BCS203 Software Specifications

Turing Machines

Dr. May Mahmoud

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Turing Machines

Costas Busch - RPI

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The Language Hierarchy

n n n ?
a b c
Context-Free Languages
n n R
a b ww
Regular Languages

a* a *b *
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Languages accepted by
Turing Machines

n n n
a b c
Context-Free Languages
n n R
a b ww
Regular Languages

a* a *b *
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A Turing Machine
Tape
...... ......

Read-Write head
Control Unit

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The Tape

No boundaries -- infinite length

...... ......

Read-Write head

The head moves Left or Right

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...... ......

Read-Write head

The head at each time step:

1. Reads a symbol
2. Writes a symbol
3. Moves Left or Right

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Example: 8

Time 0
...... ......
a b a c

Time 1
...... ......
a b k c

1. Reads a
2. Writes k
3. Moves Left
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Time 1
...... ......
a b k c

Time 2
...... ......
a f k c

1. Reads b
2. Writes f
3. Moves Right
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The Input String

Input string Blank symbol

  a b a c   
...... ......

head

Head starts at the leftmost position

of the input string

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States & Transitions

Read Write
Move Left

q1 a → b, L q2

Move Right

q1 a → b, R q2
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Example:

Time 1

  a b a c   
...... ......

q1
current state

q1 a → b, R q2
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Time 1

  a b a c   
...... ......

q1

Time 2

  a b b c   
...... ......

q2

q1 a → b, R q2
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Example: 15

Time 1

  a b a c   
...... ......

q1

Time 2

  a b b c   
...... ......

q2

q1 a → b, L q2
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Example:
Time 1

  a b a c   
...... ......

q1

Time 2

  a b b c g  
...... ......

q2

q1  → g, R q2
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Determinism
Turing Machines are deterministic

Allowed Not Allowed

a → b, R q2 a → b, R q2

q1 q1
q3 a → d, L q3
b → d, L

No lambda transitions allowed

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Partial Transition Function

Example:

  a b a c   
...... ......

q1

a → b, R q2
Allowed:

No transition
q1 for input symbol c
b → d, L q3
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Halting

The machine halts if there are

no possible transitions to follow

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Example:

  a b a c   
...... ......

q1

a → b, R q2
No possible transition
q1
HALT!!!
b → d, L q3
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Final States

q1 q2 Allowed

q1 q2 Not Allowed

• Final states have no outgoing transitions

• In a final state the machine halts

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Acceptance
If machine halts
Accept Input in a final state

If machine halts
in a non-final state
or
Reject Input If machine enters
an infinite loop

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Turing Machine Example

A Turing machine that accepts the language:

aa *

a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 0   a a a  

q0

a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 1   a a a  

q0

a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 2   a a a  

q0

a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 3   a a a  

q0

a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 4   a a a  

q1

a → a, R Halt & Accept

 → , L
q0 q1

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Rejection Example

Time 0   a b a  

q0

a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1
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Time 1   a b a  

q0
No possible Transition

a → a, R Halt & Reject

 → , L
q0 q1
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Infinite Loop Example

A Turing machine
for language
aa * +b(a + b) *

b → b, L
a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 0   a b a  

q0

b → b, L
a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 1   a b a  

q0

b → b, L
a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 2   a b a  

q0

b → b, L
a → a, R

 → , L
q0 q1

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Time 2   a b a  
q0
  a b a  

Infinite loop
Time 3

q0
Time 4   a b a  
q0
Time 5   a b a  
q0
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Because of the infinite loop:

•The final state cannot be reached

•The machine never halts

•The input is not accepted

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Another Turing Machine Example

n n
Turing machine for the language {a b }

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 0  a a b b  

q0

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 1  x a b b  

q1

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 2  x a b b  

q1

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 3  x a y b  

q2

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 4  x a y b  

q2

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 5  x a y b  

q0

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 6  x x y b  

q1

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 7  x x y b  

q1

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 8  x x y y  

q2

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 9  x x y y  

q2

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 10  x x y y  

q0

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 11  x x y y  

q3

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 12  x x y y  

q3

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Time 13  x x y y  

q4
Halt & Accept

q4 y → y, R y → y, L
y → y, R a → a, R a → a, L
 → , L
y → y, R a → x, R b → y, L
q3 q0 q1 q2
x → x, R
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Observation:

If we modify the
machine for the language n n
{a b }

we can easily construct

a machine for the language n n n
{a b c }

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Formal Definitions
for
Turing Machines

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Transition Function

q1 a → b, R q2

 (q1, a) = (q2 , b, R)

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Transition Function

q1 c → d, L q2

 (q1, c) = (q2 , d , L)

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Turing Machine:

Input Tape
alphabet alphabet
States

M = (Q, , ,  , q0 , , F )

Transition Final
function states

Initial blank
state
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Configuration

  c a b a  

q1

Instantaneous description: ca q1 ba

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Time 4 Time 5

 x a y b    x a y b  

q2 q0

A Move: q2 xayb  x q0 ayb

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Time 4 Time 5

 x a y b    x a y b  

q2 q0

Time 6 Time 7

 x x y b    x x y b  

q1 q1

q2 xayb  x q0 ayb  xx q1 yb  xxy q1 b

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q2 xayb  x q0 ayb  xx q1 yb  xxy q1 b


Equivalent notation: q2 xayb  xxy q1 b

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Initial configuration: q0 w

Input string

 a a b b  

q0

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The Accepted Language

For any Turing Machine M


L( M ) = {w : q0 w  x1 q f x2 }

Initial state Final state

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Standard Turing Machine

The machine we described is the standard:

• Deterministic

• Infinite tape in both directions

•Tape is the input/output file

Costas Busch - RPI

 Check-in
• Trace the processing of the input aaaabb using this
TM, use instantaneous description starting with
q0aaaabb, will the string be accepted
 Solution
• q0aaaabbB |- xq1aaabbB |- xxq2aabbB |- xxaq2abbB |-
xxaaq2bbB |- xxaq3aybB |- xxq3aaybB |- xq3xaaybB |-
xxq0aaybB |- xxxq1aybB | xxxxq2ybB |- xxxxyq2bB |-
xxxxq3yyB |- xxxq3xyyB |- xxxxq0yyB |- xxxxyq4yB |-
xxxxyyq4B|- xxxxyyBq5

• Accepted

• Bonus question, what language does this machine

accept ? {a2nbn | n>=0}