Finding the language accepted by a given DFA

  • Context:
  • Thread starter Thread starter mathmari
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Automata Language
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
10 replies · 3K views
mathmari
Gold Member
MHB
Messages
4,984
Reaction score
7
Hi! Could you help me finding the language that is accepted by the DFA with the following state diagram?

___| a ____ b
Q1 | Q2 __ Q1
Q2 | Q2 __ Q3
Q3 | Q3 __ Q3

final states: Q1, Q2
 
Physics news on Phys.org
mathmari said:
Hi! Could you help me finding the language that is accepted by the DFA with the following state diagram?

___| a ____ b
Q1 | Q2 __ Q1
Q2 | Q2 __ Q3
Q3 | Q3 __ Q3

final states: Q1, Q2

Hi mathmari!

What is your start state?

If Q3 is not a final state, you can never go to Q3, since you can never go back.
Is that what you intended?

How do you want your language?
As a regular expression?
In BNF syntax? Or EBNF?

If you start in state Q1, the words you can form are $b*a*$, where $*$ denotes zero or more.
Starting from state Q2, you can only form $a*$, which is already included.
 
I like Serena said:
Hi mathmari!

What is your start state?

If Q3 is not a final state, you can never go to Q3, since you can never go back.
Is that what you intended?

How do you want your language?
As a regular expression?
In BNF syntax? Or EBNF?

If you start in state Q1, the words you can form are $b*a*$, where $*$ denotes zero or more.
Starting from state Q2, you can only form $a*$, which is already included.

The start state is Q1.
I want the language as a regular expression.
 
mathmari said:
The start state is Q1.
I want the language as a regular expression.

Then I guess I've already answered your question...
 
I like Serena said:
If you start in state Q1, the words you can form are $b*a*$, where $*$ denotes zero or more.

Starting in state Q1, couldn't the words be also $ a*b*$ ?
 
mathmari said:
Starting in state Q1, couldn't the words be also $ a*b*$ ?

After you accept the first $a$, accepting a $b$ would bring you to state Q3.
And from state Q3 you can never get to a final state anymore.

It is a bit weird though that you would have a state that doesn't go anywhere.
Are you sure that is right?
 
I like Serena said:
After you accept the first $a$, accepting a $b$ would bring you to state Q3.
And from state Q3 you can never get to a final state anymore.

It is a bit weird though that you would have a state that doesn't go anywhere.
Are you sure that is right?

Now I looked at the exercise again and realized that the state Q2 with $b$ goes to the state Q1 and to the state Q3.
 
mathmari said:
Now I looked at the exercise again and realized that the state Q2 with $b$ goes to the state Q1 and to the state Q3.

So your transition table is incomplete?
But still no other transitions starting from state Q3?
 
I like Serena said:
So your transition table is incomplete?
But still no other transitions starting from state Q3?

Starting from Q3 with $a$ or $b$ it goes to the state Q3 again...
 
How can the state Q2 go with b to the state Q1 and also to the state Q3? :confused:
 
mathmari said:
How can the state Q2 go with b to the state Q1 and also to the state Q3? :confused:

Now that you mention it, that's not really deterministic is it?
However, if it would go to state Q3, it can never reach a final state anymore.

In my opinion, your state machine is screwed up.
State Q3 should be deleted altogether, including all transitions toward it.
Then we're left with a nice and deterministic state machine. ;)