Turing Machines

Invented by Alan Turing in 1936.

A simple mathematical model of a general

purpose computer.

It is capable of performing any calculation

which can be performed by any computing
machine.
The Language Hierarchy

nnn?
abc ww?

Context-Free Languages
nn R
ab ww
Regular Languages
a* a*b*
 Languages accepted by
Turing Machines
nnn
abc ww

Context-Free Languages
nn R
ab ww NDPA
Regular Languages
Finite
a* a*b* Automata
 A Turing Machine
Tape
...... ......

Read-Write head
Control Unit
 The Tape
No boundaries -- infinite length
...... ......

Read-Write head

The head moves Left or Right

 ...... ......

Read-Write head

The head at each time step:

1. Reads a symbol
2. Writes a symbol
3. Moves Left or Right
Example:
Time 0
...... a b a c ......

Time 1
...... a b k c ......

1. Reads a
2. Writes k
3. Moves Left
 Time 1
...... a b k c ......

Time 2
...... a f k c ......

1. Reads b
2. Writes f
3. Moves Right
 The Input String
Input string Blank symbol

...... a b a c ......

head
Head starts at the leftmost position
of the input string

Are treated as left and right brackets for the
input written on the tape.
States & Transitions
Read Write
Move Left

q1
a b
,L q
2

Move Right

q1
a b
,R q
2
Example:
Time 1
...... a b a c ......

q1
current state

q1
a b
,R q
2
 Time 1
...... a b a c ......

q1

Time 2
...... a b b c ......

q2

q1
a b
,R q
2
Example:
Time 1
...... a b a c ......

q1

Time 2
...... a b b c ......

q2

q1
a b
,L q
2
Example:
Time 1
...... a b a c ......

q1

Time 2
...... a b b c g ......

q2

q1
g
,Rq
2
 Determinism
Turing Machines are deterministic

Allowed Not Allowed

a b
,R q2
a b
,R q2

q1 q1
q q

b ,L 3
d a ,L 3
d

No lambda transitions allowed

 Partial Transition Function
Example:

...... a b a c ......

q1

a b
,R q2 Allowed:

q1 No transition
for input symbol c

b q
,L 3
d
 Halting

The machine halts if there are

no possible transitions to follow
Example:

...... a b a c ......

q1

a b
,R q2
No possible transition
q1
HALT!!!

b q
,L 3
d
 Final States
q1 q2 Allowed

q1 q2 Not Allowed

Final states have no outgoing transitions

In a final state the machine halts

 Acceptance
If machine halts
Accept Input
in a final state

If machine halts
in a non-final state
Reject Input or
If machine enters
an infinite loop
 Turing Machine Example
A Turing machine that accepts the language:
aa
*

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 0 a a a

q0

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 1 a a a

q0

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 2 a a a

q0

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 3 a a a

q0

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 4 a a a

q1

a a
,R Halt & Accept

,L
q0 q1
Rejection Example

Time 0 a b a

q0

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 1 a b a

q0
No possible Transition

a ,R Halt & Reject
a

,L
q0 q1
Infinite Loop Example

b b
,L

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 0 a b a

q0

b b
,L

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 1 a b a

q0

b b
,L

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 2 a b a

q0

b b
,L

a a
,R

,L
q0 q1
Time 2 a b a
q0
Time 3 a b a
q0
Time 4 a b a
q0

Time 5 a b a
q0
... Infinite Loop
Because of the infinite loop:

The final state cannot be reached

The machine never halts

The input is not accepted

 Another Turing Machine
Example nn
Turing machine for the language {
ab}

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 0 a a b b

q0

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 1 x a b b

q1

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 2 x a b b

q1

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 3 x a y b

q2

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 4 x a y b

q2

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 5 x a y b

q0

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 6 x x y b

q1

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 7 x x y b

q1

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 8 x x y y

q2

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 9 x x y y

q2

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 10 x x y y

q0

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 11 x x y y

q3

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 12 x x y y

q3

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Time 13 x x y y

q4
Halt & Accept

q4
y y
,R y y
,L

y y
,R
a
,R a
a a
,L


,L

y y
,Ra
x,R b
y,L
q3 q0 q1 q2

x x
,R
Observation:

