Enumerate all 1-state Turing Machines

In summary, the conversation discusses the definition of a 1-state TM from the Wikipedia article on Busy Beaver and how it can have a tape alphabet of 0,1 and a tape initially all zeros. The conversation also mentions that there are 64 possible 1-state TMs based on this definition.
  • #1
cobalt124
61
32
Hi, using the definition of a TM from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_beaver a 1-state TM would have:

one "operational" state a, plus the Halt State h
a tape alphabet of 0,1
a tape initially all zeros
Given this the possible 5-tuples a 1-state TM transition table could have are:

(current state,current symbol,symbol to write,direction of shift,next state)

(a,0,0,L,a)
(a,0,0,L,h)
(a,0,0,R,a)
(a,0,0,R,h)
(a,0,1,L,a)
(a,0,1,L,h)
(a,0,1,R,a)
(a,0,1,R,h)
(a,1,0,L,a)
(a,1,0,L,h)
(a,1,0,R,a)
(a,1,0,R,h)
(a,1,1,L,a)
(a,1,1,L,h)
(a,1,1,R,a)
(a,1,1,R,h)

The Wikipedia article states that there are (4n + 4)^2n n-state Turing machines meeting this definition. For n=1 that means 64. How does the above definition result in 64 1-state TMs?
 
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  • #2
It's OK I think I've worked it out. Each TM has a transition table with two 5-tuples, one with inputs a,0 and one with inputs a,1 in all possible combinations giving a total of 64 TMs.
 

1. What is a 1-state Turing Machine?

A 1-state Turing Machine is a theoretical model of a computer invented by Alan Turing in the 1930s. It consists of a tape, a read/write head, and a finite set of states. The "1-state" refers to the fact that the machine only has one state in its finite set of states.

2. How many possible 1-state Turing Machines are there?

There are infinitely many possible 1-state Turing Machines. This is because the tape and read/write head can be infinitely long, and the machine can have an infinite number of rules for transitioning between states.

3. What is the purpose of enumerating all 1-state Turing Machines?

Enumerating all 1-state Turing Machines is a theoretical exercise that allows us to explore the capabilities and limitations of these machines. It can also help us understand the fundamental principles of computation and the concept of universality.

4. Can a 1-state Turing Machine solve any computational problem?

No, a 1-state Turing Machine is limited in its computational abilities due to its simple structure and limited number of states. It can only solve a small subset of computational problems and is not considered a practical or efficient model of computing.

5. How does enumerating all 1-state Turing Machines relate to the Halting Problem?

The Halting Problem, which asks whether a given computer program will eventually stop or continue running forever, can be applied to 1-state Turing Machines. By enumerating all possible 1-state Turing Machines, we can show that there are some programs that cannot be determined to halt or not halt, thus demonstrating the unsolvability of the Halting Problem.

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