• Unit 3: Finite State Machines

    Finite state machines (FSM), also called finite state automata (FSA), are conceptual models for recognizing, parsing, and generating strings in a formal language. An FSM can be used to recognize (i.e., determine) whether a string adheres to the syntax of a language. Moreover, an FSM can be used to build a syntax tree, which shows the derivation (i.e., how the string was constructed) of the string. This unit introduces (or reviews) FSMs, which are covered in detail in other courses (for example, CS202: Discrete Structures).

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.