

The most general and powerful automata is the Turing machine. As a result, once the computation reaches an accepting configuration, it accepts that input. At each state of the computation, a transition function determines the next configuration on the basis of a finite portion of the present configuration. Īutomatons are abstract models of machines that perform computations on an input by moving through a series of states or configurations. Through automata, computer scientists are able to understand how machines compute functions and solve problems and more importantly, what it means for a function to be defined as computable or for a question to be described as decidable.

Simply stated, automata theory deals with the logic of computation with respect to simple machines, referred to as automata. The word automaton itself, closely related to the word "automation", denotes automatic processes carrying out the production of specific processes. It established its roots during the 20th Century, as mathematicians began developing - both theoretically and literally - machines which imitated certain features of man, completing calculations more quickly and reliably. Automata Theory is an exciting, theoretical branch of computer science.
