NFA - NFA - DFA equivalence

What is an NFA
An NFA is an automaton that its states might have none, one or more outgoing arrows under a specific symbol.
1

q0

0,1

q1

From q0 with 1 we can be either in q0 or q1. No outgoing arrows under 0 or 1 from q1.

What is an NFA
An NFA is an automaton that its states might have none, one or more outgoing arrows under a specific symbol.
1

q0

0,1

q1

A DFA is by definition an NFA (each state has exactly one outgoing arrow under each symbol).

What is an NFA
An NFA is an NFA that might have -moves. In an -move we can transport from one state to the other without having any symbols.
1

q0

q1

q2

From q0 with 1 we can be either in q0 or q2.

What is an NFA
An NFA is an NFA that might have -moves. In an -move we can transport from one state to the other without having any symbols.
1

q0

q1

q2

An NFA is by definition an NFA (but with no moves).

NFA NFA computation

An Non-Deterministic FA can have choices. If there are two possible transitions under a specific symbol, it can choose either of them and follow it. Given some input string, there might be more than one paths to follow. Some of them might fail but, in order to accept, it suffices to find one that succeeds.

NFA NFA computation

An Non-Deterministic Finite Automaton accepts an input string s if there exists a path following transitions under the symbols of s consecutively, that leads to an accepting state.

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

This automaton accepts the string 1110 because there is a path under 1110 that takes us to an accepting state (the path q0 1 q0 1 q0 1 q0 0 q1).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

This automaton accepts the string 1110 because there is a path under 1110 that takes us to an accepting state (the path q0 1 q0 1 q0 1 q0 0 q1).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

This automaton accepts the string 1110 because there is a path under 1110 that takes us to an accepting state (the path q0 1 q0 1 q0 1 q0 0 q1).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

This automaton accepts the string 1110 because there is a path under 1110 that takes us to an accepting state (the path q0 1 q0 1 q0 1 q0 0 q1).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

This automaton accepts the string 1110 because there is a path under 1110 that takes us to an accepting state (the path q0 1 q0 1 q0 1 q0 0 q1).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

And that is so despite the fact that there are some other paths under 1110 which do not lead to an accepting state (for example the path q0 1 q0 1 q0).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

And that is so despite the fact that there are some other paths under 1110 which do not lead to an accepting state (for example the path q0 1 q0 1 q0).

Example
1
q0 0 0, 1 q1

And that is so despite the fact that there are some other paths under 1110 which do not lead to an accepting state (for example the path q0 1 q0 1 q0).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

However it doesnt accept the string 00 because there are no paths under 00 to take us to q1. (only possible path is q0 0 q1 0 q0).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

However it doesnt accept the string 00 because there are no paths under 00 to take us to q1. (only possible path is q0 0 q1 0 q0).

Example
1
q0 0 0,1 q1

However it doesnt accept the string 00 because there are no paths under 00 to take us to q1. (only possible path is q0 0 q1 0 q0).

NFA - NFA acceptance

The language that a NonDeterministic FA recognizes is the set of strings which accepts. To see whether a string can get accepted or not, it suffices to find the set of all possible states in which the automaton can be following all possible transitions suggested by this string as an input and see if a final state is contained in this set.

NFA acceptance
Whenever an arrow is followed, there is a set of possible following states that the NFA can be. This set of states is a subset of Q. For example with input being 0010 I have the following sequence of sets of states:
0 0 1 0 q0 {q1 } {q 0 , q 2 } {q 0 , q1 } {q 0 , q1 , q 2 }

1
q0

0,1

q1

q2

Is NFA more powerful than DFA?

Designing an NFA is sometimes mush easier than constructing a DFA. For example, the following NFA recognizes the language of all binary strings that end with 010.
0,1 0 1 0

q0

q1

q2

q3

NFA DFA equivalence

It is obvious that a DFA is also an NFA. Somebody would expect the NFA to be more powerful. We will see that this is not the case!

NFA DFA equivalence

An NFA might have more than one or no transitions under some symbol of the alphabet.

a q a

NFA DFA equivalence

An NFA might have more than one or no transitions under some symbol of the alphabet. I can simulate all possible transitions in one new state. This state should contain all the reachable states under the same symbol.
a q a q q a

q q

NFA DFA equivalence

The new DFA can possibly contain one state for each subset of states of the NFA. Since all the subsets of Q are 2|Q| in total, this should be a finite ( 2|Q|) number of subsets! The NFA accepts if there is at least one path that takes us to an accepting state. Thus, each subset-state of the DFA containing an accepting state of the NFA should be an accepting one.

NFA DFA
Suppose that you want to find an equivalent DFA for an NFA . The algorithm is the following: Starting from the start state and for each symbol in the alphabet, find the subset of states that can be reached after following this symbol and create a new state for each subset.

NFA DFA
Suppose that you want to find an equivalent DFA for an NFA . The algorithm is the following: Repeat the same process for every new subset-state that you are creating

NFA DFA
Suppose that you want to find an equivalent DFA for an NFA . The algorithm is the following: Repeat the same process for every new subset-state that you are creating until no new subset-state can be created.

NFA DFA equivalence (example)

To find an equivalent DFA to the NFA of the figure we complete the following table:
0 1 0 q0

q0 {q1} {q0, q1} {q0, q2}

{q1} {q0, q2} {q0, q1, q2} {q1}

{q0, q1}
0 {q0, q1}

0,1

q1

q2

{q0, q1}
0 {q0, q1}

0 0 {q0, q1, q2} {q0, q1, q2}

NFA DFA equivalence (example)

0,1

So the DFA is:

0
1 0 q02 0 1 q01 1 0

q0

q1

q0 {q1} {q0, q1} {q0, q2}

{q1} {q0, q2} {q0, q1, q2} {q1}

{q0, q1}
0 {q0, q1}

1
1

{q0, q1}
0 {q0, q1}

0 0 {q0, q1, q2} {q0, q1, q2}

0
1 q012 0

NFA NFA equivalence

An NFA is an NFA which might have -moves. Again, somebody would think that this attribute can make NFA more powerful than NFA. This is not the case since I can get rid of the -moves.

NFA NFA equivalence

Suppose that I have an -move like the one shown in the figure. Since an -move is like teleporting from q1 to q2, I can remove the -move and add transitions from q1 directly to every neighbor of q2.
0 q1 q2 0 1

q3
q4 q5

q3

q1

0 1

q4
q5

0
1

q2

NFA NFA equivalence

If an -move takes me from q1 to q2 and q2 is an accepting state, then, when removing the -move, I should convert q1 to an accepting state.

q1

q2

q4

q1

q2 0

q4

Example
0, q1 1, q2 0

1 q0

q3 1 q4

Example
0, q1 1, q2 0

1 q0

q3 1 q4

Example
0, q1 1, q2 0

1 q0

q3 1 q4

Example
0, 1 q0 q1 1 q2 0 0 0, q3 1 q4

Example
0, 1 q0 q1 1 q2 0 0 0, q3 1 q4

Example
0 1 q0 q1 1 q2 0 0,1 0, q3 1 q4

Example
0 1 q0 q1 1 q2 0 0,1 0, q3 1 q4

Example
0 1 q0 q1 1 q2 0 q3 1 q4 0,1

Example
0 1 q0 q1 1 q2 0 q3 1 q4 0,1