California State University Stanislaus

CS 4410: Automata, Computability, and Formal Languages

Spring 2025

MWF 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm, Dr. Melanie Martin

In-person course in DBH 101.

[Basic Information] [Announcements] [Calendar/Assignments] [Homework]

Welcome to CS 4410, Automata, Computability, and Formal Languages

Course Description

University Catalog: Finite state concepts; sequential machines and state minimization; Chomsky grammar; algorithms on grammars; computability and Turing machines; non-computable functions.

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic concepts in the theory of computation. Using precise mathematical reasoning we seek to understand what can be computed and with what degree of difficulty. This will lead us to identify classes of problems that can be addressed using general algorithmic approaches, which has practical applications (for example in programming languages and compiler construction). We will also study the representations for languages and their correspondence to machines.

By the end of the course, a student will be able to:

Construct a finite state machine and the equivalent regular expression.
Prove the equivalence of languages described by finite state machines, regular grammars and regular expressions.
Construct pushdown automata and the equivalent context-free grammars.
Prove the equivalence of languages described by pushdown automata and context-free grammars.
Construct Turing machines.
Define the Chomsky Hierarchy.
Have a basic understanding of the P = NP problem.

Announcements and Upcoming Events

1/29/25

Welcome to CS 4410!

Basic Information

Textbook is: An Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata, 6th Edition by Peter Linz

Instructor: Dr. Melanie Martin Office: Demergasso-Bava Hall 278

Email: mmartin@csustan.edu Office Phone: (209) 667-3787

Web Page: www.cs.csustan.edu/~mmartin

Office Hours:

Please note that I may sometime have to reschedule or cancel office hours. If I do I will post in the Announcements and/or send email.
Zoom link is in Canvas on the Home page.

Monday	3-4 pm	DBH 278
Tuesday	3-4 pm	Zoom
Wednesday	3-4 pm	DBH 278
	And by appointment

Best way to contact Dr. Martin: Email mmartin@csustan.edu Please put "CS4410" in the subject line of the email.

Prerequisite: CS 3100 and Math 2300 - please see me if you do not meet the prerequisites

Warning: I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus at any time during the term by announcing them in class and on my web page.

Health and Safety

This course is designed to be an in-person and will meet in DBH 101. There may be some days may be online: some may synchronous.

To attend class in person, you will need to follow the Campus Guidelines. If you are unable to attend class on an in-person day, you should email me prior to class time.

Grading and Policies

Final grades will be based on homework, reaction papers, participation and quizzes or the final exam. A plus and minus grading scale will be used to assign final grades.

Homework, Reaction Papers: In order to understand the topics and concepts we are discussing in class, it is necessary to practice. We will use a combination of homework and reaction papers, to make sure that everyone is keeping up and understanding the material. We will have a combination of group work and class discussions of problems in class.

Submission of Homework: All homework (unless otherwise stated) are to be turned as follows:
All assignments should be in the form of pdf files uploaded to Canvas. Reaction papers may be files in a text, or Word, or pdf format.

Participation: Coming to class and participating in discussion and problem sessions is important to understand the concepts we are learning and to be able to complete assignments. Participation will account for 10% of your grade.

Quizzes and Exam: There will be at least 5 quizzes. You may take the final exam, comprised of problems similar the the quiz problems, the higher score will account for 45% of your final grade.

Grade Summary:

Homework, reaction papers	45%
Participation	10%
Quizzes or Final Exam (highest score)	45%
Total	100%

Academic Honesty: The work you do for this course will be your own, unless otherwise specified. You are not to submit other people's or machine's work and represent it as your own. I consider academic honesty to be at the core of the University's activities in education and research. Academic honesty is expected at all times in this course.

Attendance: Regular class attendance is expected; we will do work in class that will count toward your grade. Students are responsible for all announcements and in-class discussion. Please email me in advance and follow up in person if you know you will need to miss class.

