FORMAL LANGUAGE AND

AUTOMATA THEORY
Turing Machine

Module IV

Shweta Banerjee
[email protected]
 Module-4:
1. [6L]
5.1 Turing Machine: Turing Machine, definition, model [IL] Design of TM, Computable
functions

5.2 Church's hypothesis,

5.3 counter machine

5.4 types of Turing machines (proofs not required)

5.5 Universal Turing Machine, Halting problem

Outcome Learning outcome of Turing Machine :

Students will be able to design Turing machine

NOTES:

The Turing machine was invented in 1936 by Alan Turing, who called it an "a-machine" (automatic
machine). It was Turing's doctoral advisor, Alonzo Church, who later coined the term "Turing
machine" in a review.
A Turing machine is an idealized model of a central processing unit (CPU) that controls all data
manipulation done by a computer, with the canonical machine using sequential memory to store
data. Typically, the sequential memory is represented as a tape of infinite length on which the
machine can perform read and write operations.

In the context of formal language theory, a Turing machine (automaton) is capable of enumerating
some arbitrary subset of valid strings of an alphabet. A set of strings which can be enumerated in this
manner is called a recursively enumerable language. The Turing machine can equivalently be defined
as a model that recognizes valid input strings, rather than enumerating output strings.

Given a Turing machine M and an arbitrary string s, it is generally not possible to decide whether M
will eventually produce s. This is due to the fact that the halting problem is unsolvable, which has
major implications for the theoretical limits of computing.

The Turing machine is capable of processing an unrestricted grammar, which further implies that it is
capable of robustly evaluating first-order logic in an infinite number of ways. This is famously
demonstrated through lambda calculus.
Question Practice:

Q1: What is a Turing Machine?

A1: A Turing Machine is a theoretical computational model that consists of an infinite tape, a tape
head that reads and writes symbols, and a set of rules or states that dictate its operations. It is used
to model the logic of any computer algorithm.

Q2: How is a Turing Machine formally defined?

A2: A Turing Machine is formally defined as a 7-tuple (Q, Σ, Γ, δ, q0, q_accept, q_reject), where Q is
the finite set of states, Σ is the input alphabet, Γ is the tape alphabet, δ is the transition function, q0
is the start state, q_accept is the accepting state, and q_reject is the rejecting state.

Q3: What does the tape in a Turing Machine represent?

A3:The tape in a Turing Machine represents the memory of the machine, divided into cells, each of
which can hold a symbol from the tape alphabet. The tape is infinite in length in both directions.

Q4: What is the role of the transition function in a Turing Machine?

A4:The transition function δ in a Turing Machine defines the rules for moving from one state to
another, based on the current state and the symbol being read on the tape. It specifies the new
state, the symbol to be written, and the direction in which the tape head should move.

Q5: How can a Turing Machine be used to decide a language?

A5: A Turing Machine decides a language if, for every string in the language, the machine eventually
enters the accepting state (q_accept), and for every string not in the language, it eventually enters
the rejecting state (q_reject).

Q6: What is a computable function in the context of Turing Machines?

A6: A function is computable if there exists a Turing Machine that, given an input, will eventually halt
and output the corresponding value of the function.

Q7: What is Church's Hypothesis (Church-Turing Thesis)?

A7: Church's Hypothesis, also known as the Church-Turing Thesis, asserts that any function that can
be effectively computed by an algorithm can be computed by a Turing Machine. It proposes that the
Turing Machine formalism encompasses all of computation.

Q8:How does the Church-Turing Thesis relate to modern computing?

A8: The Church-Turing Thesis suggests that any computational problem solvable by today's
computers can also be solved by a Turing Machine, implying that Turing Machines are a universal
model for computation.

Q9: Are there any functions that are not computable according to Church's Hypothesis?

A9: Yes, there exist functions that are not computable, meaning no Turing Machine can compute
their values for all possible inputs. An example is the Halting Problem.

Q10: What is a Counter Machine?

A10:A Counter Machine is a theoretical model of computation similar to a Turing Machine but uses a
finite number of counters to store and manipulate non-negative integers instead of an infinite tape.

Q11: How do Counter Machines operate?

A11:Counter Machines operate using a finite set of instructions that can increment, decrement, and
test the value of counters, which represent memory locations holding integer values.

Q12: Can Counter Machines simulate Turing Machines?

A12:Yes, Counter Machines can simulate Turing Machines to some extent, but they are generally
considered less powerful because they may not be able to handle as wide a range of problems due to
their finite nature.
Q13: What is a Deterministic Turing Machine (DTM)?

A13: A Deterministic Turing Machine (DTM) is a type of Turing Machine where the set of rules
specifies at most one action to be performed for any given situation.

Q14: What is a Non-Deterministic Turing Machine (NDTM)?

A14: A Non-Deterministic Turing Machine (NDTM) is a type of Turing Machine that, for any given
situation, can have multiple possible actions. It can be thought of as exploring many computational
paths simultaneously.

Q15: What is a Multi-Tape Turing Machine?

