Java Reference
In-Depth Information
is a state
a
is a transition on a
∈Σ
is the start state
is an accepting state
a
a
b
c
c
Figure 3.1: Components of a finite automaton drawing and their use
to construct an automaton that recognizes (abc
+
)
+
.
A
finite automaton
(FA) can be used to recognize the tokens specified by a
regular expression. An FA (plural: finite automata) is a simple, idealized
computer that recognizes strings as belonging to regular sets. An FA consists
of the following:
•
Afinitesetof
states
•
Afinite
vocabulary
, denoted
Σ
•
Asetof
transitions
(or
moves
) from one state to another, labeled with
characters in
Σ
•
A special state called the
start
state