A Course in Formal Languages, Automata and Groups (Universitext) [Paperback]

Ian M. Chiswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1848009399 | ISBN-13: 978-1848009394 | Edition: 2nd Printing.

The study of formal languages and automata has proved to be a source of much interest and discussion amongst mathematicians in recent times. This book, written by Professor Ian Chiswell, attempts to provide a comprehensive textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate mathematicians with an interest in this developing field. The first three Chapters give a rigorous proof that various notions of recursively enumerable language are equivalent. Chapter Four covers the context-free languages, whereas Chapter Five clarifies the relationship between LR(k) languages and deterministic (context-free languages). Chiswell's book is unique in that it gives the reader a thorough introduction into the connections between group theory and formal languages. This information, contained within the final chapter, includes work on the Anisimov and Muller-Schupp theorems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"This short work by Chiswell … covers formal languages, automata theory, and the word problem in group theory. This content is bound together by the unifying theme of what is known as Church’s thesis, which states that any desirable definition of computability should coincide with recursiveness. … Several appendixes serve as homes for … distracting proofs of results needed in the main body of the text, or for solutions to selected instances of the abundant exercises. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic readers, upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty." (F. E. J. Linton, Choice, Vol. 46 (11), 2009)

From the Back Cover

Based on the author’s lecture notes for an MSc course, this text combines formal language and automata theory and group theory, a thriving research area that has developed extensively over the last twenty-five years.

The aim of the first three chapters is to give a rigorous proof that various notions of recursively enumerable language are equivalent. Chapter One begins with languages defined by Chomsky grammars and the idea of machine recognition, contains a discussion of Turing Machines, and includes work on finite state automata and the languages they recognise. The following chapters then focus on topics such as recursive functions and predicates; recursively enumerable sets of natural numbers; and the group-theoretic connections of language theory, including a brief introduction to automatic groups. Highlights include:

• A comprehensive study of context-free languages and pushdown automata in Chapter Four, in particular a clear and complete account of the connection between LR(k) languages and deterministic context-free languages.
• A self-contained discussion of the significant Muller-Schupp result on context-free groups.

Enriched with precise definitions, clear and succinct proofs and worked examples, the book is aimed primarily at postgraduate students in mathematics but will also be of great interest to researchers in mathematics and computer science who want to learn more about the interplay between group theory and formal languages.

A solutions manual is available to instructors via www.springer.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 2nd Printing. edition (December 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848009399
• ISBN-13: 978-1848009394
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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