Chomsky Normal Form (CNF)

Solution

What is CNF?
Chomsky normal form is the normalized form of Context free Grammar

Types of Normalized Form of CFG’s

There are 2 types:

1. CNF (Chomsky Normal Form)

2. GNF (Greibach Normal Form)

All CFG’s are CNF?

No, All CFG’s May or May Not CNF but all CNF’s are always CFG’s.

Steps of Conversion from CFG to CNF

There are 4 steps:

1. Remove/Kill all Null Productions

2. Remove all Unit Productions
3. Convert all Mix Terms (Terminals + Variables )into Capitals ; If Terms are not mixed then
check if there are 2 or more terminals then convert them into capitals ; if there is only
one single terminal don’t convert it into capital.
4. Reduce the number of variables upto 2 variables.
Example Question 1: Covert the following given CFG into its respective CNF form.

1. S->abAB
2. A->bAB
3. A->Λ
4. B->BAa
5. B->A
6. B->Λ

Solution

Step # 1: Remove/Kill all Null Productions

1. S->abAB 1. S->abAB
2. A->bAB S->abB (Place Λ in A)
3. A->Λ S->abA (Place Λ in B)
4. B->BAa S->ab (Place Λ in both A , B)
5. B->A 2. A->bAB
6. B->Λ A->bB (Place Λ in A)
A->bA (Place Λ in B)
A->b (Place Λ in both A , B)
4. B->BAa
B->Ba (Place Λ in A)
B->Aa (Place Λ in B)
B->a (Place Λ in both A , B)
5. B->A
So after removing all Null Productions we will
get above mentioned 13 Productions
Step # 2: Remove all Unit Productions
1. S->abAB 1. S->abAB
2. S->abB 2. S->abB
3. S->abA 3. S->abA
4. S->ab 4. S->ab
5. A->bAB 5. A->bAB
6. A->bB 6. A->bB
7. A->bA 7. A->bA
8. A->b 8. A->b
9. B->BAa 9. B->BAa
10. B->Ba 10. B->Ba
11. B->Aa 11. B->Aa
12. B->a 12. B->a
13. B->A 13. B->a (Converted into small a)
14. A->a (Add Rule as we converted Capital A
into small a to remove unit production)
Step # 3: Convert all Mix Terms (Terminals + Variables )into Capitals ; If Terms are not mixed
then check if there are 2 or more terminals then convert them into capitals ; if there is only
one single terminal don’t convert it into capital.
1. S->abAB 1. S->ABAB
2. S->abB 2. S->ABB
3. S->abA 3. S->ABA
4. S->ab 4. S->AB
5. A->bAB 5. A->BAB
6. A->bB 6. A->BB
7. A->bA 7. A->BA
8. A->b 8. A->b
9. B->BAa 9. B->BAA
10. B->Ba 10. B->BA
11. B->Aa 11. B->AA
12. B->a 12. B->a
13. B->a 13. B->a
14. A->a 14. A->a
Step # 4: Reduce the number of variables upto 2 variables.

1. S->ABAB 1. S->ABAB
2. S->ABB (Reduced Productions from Production 1)
3. S->ABA S->TT
4. S->AB T->AB
5. A->BAB 2. S->ABB
6. A->BB (Reduced Productions from Production 2)
7. A->BA S->TB
8. A->b 3. S->ABA
9. B->BAA (Reduced Productions from Production 3)
10. B->BA S-> TA
11. B->AA
4. S->AB
12. B->a
5. A->BAB
13. B->a
(Reduced Productions from Production 5)
14. A->a
A-> BT
6. A->BB
7. A->BA
8. A->b
9. B->BAA
(Reduced Productions from Production 9)
B->MA
M->BA
10. B->BA
11. B->AA
12. B->a
13. B->a
14. A->a
Final CNF

1. S->TT
2. T->AB
3. S->TB
4. S-> TA

5. S->AB

6. A-> BT

7. A->BB

8. A->BA

9. A->b

10. B->MA
11. M->BA

12. B->BA

13. B->AA

14. B->a

15. B->a
16. A->a
Example Question 2: Covert the following given CFG into its respective CNF form.

S->ABA

A->aA

A->Λ

B->bB

B->Λ

Solution

Step # 1: Remove/Kill all Null Productions

1. S->ABA S->ABA
2. A->aA S->BA
3. A->Λ S->AA
4. B->bB S->AB
5. B->Λ S->A
S->B
A->aA
A->a
B->bB
B->b

So after removing all Null Productions we will

get above mentioned 10 Productions
Step # 2: Remove all Unit Productions
1. S->ABA 1. S->ABA
2. S->BA 2. S->BA
3. S->AA 3. S->AA
4. S->AB 4. S->AB
5. S->A 5. S->a
6. S->B 6. S->b
7. A->aA 7. A->aA
8. A->a 8. A->a (Duplicated with rule 11)
9. B->bB 9. B->bB
10. B->b 10. B->b (Duplicated with rule 12)
11. A->a (Add Rule as we converted Capital A
into small a to remove unit production)
12. B->b (Add Rule as we converted Capital A
into small a to remove unit production)
Step # 3: Convert all Mix Terms (Terminals + Variables )into Capitals ; If Terms are not mixed
then check if there are 2 or more terminals then convert them into capitals ; if there is only
one single terminal don’t convert it into capital.
1. S->ABA 1. S->ABA
2. S->BA 2. S->BA
3. S->AA 3. S->AA
4. S->AB 4. S->AB
5. S->a 5. S->a
6. S->b 6. S->b
7. A->aA 7. A->AA
8. A->a 8. A->a
9. B->bB 9. B->BB
10. B->b 10. B->b

Step # 4: Reduce the number of variables upto 2 variables.

1. S->ABA 1. S->ABA
2. S->BA S->MA
3. S->AA M->AB
4. S->AB
5. S->a
6. S->b 2. S->BA
7. A->AA 3. S->AA
8. A->a 4. S->AB
9. B->BB 5. S->a
10. B->b 6. S->b
7. A->AA
8. A->a
9. B->BB
10. B->b
Final CNF

S->MA

M->AB

S->BA

S->AA

S->AB

S->a

S->b

A->AA

A->a

B->BB

B->b