Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science or Theory of Computation

Theory of Computation by Frank Stephan

Frank Stephan's detailed lecture notes on the theory of computation cover quite a wide spectrum of issues. The document starts with the basics of sets and regular expressions, then goes ahead to grammars and the Chomsky hierarchy, helping one in understanding the structure of languages. Then it discusses finite automaton and nondeterministic finite automata, giving all details about the processing of strings by these models. The notes also treat the composition of languages, normal forms, and algorithms used in computation. Membership testing, whether deterministic or nondeterministic, is also explained, together with the proof of how models of computation handle language recognition. Finally, the approach is important when considering complexity, the problems that turn out undecidable, showing thus the intrinsic limits of computation. This is an important resource concerning formal languages, automata theory, and basic bounds of computability.

Author(s): Frank Stephan

176 Pages

Introduction to the Theory of Computation Lecture Notes

These are lecture notes from the University of Toronto, giving a very brief introduction to some of the basic ideas in the theory of computation. We start with some basic topics: induction and recursion; the correctness of programs, that must be understood if more advanced computational theories are to be enlightened. Then we go on to develop the topics of regular languages and finite automata, giving the basic models and techniques used in analysing and recognising regular languages. The coverage is designed to provide students with a reasonably solid grounding in the basic ideas of the theory of computation and to render a clear and thorough exposition of the fundamental concepts underlying more advanced topics.

Author(s): University of Toronto

75 Pages

Lecture Notes of Introduction to the Theory of Computation

Authored by Margaret Fleck and Sariel Har Peled, this is a wide set of lecture notes on the theory of computation. These start with the very basic objects such as strings and deterministic finite automata (DFAs) before moving up to regular expressions and nondeterministic automata. This course covers formal language theory, including some advanced topics such as Turing machines, decidability, and several language-related problems. It is intended that these notes afford a comprehensively broad yet deep exploration of the formal languages, automata, and computability material with an excellent bibliography that creates interest among students and researchers.

Author(s): Margaret Fleck and Sariel Har Peled

345 Pages

Theory of Computation by Kyle Burke

This book surveys some of the most relevant theoretical concepts with computational models. The limits of computation, undecidability of the Halting Problem, several automata models, including both deterministic and nondeterministic finite-state automata, pushdown automata, and Turing machines, are introduced. The ending is dedicated to computational complexity, with NP-Completeness, approximation algorithms, and hardness of approximation.

Author(s): Kyle Burke

114 Pages

Models of Computation by John E. Savage

This book, written for graduates, covers general subjects on computational models, logic circuits, and memory machines, with advanced subjects being parallel computation, circuit complexity, and space-time trade-offs; therefore, it's a very thorough course on computational models and their complexities.

Author(s): John E. Savage, Brown University

698 Pages

Introduction to Theory of Computation Lecture Notes

These lecture notes give an introduction to the more fundamental parts of the theory of computation and begin by presenting finite automata: starting with deterministic and nondeterministic finite automata, their equivalence, and practical implications of these concepts. The lecture notes include sections on regular expressions and their relationship to finite automata, non-regular languages, and the Pumping Lemma to prove non-regularity. Myhill-Nerode Theorem: For understanding recognition of languages. The notes go further to present context-free languages, including their ambiguity and properties of closure. The pumping lemma for context-free languages is also discussed, while decidable and recognizable languages are informed by a deep underpinning in computational theory.

Author(s): Mahesh Viswanathan

NA Pages