Non-Deterministic

Finite Automata

1
Nondeterministic Finite Automaton (NFA)

Alphabet = {a}

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

2
Alphabet = {a}

Two choices q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

3
Alphabet = {a}

Two choices q1 a q2 No transition

a
q0
a
q3 No transition

4
 First Choice

a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

5
 First Choice

a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

6
 First Choice

a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

7
 First Choice

a a
All input is consumed
q1 a q2 “accept”
a
q0
a
q3

8
 Second Choice

a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

9
 Second Choice

a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

10
 Second Choice

a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
No transition:
q3
the automaton hangs

11
 Second Choice

a a
Input cannot be consumed
q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3 “reject”

12
An NFA accepts a string:
when there is a computation of the NFA
that accepts the string

There is a computation:
all the input is consumed and the automaton
is in an accepting state

13
 Example

aa is accepted by the NFA:

“accept”
q1 a q2 q1 a q2
a a
q0
a
q0
a
q3 q3 “reject”
because this
computation
accepts aa 14
 Rejection example

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

15
 First Choice

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

16
 First Choice

a
“reject”
q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

17
 Second Choice

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

18
 Second Choice

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

19
 Second Choice

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3 “reject”

20
An NFA rejects a string:
when there is no computation of the NFA
that accepts the string.

For each computation:

• All the input is consumed and the
automaton is in a non final state

OR
• The input cannot be consumed
21
 Example

a is rejected by the NFA:

“reject”
q1 a q2 q1 a q2
a a
q0 q0
a a
q3
“reject” q3

All possible computations lead to rejection

22
 Rejection example

a a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

23
 First Choice

a a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

24
 First Choice

a a a

q1 a q2
a
q0 No transition:
a
the automaton hangs
q3

25
 First Choice

a a a
Input cannot be consumed
q1 a q2 “reject”
a
q0
a
q3

26
 Second Choice

a a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

27
 Second Choice

a a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

28
 Second Choice

a a a

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
No transition:
q3
the automaton hangs

29
 Second Choice

a a a
Input cannot be consumed
q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3 “reject”

30
aaa is rejected by the NFA:

“reject”
q1 a q2 q1 a q2
a a
q0
a
q0
a
q3 q3 “reject”

All possible computations lead to rejection

31
Language accepted: L  {aa}

q1 a q2
a
q0
a
q3

32
 Lambda Transitions

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

33
a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

34
a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

35
 (read head does not move)

a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

36
a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

37
 all input is consumed

a a

“accept”

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

String aa is accepted
38
 Rejection Example

a a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

39
a a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

40
 (read head doesn’t move)

a a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

41
a a a

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

No transition:
the automaton hangs
42
Input cannot be consumed

a a a

“reject”

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

String aaa is rejected

43
Language accepted: L  {aa}

q0 a q1  q2 a q3

44
 Another NFA Example

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


45
a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


46
a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


47
a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


48
a b

“accept”
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


49
 Another String

a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


50
a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


51
a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


52
a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


53
a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


54
a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


55
a b a b

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


56
a b a b

“accept”
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


57
 Language accepted

L   ab, abab, ababab, ...


  ab

q0 a q1 b q2  q3


58
Another NFA Example

0
q0 q1 0, 1 q2
1

59
 Language accepted

L(M ) = { λ, 10, 1010, 101010, ...}

= { 10} *
0
q0 q1 0, 1 q2
1 (redundant
state)

60
Remarks:
•The  symbol never appears on the
input tape

•Simple automata:

M1 M2
q0 q0

L(M1 ) = {} L(M 2 ) = {λ}

61
•NFAs are interesting because we can
express languages easier than FAs

NFA M1 FA M2 a
q2
q0 a q1
a
q0 a q1

L( M1 ) = {a} L( M 2 ) = {a}
62
 Formal Definition of NFAs
M   Q, ,  , q0 , F 

Q : Set of states, i.e.  q0 , q1, q2 

 : Input aplhabet, i.e.  a, b
: Transition function

q0 : Initial state

F : Accepting states
63
Transition Function 

  q0 , 1   q1

0
q0 q1 0, 1 q
2
1

64
  (q1,0)  {q0 , q2}

0
q0 q1 0, 1 q
2
1

65
  (q0 ,  )  {q0 , q2}

0
q0 q1 0, 1 q
2
1

66
  (q2 ,1)  

0
q0 q1 0, 1 q
2
1

67
Extended Transition Function  *

 *  q0 , a    q1

q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3

68
  *  q0 , aa    q4 , q5 

q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3

69
  *  q0 , ab    q2 , q3 , q0 

q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3

70
 Formally
q j   *  qi , w : there is a walk from qi to q j
with label w

qi w qj

w   1 2  k
1 2 k
qi qj

71
 The Language of an NFA M
F   q0 ,q5 
q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


 *  q0 , aa    q4 , q5 aa  L(M )
F
72
 F   q0 ,q5 
q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


 *  q0 , ab    q2 , q3 , q0  ab  L M 
F
73
F   q0 ,q5 
q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


 *  q0 , abaa    q4 , q5 aaba  L(M )

F
74
F   q0 ,q5 
q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


 *  q0 , aba    q1 aba  L M 

F
75
 q4 q5
a a
q0 a q1 b q2  q3


L M       ab * {aa}

76
 Formally
The language accepted by NFA M is:
L M    w1, w2 , w3 ,...

where  * (q0 , wm )  {qi , q j ,..., qk ,}

and there is some qk  F (accepting state)

77
w L M   * (q0 , w)
qi
w

q0
qk qk  F
w
w qj

78