Formal languages provide the theoretical underpinnings for the study of programming languages as well as the foundations for compiler design. They are important in such areas as data transmission and compression, computer networks, etc. This book combines an algebraic approach with algorithmic aspects and decidability results and explores applications both within computer science and in fields where formal languages are finding new applications such as molecular and developmental biology. It contains more than 600 graded exercises. While some are routine, many of the exercises are in reality supplementary material. Although the book has been designed as a text for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students, the comprehensive coverage of the subject makes it suitable as a reference for scientists.

Formal languages provide the theoretical underpinnings for the study of programming languages as well as the foundations for compiler design. They are important in such areas as the study of biological systems, data transmission and compression, computer networks, etc.This book combines an algebraic approach with algorithmic aspects and decidability results and explores applications both within computer science and in fields where formal languages are finding new applications. It contains more than 600 graded exercises. While some are routine, many of the exercises are in reality supplementary material. Although the book has been designed as a text for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students, the comprehensive coverage of the subject makes it suitable as a reference for scientists. remove remove

Formal Languages and Applications provides a comprehensive study-aid and self-tutorial for graduates students and researchers. The main results and techniques are presented in an readily accessible manner and accompanied by many references and directions for further research. This carefully edited monograph is intended to be the gateway to formal language theory and its applications, so it is very useful as a review and reference source of information in formal language theory.

Formal Languages and Computation: Models and Their Applications gives a clear, comprehensive introduction to formal language theory and its applications in computer science. It covers all rudimental topics concerning formal languages and their models, especially grammars and automata, and sketches the basic ideas underlying the theory of computation, including computability, decidability, and computational complexity. Emphasizing the relationship between theory and application, the book describes many real-world applications, including computer science engineering techniques for language processing and their implementation. Covers the theory of formal languages and their models, including all essential concepts and properties Explains how language models underlie language processors Pays a special attention to programming language analyzers, such as scanners and parsers, based on four language models—regular expressions, finite automata, context-free grammars, and pushdown automata Discusses the mathematical notion of a Turing machine as a universally accepted formalization of the intuitive notion of a procedure Reviews the general theory of computation, particularly computability and decidability Considers problem-deciding algorithms in terms of their computational complexity measured according to time and space requirements Points out that some problems are decidable in principle, but they are, in fact, intractable problems for absurdly high computational requirements of the algorithms that decide them In short, this book represents a theoretically oriented treatment of formal languages and their models with a focus on their applications. It introduces all formalisms concerning them with enough rigors to make all results quite clear and valid. Every complicated mathematical passage is preceded by its intuitive explanation so that even the most complex parts of the book are easy to grasp. After studying this book, both student and professional should be able to understand the fundamental theory of formal languages and computation, write language processors, and confidently follow most advanced books on the subject.

Formal Language Theory: Perspectives and Open Problems focuses on the trends and major open problems on the formal language theory. The selection first ponders on the methods for specifying families of formal languages, open problems about regular languages, and generators of cones and cylinders. Discussions focus on cylinders of algebraic languages, cone of algebraic languages, regularity of noncounting classes, group complexity, specification formalism, and grammars. The publication then elaborates on very small families of algebraic nonrational languages and formal languages and their relation to automata. The book tackles morphisms on free monoids and language theory, homomorphisms, and survey of results and open problems in the mathematical theory of L systems. Topics include single finite substitutions iterated, single homomorphisms iterated, representation of language families, homomorphism equivalence on a language, and problems about infinite words. The selection is a valuable source of data for researchers interested in the formal language theory.

A step-by-step development of the theory of automata, languages and computation. Intended for use as the basis of an introductory course at both junior and senior levels, the text is organized so as to allow the design of various courses based on selected material. It features basic models of computation, formal languages and their properties; computability, decidability and complexity; a discussion of modern trends in the theory of automata and formal languages; design of programming languages, including the development of a new programming language; and compiler design, including the construction of a complete compiler. Alexander Meduna uses clear definitions, easy-to-follow proofs and helpful examples to make formerly obscure concepts easy to understand. He also includes challenging exercises and programming projects to enhance the reader's comprehension, and many 'real world' illustrations and applications in practical computer science.