Department and Course Number: Computer Science CSE 4083


Course Coordinator: Robert Morris


Course Title: Formal Languages and Automata Theory Total Credits: 3


Current Catalog Description: Abstract models of computers (finite automata, pushdown automata, and Turing machines) and the language classes they recognize or generate (regular, context-free, and recursively enumerable) will be presented. Applications of these models of compiler design, algorithms, and complexity theory will be presented. (Prerequisite: CSE 2010../cse2010/cse2010.html and MTH 2051.)


Textbook: Languages and Machines: An Introduction to the Theory of Computer Science, by Thomas Sudkamp, ISBN 0-201-82136-3, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.


Reference: The Language of Machines, Floyd and Beigel; Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation, Hopcroft and Ullman.


Goals: The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student with an overview of the theoretical foundations of computer science from the perspective of formal languages. Among the topics to be covered are the concepts of languages, grammars, automata, Turing machines, parsing, decidability, culminating in the Church-Turing thesis.


Prerequisite by Topic: Discrete mathematics.


Major Topics Covered in the Course:


Laboratory projects: None.


Credit Hour Content by CSAB Category:

Category Advanced
Data Structures  
Algorithms  
Software Design  
Computer Organization and Architecture  
Concepts of Programming Languages  
Theoretical Foundations of Computer Science 3


Oral and Written Communications: Every student is required to submit at least 9 written reports of typically 3 pages.


Social and Ethical Issues: The evaluation of predictions made by computer models about subjects of important social interest such as population growth and the environment will be covered in relation to hard problems. Students will be asked to analyze social and ethical issues related to these predictions.


Theoretical Content: Each of the above listed topics is theoretical in nature, and each is devoted roughly the same amount of time (2-3 weeks).


Analysis and Design: None.


Last modified: November 30, 1998



1998-11-30