Albion College Mathematics and Computer Science Colloquium

 Title: How the DFA (deterministic finite automaton) is not Speaker: Thomas F. PiatkowskiProfessor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer EngineeringDepartment of Computer ScienceWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, Michigan Abstract: Automata theory is one of the most mathematical areas of computerscience. Two of the important uses of automata are: to assist in the study and categorization of formal (computer) languages, and to specify system behavior standards for implementable discrete systems.One of the simplest types of automaton is the deterministic finiteautomaton (DFA) — the type used to recognize "regular" languages.Interestingly enough, the classical DFA isnot deterministic,not finite, andnot an automaton.The details of this paradoxical contention will be explored usingconcepts of state-system specification. Location: Palenske 227 Date: 11/8/2007 Time: 3:10 PM

@abstract{MCS:Colloquium:ThomasFPiatkowskiProfessorofComputerScienceandElectricalandComputerEngineeringDepartmentofComputerScienceWesternMichiganUniversityKalamazooMichigan:2007:11:8,
author  = "{Thomas F. PiatkowskiProfessor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer EngineeringDepartment of Computer ScienceWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, Michigan}",
title   = "{How the DFA (deterministic finite automaton) is not}",
address = "{Albion College Mathematics and Computer Science Colloquium}",
month   = "{8 November}",
year    = "{2007}"
}