procedure, Blue-paint CHP # 9
method,
17 .
Effective decision procedure to prove CHP # 9 Quiz #3
whether two givens
18 RE‟s or FA‟s are equivalent
RE‟s or FA‟s are equivalent and CHP # 9
Checking whether languages are finite or
infinite.
19
RE‟s or FA‟s are equivalent and CHP # 9
7 Checking whether languages are finite or
20 infinite with examples
RE‟s or FA‟s are equivalent and CHP # 9
Checking whether languages are finite or
infinite
21 With examples
Critical Discussion and Revision Presentations
8
22,23,24 Quiz #04
MID-TERM EXAM
Non-Regular Languages, the pumping CHP # 10
9 Lemma, More Examples relating to
Pumping Lemma
25
26 Non-Regular Languages, the pumping CHP # 10
Lemma, More Examples relating to
Pumping Lemma
 Context-Free Grammars, Formal Definition CHP # 11
of CFG.
CFG‟s for Context Free Languages. CFG‟s
of PALINDROM E, EQUAL and EVEN-
EVEN
27 Languages. More Examples of CFL‟s
Context-Free Grammars, Formal Definition CHP # 11
of CFG.
CFG‟s for Context Free Languages. CFG‟s
of PALINDROM E, EQUAL and EVEN-
EVEN
28 Languages. More Examples of CFL‟s
10
Leftmost and Rightmost derivations. Parse CHP # 12
Trees,
29 Examples relating to Parse Trees
Leftmost and Rightmost derivations. Parse CHP # 12 Quiz #05
Trees,
30 Examples relating to Parse Trees
Ambiguous and CHP # 12
31 Unambiguous CFG‟s. Total language tree
CHP # 12
Ambiguous and
11
Unambiguous CFG‟s. Total language tree
32 with more example
Lukasiewicz Notation CHP # 12
33 Backus Naur Form (BNF
Simplification of CFG‟s. Killing null CHP # 13
productions, Killing unit productions, CNF
introduction.
34
Simplification of CFG‟s. Killing null CHP # 13
12 productions, Killing unit productions, CNF
introduction.
35
Chomsky Normal Form (CNF) with CHP # 13 Quiz#06
examples
36
Chomsky Normal Form (CNF) with CHP # 13
examples
37
Pushdown Automata, Pushdown stack. CHP # 13
Nondeterministic
PDA. Examples related with PDA, PDA for
13 Odd Palindrome, Even Palindrome,
38 Palindrome X.
Pushdown Automata, Pushdown stack. CHP # 13 Assignment#2
Nondeterministic
PDA. Examples related with PDA, PDA for
Odd Palindrome, Even Palindrome,
39 Palindrome X.
14 40 Trace Tables, Proving CFG = PDA with CHP # 13
examples
 Context Free Languages, their Closure CHP # 13
Properties
41
CHP # 13 Quiz #7
Union Concatenation and Kleene Closures
using CFG‟s.
42
Decidability: Emptiness and uselessness, CHP # 14 Presentations
Finiteness and
Membership for CFL, Parsing Simple
43 Arithmetic
Turing Machines (TM), Formal Definition CHP # 14 Presentations
15
of TM
44
Turing Decidable Languages CHP # 14

45
TM with Non-Context Free Languages CHP # 14
Turing Machines vs Algorithms Solvability
46 and Computability
. CHP # 14 Quiz #8
16 Turing Recognizable Languages, Halting
Problem
Defining Computers by TM‟s. Computable
47 Functions
48 Revision of Final Term
FINAL-TERM EXAM

Assessment Total 100%

Criteria  Mid-Term Exam 30%
 Quiz/Quizzes 05%
 Assignment(s) 05%
 Presentation/Project 05%
 Class Participation 05%
 Final Term Exam 50%

GRADING SHEET