computer science

Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation

Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation rather than just read about it. In short: Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation is an influential computer science textbook by John Hopcroft and Jeffrey Ullman on formal languages and the theory of computation. Rajeev Motwani contributed to later editions beginning in 2000.

Key takeaways

Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation is an influential computer science textbook by John Hopcroft and Jeffrey Ullman on formal languages and the theory of computation. Rajeev Motwani contributed to later editions beginning in 2000.

Nickname The Jargon File records the book's nickname, Cinderella Book, thusly: "So called because the cover depicts a girl (putatively Cinderella) sitting in front of a Rube Goldberg device and holding a rope coming out of it. On the back cover, the device is in shambles after she has (inevitably) pulled on the rope."

Edition history and reception The forerunner of this book appeared under the title Formal Languages and Their Relation to Automata in 1969. Forming a basis both for the creation of courses on the topic, as well as for further research, that book shaped the field of automata theory for over a decade.

Hopcroft, John E.; Ullman, Jeffrey D. (1969). Formal Languages and Their Relation to Automata. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 9780201029833. Hopcroft, John E.; Ullman, Jeffrey D. (1979). Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation (1st ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-02988-X. Hopcroft, John E.; Motwani, Rajeev; Ullman, Jeffrey D. (2000). Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation (2nd ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 81-7808-347-7. Hopcroft, John E.; Motwani, Rajeev; Ullman, Jeffrey D. (2006) [1979]. Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation (3rd ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-321-45536-3. Hopcroft, John E.; Motwani, Rajeev; Ullman, Jeffrey D. (2013). Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation (New International ed.). Pearson. ISBN 978-1292039053.

The first edition of Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation was published in 1979, the second edition in November 2000, and the third edition appeared in February 2006. Since the second edition, Rajeev Motwani has joined Hopcroft and Ullman as the third author. Starting with the second edition, the book features extended coverage of examples where automata theory is applied, whereas large parts of more advanced theory were taken out. While this makes the second and third editions more accessible to beginners, it makes it less suited for more advanced courses. The new bias away from theory is not seen positively by all: As Shallit quotes one professor, "they have removed all good parts." The first edition in turn constituted a major revision of a previous textbook also written by Hopcroft and Ullman, entitled Formal Languages and Their Relation to Automata. It was published in 1969 and is referred to in the introduction of the 1979 edition. In a personal historical note regarding the 1969 book, Hopcroft states: "Perhaps the success of the book came from our efforts to present the essence of each proof before actually giving the proof". Compared with the forerunner book, the 1979 edition was expanded, and the material was reworked to make it more accessible to students. This gearing towards understandability at the price of succinctness was not seen positively by all. As Hopcroft reports on feedback to the overhauled 1979 edition: "It seems that our attempts to lower the level of our presentation for the benefit of students by including more detail and explanations had an adverse effect on the faculty, who then had to sift through the added material to outline and prepare their lectures". Still, the most cited edition of the book is apparently the 1979 edition: According to the website CiteSeerX, over 3000 scientific papers freely available online cite this edition of the book.

See also Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipser, another standard textbook in the field Solutions to Selected Exercises, Stanford University

References

External links Entry "Cinderella book". In: The Jargon file (version 4.4.7, December 29, 2003). Hopcroft, John E. (1989). "The emergence of computer science - A citation classic commentary on 'Formal Languages and Their Relation to Automata'". Current Contents Engineering, Technology, and Applied Sciences. 31: 12. available online (pdf) Shallit, Jeffrey O. (2008). A Second Course in Formal Languages and Automata Theory. Cambridge University Press. p. ix. ISBN 978-0-521-86572-2. "Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation - Home page". Stanford University. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. "Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation; 1st edition". — accessible only to Internet Archive patrons with print disabilities

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation

In research: Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1969 non-fiction books, 1979 non-fiction books, 2000 non-fiction books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation in simple terms?

Why does Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation.