Theory of Computation

Intended to be used as the basis of a one- or two-term introductory course in the theory of computation, this book concentrates on the fundamental models for languages and computation together with their properties. It contains simple proofs of many results that are usually considered difficult. For example the proof given to show that every finite automaton has an equivalent regular expression is little known. Throughout the text, algorithms are given in a Pascal-like notation, since there is an emphasis on constructions and programming. There is also an emphasis on practical applications throughout the text, eg finite automata and pattern matching, regular expressions and text editing, extended context-free grammars and syntax diagrams, finite transducers and data compression. The text contains an abundance of worked examples to help the student understand the concepts as they are introduced. Each chapter terminates with a summary of the material, its history, and a springboard; the last two items include references to the current literature. The springboard introduces a few topics for further investigation that can be used as projects for high-calibre students.