Questions tagged [finite-automata]

235 questions
10
votes
1 answer

Maximum number of edges in a directed graph with the following "at most one path" condition

Let $G$ be a directed graph with $n$ vertices, and let there be vertices $s$ (source) and $t$ (sink) such that Every vertex is reachable from $s$, and can reach $t$. (I.e., for every $v$, there is a path from $s$ to $t$ going through $v$.) For…
9
votes
5 answers

Number of functions $f:[4]\times[4]\rightarrow[4]$

Let $[k] = \{0,\dots,k-1\}$. Consider the set $F(n,m)$ of functions $f:[n]\times[m]\rightarrow[m]$. The cardinality of $F(n,m)$ is $|F(n,m)| = m^{nm}$. Consider the equivalence relation $f \simeq g$ between functions $f,g \in F(n,m)$ iff there are…
9
votes
1 answer

How many partial derivatives does a multivariate polynomial have?

Definition: My motivation for this question stems from the following definition: Define the deterministic finite automata generated by the nonconstant* polynomial $f(x_0 , \dots , x_n) \in \mathbb{Z} [x_0 , x_1 , \dots , x_n]$, denoted…
7
votes
2 answers

Enumeration of finite automata

There is a nice paper Enumeration of Finite Automata by Frank Harary and Ed Palmer which presents a formula $a(n,k,m)$ for the number of finite automata with $n$ states, $k$ input symbols and $m$ output symbols. It is stated in Corollary $3$ as …
Markus Scheuer
  • 112,413
6
votes
1 answer

Proving the set of all strings of an alphabet is countably infinite

Let say that you have the alphabet $\sum$ and you wanna prove that $\sum^*$ is countably infinite. If it's countable then we can list all the strings in a well defined manner, but I think that somehow we can always come up with a string that is…
TheMathNoob
  • 2,101
5
votes
2 answers

Deterministic finite automata (DFA) (have odd length or end with aaa)

Is my attempt is true or where am I wrong? DFA : The set of strings over $\{a, b\} $ that have odd length or end with $aaa$.
zxccxz
  • 89
5
votes
1 answer

Is the empty string always in a finite alphabet?

Is the empty string always an element of an aribitrary finite alphabet? I understand that the empty string is part of the Kleene-Star of any alphabet, but is it intrinsically part of any finite alphabet where I don't explicitly mention it? For…
4
votes
0 answers

NFA to DFA conversion

I am trying to convert the following NFA to an equivalent DFA: My steps: There is an $\varepsilon$-transition from $q_0$ to $q_1$, hence the set of initial states is $\{q_0,q_1\}$. From $\{q_0,q_1\}$ we can go to any state if the input is $a$, but…
4
votes
1 answer

Is C* regular if C is a language with strings of prime length?

Let $C = \{a^p \ | \ p \ \text{is prime}\}$ be a language. I was able to show that $C$ is not regular using the pumping lemma. However, I am having some trouble showing that $C^*$ is regular. Intuitively I believe it should be regular but I do not…
4
votes
2 answers

Finite automata as dynamical systems

In abstract (deterministic finite) automata theory the set of states of an automaton is an arbitrary set Q, and the transistion function is a specific set δ ⊆ Q × Σ × Q (with alphabet Σ, i.e. another set). In a "real" automaton - seen as a…
4
votes
3 answers

Number of states in a finite automaton

How many states are required by a deterministic finite automaton to store $m$ words each of length $n$? I came across $2^{mn}$ as the solution but there was no explanation.
4
votes
1 answer

Is the Champernowne constant an automatic number?

The Champernowne constant in base $b \geq 2$ is obtained by concatenating the $b$-ary expansion of every integer. For example, in base $10$ this is $$ 0.123456789101112131415\dotsc $$ Question: Is the sequence of $b$-ary digits of the base $b$…
A.P.
  • 9,906
4
votes
3 answers

Epsilon and phi in automata

If $L_1 = Ø$, I read that $L_1^\ast$ is $\{\varepsilon\}$. Why is this so? I am unable to understand this. Can someone please explain? I understand that $Ø$ is an empty string while $\varepsilon$ allows us to make transitions without symbols. But,…
3
votes
1 answer

Can a NFA reach two final states at the same time?

I'm studying nondeterministic finite automata, and I understand them in principle. Compared to deterministic FA, you can have more than one transition function with the same character starting from a single state and you can have "empty"…
Paul
  • 221
3
votes
2 answers

DFA that accepts strings where there are odd number of 1's, and any number of 0's

DFA that accepts strings where there are odd number of 1's, and any number of 0's. The alphabet $\Sigma=\{0,1\}$ Well since it's odd $1$'s, then there must be at least one 1. So I think the regex is the following: $$R=0^*10^*$$ This is correct…
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