Scribd
Upload
80 views22 pages

PDA-6 Tuple Machine

(1) Pushdown automata (PDA) extend finite automata with a stack, allowing them to count and remember inputs in a limited way. (2) Formally, a PDA is defined as a 6-tuple including states, inputs, stack symbols, and transitions. (3) PDA can recognize languages like {anbn} that finite automata cannot, but are less powerful than Turing machines.

Uploaded by

Sinan Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
80 views22 pages

PDA-6 Tuple Machine

(1) Pushdown automata (PDA) extend finite automata with a stack, allowing them to count and remember inputs in a limited way. (2) Formally, a PDA is defined as a 6-tuple including states, inputs, stack symbols, and transitions. (3) PDA can recognize languages like {anbn} that finite automata cannot, but are less powerful than Turing machines.

Uploaded by

Sinan Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 22

Pushdown Automata

Dr Fareeha Anwar

1
Finite Automata

• A finite automaton has a huge limitation.


• It can count only by changing states.
• So an FA can distinguish between at most
|Q| states.
• This limitation bounds the class of languages
that an NFA can recognize to a rather small
category - that of regular languages.

2
The Stack Model

• We add to an NFA an unlimited memory but


we limit the way it is used.
• Our limitation - the memory will be a stack.
• We can read/write only at the top of the stack.
• We still have a finite number of states that can
be used as before.
• we get a machine which is stronger than NFA
but less powerful than TM.

3
Pushdown Automata
• Informally a pushdown automata (PDA) is an
NFA + Stack
state
control
a a b ca a
x
y
z

• To remember or to count we can write to the


stack and can read/pop from it afterwards when
we need the information. 5
Example:
• The following language can be recognized by
PDA but is not regular
L = {anbn | n>0}

• The basic idea of recognition:


– remembering a's by pushing it to the stack.
– comparing the number of b's to the number
of a's by popping one a for each b.

5
Example (cont.)

• If the stack is emptied before the end of input


– the word includes more b's than a's.
• If the stack is not empty at the end of input –
the word includes more a's than b's.

6
Transition function of a PDA
• In NFA a transition function is determined
according to:
1. A current state
2. An input letter
• In PDA we move according to
1. A current state
2. An input letter
3. A letter on top of the stack
• The transition function output is a state and a
letter to be written into the stack. 8
Formal Definition of PDA
• A pushdown automaton is a 6-tuple:

(Q, , , , q0, F)

• Q - is a finite set of states.


•  - is the input alphabet.
•  - is the stack alphabet.
• : (Q   ) → P(Q  ) !!!
• q0Q - the start state.
• F Q - a set of accept states. 9
The Transition Function
The transition function (q,,x) = (q',y) reads:
When
– q is the current state
–  is the input symbol
– x is the topmost stack symbol
you may
– move to state q’ x y
– push y to the stack z z

,x→y
• The diagram for the PDA is: q q’

10
Possible transition functions
• (q,,x) = (q',y)
– move without reading a symbol from the input
• (q,,) = (q',y)
– move without reading a symbol from the stack
• (q, ,x) = (q',)
– move without pushing a symbol to the stack
• (q, , ) = (q,y)
– push y ,x→y
• (q, , x) = (q,) q q’
– popx
11
Example:
• Change the stack:
(q,,x) = (q',y)

,x→y
q q’

x y
z z
12
Example:
• Popping the stack:
(q,,x) = (q', )

,x→
q q’

x
z z
13
Example:
• Pushing the stack:
(q,,) = (q', y)

,→y
q q’

y
x x
z z
14
Example:
• No change:
(q,,x) = (q', x)
(q,,) = (q', )

,x→x
q q’
,→

x x
z z
15
Example of a PDA
• A state diagram for a PDA that recognizes
{ambn | m=n0}

• The PDA is (Q,,,,q1,F) where


a,→A
• Q={q1,q2,q3,q4} ,→$
• ={a,b} q1 q2
• ={A,$} b,A→
•  in the diagram
• q1 the start state q4 q3
,$→
• F={q1,q4} b,A→ 16
Another Example
• A state diagram for a PDA that recognizes
{ambn | n>m  0}

• The PDA is (Q,,,,q1,F) where


a,→A
• Q={q1,q2,q3,q4} ,→$
• ={a,b} q1 q2
• ={A,$} b,$→ b,A→
•  in the diagram
• q1 the start state q4 q3
b,$→
• F={q4} b,→ b,A→ 19
Properties of PDA

• With this definition of a PDA there is no explicit


mechanism to test whether the stack is empty.
• We solve the problem by initially placing a
special symbol ($) on the stack.
• The PDA cannot explicitly test for the end of an
input.
• However, the accept state takes effect only
when the machine is at the end of the input.

20
Non Determinism in PDA

• The formal definition of a PDA allows non-


determinism.
• A PDA is called non-deterministic if there
exist at least two possible transitions from a
particular situation (current state q, input
symbol , and stack symbol x).
– Note, that these transitions are not necessarily
defined by (q,,x)

23
Non Determinism in PDA
• A PDA is called deterministic iff it holds the
following three conditions:
– for each qQ, a and x, |(q,a,x)|  1
– for each qQ and x, if (q,,x) then for each
, (q, , x)=
– for each qQ and , if (q,,) then for
each x, (q, ,x)=

Unlike FA deterministic and nondeterministic


PDA are not equivalent in power.
24
Example of Deterministic PDA
• This PDA recognizes {wcwR | w{0,1}* }

,→$ 0,→0
q0 q1 1,→1

c,→

0,0→
q3 q2 1,1→
,$→

25
Example of Nondeterministic PDA
• This PDA recognizes {wwR | w{0,1}* }
• A nondeterminism is a must here.

,→$ 0,→0
q0 q1 1,→1

,→

0,0→
q3 q2 1,1→
,$→

26
The Power of PDA
• What is the power of a PDA? Can it recognize
all context-free languages? Is it stronger?

Theorem: A language is context-free iff


some pushdown automaton recognizes it.

• Proof:
– We show that if L is CFL then a PDA recognizes it.
– We show that is a PDA recognizes L then L is CFL.

You might also like