If we modify the
machine for the language nn
{
ab}

we can easily construct

nnn
a machine for the language {
abc}
Formal Definitions
for
Turing Machines
Transition Function

q1
c d
,L q
2

(
q,
c
)(
q,
d,
L)
1 2
Turing Machine:

Input Tape
alphabet alphabet
States

M
(
Q
,

,,
,q
0
,
,F
)
A partial Final
Transition states
function Initial Blank : a special symbol
state Of
 Configuration
c a b a

q1

Instantaneous description: ca
q
1ba
 Time 4 Time 5
x a y b x a y b

q2 q0

A Move: q
2
xayb
x
q
0ay
 Time 4 Time 5
x a y b x a y b

q2 q0

Time 6 Time 7
x x y b x x y b

q1 q1

q
2
0
xay
x
q
ay
q
1
xx
y
xq
b
1
q
2
0
xay
x
q
ay
q
1
xx
y
xq
b
1

Equivalent notation: q
2
xayb
xxy
q
1b
Initial configuration: q0 w

Input string

a a b b

q0
 The Accepted Language
For any Turing Machine M

L
(
M
){
w:q
w
0x
q
1fx
2}

Initial state Final state

 Standard Turing Machine
The machine we described is the standard:

Deterministic

Infinite tape in both directions

Tape is the input/output file

Design a Turing machine to recognize all
strings in which 010 is present as a
substring. 0,0,R

0,0,R 1,1,R 0,0,R

q0 q1 q2 H

1,1,R
1,1, R
DFA for the previous language
0

0 1 0
q0 q1 q2

1
1
0,1
Turing machine for odd no of 1s

1, 1 , R
1, b , R

1, b , R
Recursively Enumerable
and
Recursive

Languages
Definition:
A language is recursively enumerable
if some Turing machine accepts it
Let L be a recursively enumerable language
and M the Turing Machine that accepts it

For string w:
if
w L then M halts in a final state

if
w L then M halts in a non-final state
or loops forever
Definition:
A language is recursive
if some Turing machine accepts it
and halts on any input string

In other words:
A language is recursive if there is
a membership algorithm for it
Let L be a recursive language
and M the Turing Machine that accepts it

For string w:

if
w L then M halts in a final state

if
w L then M halts in a non-final state
We will prove:

1. There is a specific language

which is not recursively enumerable
(not accepted by any Turing Machine)

2. There is a specific language

which is recursively enumerable
but not recursive
Non Recursively Enumerable

Recursively Enumerable

Recursive
We will first prove:

If a language is recursive then

there is an enumeration procedure for it

A language is recursively enumerable

if and only if
there is an enumeration procedure for it
The Chomsky Hierarchy
 Unrestricted Grammars:

Productions
uv

String of variables String of variables

and terminals and terminals
Example unrestricted grammar:

S aBc
aB cA
Ac d
Theorem:

A language L is recursively enumerable

if and only if L is generated by an
unrestricted grammar
 Context-Sensitive Grammars:

Productions
uv

String of variables String of variables

and terminals and terminals

and: |
|u |v
|
The language {nnn
abc}
is context-sensitive:

S abc | aAbc
Ab bA
Ac Bbcc
bB Bb
aB aa | aaA
The language {nnn
abc}
is context-sensitive:

S abc | aAbc
Ab bA
Ac Bbcc
bB Bb
aB aa | aaA
Theorem:

A language L is context sensistive

if and only if
L is accepted by a Linear-Bounded automaton
Observation:

There is a language which is context-sensitive

but not recursive
 The Chomsky Hierarchy

Non-recursively enumerable

Recursively-enumerable
Recursive

Context-sensitive

Context-free

Regular