A15: A Multi-Tape Turing Machine is a variant of the Turing Machine that has multiple tapes and
corresponding tape heads, allowing it to read and write on multiple tapes simultaneously.

Q16: What is a Universal Turing Machine (UTM)?

A16: A Universal Turing Machine is a Turing Machine capable of simulating any other Turing Machine.
It can take as input a description of a Turing Machine and an input for that machine, then simulate
the machine's computation on that input.

Q17: What is a Quantum Turing Machine?

A17: A Quantum Turing Machine is a theoretical model that extends the classical Turing Machine
model to include the principles of quantum mechanics, allowing it to perform quantum
computations.

Q18: What is the significance of a Universal Turing Machine?

A18: The significance of a Universal Turing Machine lies in its ability to simulate any other Turing
Machine, demonstrating the universality of the Turing Machine model and underpinning the concept
of general-purpose computers.

Q19: What is the Halting Problem?

A19: The Halting Problem is the problem of determining whether a given Turing Machine will halt on
a given input or continue to run indefinitely. Alan Turing proved that this problem is undecidable,
meaning there is no algorithm that can solve the Halting Problem for all possible machine-input
pairs.

Q20: Why is the Halting Problem important in computer science?

A20: The Halting Problem is important because it illustrates the limits of computation and proves
that there are well-defined problems that cannot be solved by any algorithm, thus highlighting the
inherent limitations of computational systems.

21. a) Define Turing machine.

b) Explain different types of Turing machine.

c)What is halting problem in Turing machine?

d) Design a Turing machine that accepts the language of all string which contains "aba" as a

substring.
Ans. a) Define Turing Machine

A Turing machine is a theoretical computational model introduced by Alan Turing in 1936. It consists
of an infinite tape divided into discrete cells, a tape head that can read and write symbols on the
tape, and a finite set of states including a start state and one or more accepting (final) states. The
machine operates based on a set of rules (a transition function) that dictate how the machine
changes states and manipulates the tape's contents based on the current state and the symbol it
reads. A Turing machine is used to formalize the concept of computation and algorithms, and it can
simulate the logic of any computer algorithm.

b) Explain Different Types of Turing Machines

1. Standard Turing Machine: This is the basic model described above, with a single infinite tape and a
tape head that moves left or right.

2. Multi-tape Turing Machine: This variant has multiple tapes, each with its own head. The transition
function is extended to handle multiple tapes. Multi-tape Turing machines are more powerful in
terms of speed but not in terms of the class of languages they can recognize.

3. Non-deterministic Turing Machine (NDTM): In this model, for a given state and tape symbol, the
machine can choose from multiple possible transitions. This allows the machine to explore many
computation paths simultaneously.

4. Universal Turing Machine (UTM): This is a Turing machine that can simulate any other Turing
machine. It takes as input a description of another Turing machine and an input string for that
machine and simulates its behavior.

5. Multi-track Turing Machine: This machine has a single tape divided into multiple tracks, with the
tape head reading and writing on all tracks simultaneously. This is useful for certain types of parallel
computations.

6. Turing Machine with Semi-infinite Tape: This variant has a tape that is infinite in one direction
(right) but has a leftmost end. The head can move right indefinitely but has a boundary on the left
side.

c) What is the Halting Problem in Turing Machines?

The halting problem is a decision problem that asks whether a given Turing machine will eventually
halt (i.e., stop) when run with a particular input. Alan Turing proved that a general algorithm to solve
the halting problem for all possible Turing machine-input pairs cannot exist. In other words, there is
no Turing machine that can determine, for every possible input and machine, whether the machine
will halt on that input. This result is significant because it establishes inherent limitations on what can
be computed.
d) Design a Turing Machine that Accepts the Language of All Strings Which Contain "aba" as a
Substring

Here is the transition table for this Turing machine:

This Turing machine will scan the input tape looking for the substring "aba". If it finds this pattern, it
will enter the accepting state; otherwise, it will continue scanning indefinitely.
 Q.22

Q23.

Q24. Define turing machine. Explain Church's hypothesis. What is Universal turing machine?

Ans.
Q25. True or False?
Q26. Design a Turing Machine which accepts the language

· {a n b n, n≥1}. Write a short note on Multi-Tape and Multi Head Turing Machine.

Ans.
Q27.

Q28. a) Design a TM that accepts {0n1n|n>= 1}.

b) What do you mean by halting problem of a Turing

machine?

Ans.
Q29. Design a Turing Machine which performs addition of two integers. Write short note on Multi
Tape and Multi Head Turing Machine.

Prove that the problem "A string w halts on a Turing Machine M" is undecidable.
Ans.
Q.30. Design a Turing Machine that recognizes the language of all

string of even length over the alphabet (a,b).

Ans.
Q31. a) Design a TM that accepts (On1|n≥ 1}

b) What do you mean by halting problem of a Turing machine?

c) Design a TM which can multiply two positive integers.

d) Why a Turing machine is called linear bounded

automation?

Ans.