Theory Of Automata

Lec 05 – Transition Graph

Instructor
Mahwish Shahid

1
 Defining Languages
• Using Transition Graph

A Transition graph (TG), is a collection of the followings

1) Finite number of states, at least one of which is start state

and some (maybe none) final states.
2) Finite set of input letters (Σ) from which input strings are
formed.
3) Finite set of transitions that show how to go from one state
to another based on reading specified substrings of input
letters, possibly even the null string Λ.

2
 FA Vs TG
FA
• No multiple paths exist for an
input on a state
• No missing paths exist for an
input on a state
• A certain string to be accepted
by an FA must start from Initial
state and end on some Final
state
• No regular expression is
allowed to be labelled as
transition of a state.
Relaxing inputs on FA = TG
• May exist more than one path for
a string
• Allows missing paths for certain
string
• A certain string to be accepted by
an FA must start from Initial state
and end on some Final state
otherwise its rejected
• Null is allowed as transition label
• Regular expression can be
labelled in TG
• Collection of accepted strings is
the language accepted by the TG.
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 Example
• Consider the Language L , defined over Σ = {a, b} of
all strings including Λ.
a,b
• TG1 a,b

- Λ
+

• TG2 a,b

a,b

a,b
• TG3  + 4
 Example Continued …
• It may be noted that TG1 are TGs but not FA
• while TG2 and TG3 is both TG and FA as well.
• Every FA is a TG
• but every TG may not be an FA.

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 Example
• TG that does not accept any string defined over any alphabet.
• In this TG, no transition has been shown.

TG1 -
• In TG2 there are transitions for a and b at initial state but there
a,b
is no transition at state 1. TG2 - 1

• TG2 still does not accept any string.

• In TG3 there are transitions at both initial state and state 1, but
a,b
it does not accept any string.
a,b
TG3 - 1

Thus none of TG1, TG2 and TG3 accepts any string, i.e. these
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TGs accept empty language.

 Example
• Consider the language L of strings, defined over Σ={a, b},
starting with b.
• RE: b (a + b)*
a,b
• FA:
––
b +

a,b
a,b
TG: b
–– +
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 Example
• Consider the language L of strings, defined over Σ={a, b},
not ending in b.
• RE Λ + (a + b)*a
• TG a,b

–
a +

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 Class Activity
• Build a TG accepting the language L of strings, defined
over Σ={a, b}, ending in b.
• RE: (a + b)*b
• TG
a,b

–
b +

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 Example
• Consider the Language L of strings, defined over Σ = {a, b},
containing double a.
• RE: (a+b)* (aa) (a+b)*.
• TG

b,a b,a

1- aa 2+

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 Example
• Consider the language L of strings, defined over Σ={a, b},
having double a or double b.
• RE: (a+b)* (aa + bb) (a+b)*.

• TG a
a
a,b a,b

– +

b
b

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 Example - having double a or double b
• In the TG if the states are not labeled then it may not be
considered to be a single TG
a,b a,b
aa
- +
a,b a,b

bb
- +

a,b a,b

aa, bb
- +
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 Example
• Consider the language L of strings, defined over Σ={a,
b}, having triple a or triple b.
• RE: (a+b)* (aaa + bbb) (a+b)*
• TG a
2 4

a
a,b a a,b

1– 6+

b b

b
3 5 13
 Example - having triple a or double b
• In the TG if the states are not labeled then it may not be
considered to be a single TG
a,b a,b

aaa
1- 2+

a,b a,b

bbb
3- 4+

a,b a,b

aaa,bbb
- + 14
 Example
• Consider the language L of strings, defined over Σ = {a, b},
beginning and ending in different letters.
• RE: a(a + b)*b + b(a + b)*a
• TG
a, b

2 b 4+
a
1-

a,b
b

3 a
5+

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 Example
• Consider the Language L of strings of length two or more,
defined over Σ = {a, b}, beginning with and ending in same
letters.
• RE: a(a + b)*a + b(a + b)*b
• TG : a, b

2 a 4+
a
1-

a,b
b
b
3 5+

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 Task
• Build a TG accepting the language L of strings, defined
over Σ={a, b}, beginning with and ending in the
same letters.
• RE: a+b+a(a + b)*a + b(a + b)*b
• TG
.b b a a a
b

- + - +

b a a b

a b
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 Example
• Consider the EVEN-EVEN language, defined over
Σ={a, b}.
• EVEN-EVEN RE: (aa+bb+(ab+ba)(aa+bb)*(ab+ba))*
• TG

aa,bb aa,bb
ab,ba

ab,ba

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 Example
• Consider the language L, defined over Σ={a, b}, in which a’s
occur only in even clumps and that ends in three or more
b’s.
• RE: (aa)* b (b*+(aa (aa) *b)* ) bb OR
• (aa)* b (b*+( (aa) + b)* ) bb
TG

aa b
b
- b b +
aa

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 Nondeterminism

• Nondeterministic means machine can transition to, and

be in, multiple states at once (i.e. for some given input).
• Path is not determined by input alone , but human
choice becomes a factor in selecting the path.
• As Multiple paths exist for input, and selection is not
made by machine’s own determinations

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 Determinism vs Nondeterminism
Determinism
• Machines determine itself to
change from previous state to
next state based on Previous
State and Input string
• Example: FA
• FA has labeled transitions for
each input for each state
• Fa has one and clear path for
each input transition
• These paths are determined
by machine itself based on
input string only
• FA=Deterministic Finite
Automata(DFA)
Nondeterminism
• Machimnes can have multiple
paths at once for given input
• Path is not determined by
machine based on input string,
BUT Human Choice becomes a
factor of selecting a path
• Selection is not made by
machine’s own determination,
hence call no- determinism
machines
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• Example: TG, GTG
Non-determinisim Example:
Trace abbbabbbabba
b
4 b
a a,b
- +

bbb
a a a
ab
bbb

1 b 3
a
bb 2 bb 22
 Example: trace abbbabbbabba
• The string abbbabbbabba could have three paths, (using
the states)
1) (a)(b) (b) (b) (ab) (bb) (a) (bb) (a)
(-)(4)(4)(+)(+)(3)(2)(2)(1)(+)
2) (a)(b) ((b)(b)) (ab) (bb) (a) (bb) (a)
(-)(4)(+)(+)(+)(3)(2)(2)(1)(+)
3) (a) ((b) (b)) (b) (ab) (bb) (a) (bb) (a)
(-) (4)(4)(4)(+) (3)(2)(2)(1)(+)

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