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Overview
Theoretical models of simple computing machines, known as automata, play a central role in computer science. This textbook presents an introduction to the theory of automata and to their connection with the study of languages. At the heart of the book is the notion that by considering a language as a set of words it is possible to construct automata which "recognize" words in the language. Consequently one can generate a correspondence between a hierarchy of machines and a corresponding hierarchy of grammars and languages. The author leads the reader from finite status automata through pushdown automata to Turing machines. He demonstrates clearly and elegantly the fundamental connections between automata and abstract algebra via the concepts of syntactic monoid and minimal automaton. The author presupposes a basic familiarity with algebra, but beyond this the book is self-contained. As a result, it will make ideal reading for students of mathematics and computer science approaching this subject for the first time.