Collaboration and Teamwork: On some assignments students may be encouraged to co-operate by discussing the problems. That does not mean labor division in terms of problem solutions. All problems for all assignments must be done by the student who is submitting the assignment. Copying someone else's work OR allowing someone to copy your work are prohibited. All discussions and other aids used must be explicitly and properly acknowledged. For instance (examples based on Vadim Bulitko's http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~bulitko/W04):

"I discussed problem 3.43 with my classmates K. Black and P. Posey. On problem 3.49 I received an office-hour consultation from my instructor R. Altman. Additionally I used sources [1] and [2] for problem 3.78.

[1]. A.Jolie. "Fast Numeric Methods for Curvature Approximation", Journal of Geeky Gamers, volume 36, issue C, June 2001.

[2] F.Oz. "On Using the Force as a Theorem Proving Technique", Jedi Archives, volume 666, number 34, May 2002."

Any unacknowledged aid (e.g., copying from other students, copying from external sources, or elsewhere) constitutes a case of plagiarism.

Any use of AI, must be cited and the prompt included to avoid plagiarism. In addition, anything produces by an AI must be fact checked and the fact checking documented.

Cell Phone Policy: During class time, your cell phone (including headsets) must be turned off and out of sight. Any use of a cell phone during class will result in confiscation of the phone until that day's class has ended or your removal from the class for that day. If you attempt to use your cell phone or leave it on during an exam, you will be considered to have finished your test, and I will collect your exam at that time. Exceptions may be made only if you discuss your situation with me prior to the start of that day's class, in this case, your cell phone must be set to vibrate/silence.

University Recording Policy: Audio or video recording (or any other form of recording) of classes is not permitted unless expressly allowed by the faculty member as indicated in the course syllabus or as a special accommodation for students who are currently registered with the Disability Resource Services Program and are approved for this accommodation. Recordings allowed as special accommodations are for the personal use of the DRS-approved student, and may only be distributed to other persons who have been approved by the DRS program. Faculty may require the student sign an Audio/Video Recording Agreement, which they may keep for their records.

University Disability Services: CSU Stanislaus respects all forms of diversity. By university commitment and by law, students with disabilities are entitled to participate in academic activities and to be tested in a manner that accurately assesses their knowledge and skills. They also may qualify for reasonable accommodations that ensure equal access to lectures, labs, films, and other class-related activities. Please see the instructor if you need accommodations for a registered disability. Students can contact the Disability Resource Services office for additional information. The Disability Resource Services website can be accessed at http://www.csustan.edu/DRS/
Phone: (209) 667-3159

Important dates:

(See Schedule of Courses or Academic Calendar)

Last day to add a class:	February 24;
Last day to drop:	February 24;
Last day to change grade options (CR/NC):	May 18 at 5 pm;
No classes	March 31, April 1-4.

Homework:

Assignment	Problems	Assigned	Due
HW1, Section 1.1	1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12, 20, 32, 36	January 31, 2025	February 10, 2025
HW2, Section 1.2	1, 3, 5, 12, 14 b and e, 15, 20	February 12, 2025	February 26, 2025
HW3, Section 2.1	3a, 3d, 4b, 4c, 5c, 7b, 11a	February 21, 2025	March 3, 2025
HW4, Section 2.2 Section 2.3	5, 8 2, 4, 13, 14	February 26, 2025	March 7, 2025
HW5, Section 3.1 Section 3.2	1, 4, 14, 20c, 21b 3, 6a, 6b	March 10, 2025	March 17, 2025
HW6, Section 4.1 Section 4.2	3, 10, 13, 21 1, 3, 8, 12	March 26, 2025	April 9, 2025
HW7, Section 4.3	2, 4, 5e, 6d, 10, 18 a, b, f, g	March 28, 2025	April 21, 2025
HW8, Section 5.1 Section 5.2	1d, 4, 7, 9b, 9h, 11 5, 10	April 23, 2025	April 30, 2025
HW9, Section 7.1	1, 2, 6b, 13	April 28, 2025	May 7, 2025