étatgép

An étatgép, often translated as state machine or finite automaton, is a mathematical model of computation. It is an abstract machine that can be in exactly one of a finite number of states at any given time. The state machine can transition from one state to another in response to some external inputs.

A state machine is defined by a set of states, an alphabet of input symbols, a transition function, a start state, and a set of accept states. The transition function determines the next state based on the current state and the input symbol. The start state is the initial state of the machine. The accept states are a subset of the states that indicate successful computation or recognition of a pattern.

State machines are widely used in computer science for designing and analyzing digital circuits, compilers, network protocols, and artificial intelligence systems. They are particularly useful for modeling systems that exhibit sequential behavior or react to events. The concept of étatgép is fundamental to theoretical computer science and forms the basis for understanding more complex computational models. Different types of state machines exist, such as deterministic finite automata (DFA) and non-deterministic finite automata (NFA), each with slightly different properties and applications.