Introduction to Theory of Computation

Contents: Preface. 1. Basic mathematics for theory of computation. 2. Finite automata. 3. Regular expressions. 4. Grammar. 5. Pushdown automata. 6. Turing machine. 7. Classes of problems. Appendix: Competitive Examination Questions and Answers. Index.

The book introduces readers to Theory of Computation, one of the fundamental pillars of Computer Science, and can be used as a core textbook by undergraduate students of Engineering. It offers a cohesive presentation of all aspects of Theoretical Computer Science, namely, automata, formal languages, computability and complexity. It also covers the mathematical preliminaries necessary for the subject.

As Theory of Computation forms an important part of the syllabus of various national and state-level competitive examinations and is also a high-scoring area, several problems from previous competitive examinations have also been included in this book, and shortcut tricks have been provided, where feasible.

Salient features:

Proper mathematical explanation for various computational models, numerous figures, highlighted notes and shortcut tips for easy understanding of ideas
Numerous solved examples mapping with other relevant subjects and real-world problems
Ideas for research direction and project-based problems at the end of every chapter
Key Points to draw attention to the important ideas/concepts discussed
Exercises comprising practice problems as well as MCQs at the end of every chapter
Competitive examination section with solved examples of several national and state-level competitive examinations, such as GATE, NET, SET and PhD entrance