Introducing finite automata in the first course

  • Authors:
  • Mark R. Headington

  • Affiliations:
  • Univ. of Wisconsin, La Crosse

  • Venue:
  • SIGCSE '88 Proceedings of the nineteenth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
  • Year:
  • 1988

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Abstract

In the computer science curriculum, finite state machines and finite automata are typically introduced at the upper-division level. However, students can benefit from an earlier, informal exposure to finite automata for three reasons:- Finite automata represent a useful application when two-dimensional arrays are introduced.- A painless early introduction can ease the transition to rigorous approaches encountered later.- Finite automata provide yet another algorithmic tool to be added to the student's repertoire.