Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation (3rd Edition) [Hardcover]

John E. Hopcroft (Author), Rajeev Motwani (Author), Jeffrey D. Ullman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0321462254 | ISBN-13: 978-0321462251 | Edition: 3

This classic book on formal languages, automata theory, and computational complexity has been updated to present theoretical concepts in a concise and straightforward manner with the increase of hands-on, practical applications. This new edition comes with Gradiance, an online assessment tool developed for computer science.

 

Gradiance is the most advanced online assessment tool developed for the computer science discipline.  With its innovative underlying technology, Gradiance turns basic homework assignments and programming labs into an interactive learning experience for students.  By using a series of “root questions” and hints, it not only tests a student’s capability, but actually simulates a one-on-one teacher-student tutorial that allows for the student to more easily learn the material.  Through the programming labs, instructors are capable of testing, tracking, and honing their students’ skills, both in terms of syntax and semantics, with an unprecedented level of assessment never before offered. 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 535 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 3 edition (July 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321462254
• ISBN-13: 978-0321462251
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #922,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing - Not a great first book December 26, 2006

By Stephen Rowe

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had to use this for a Formal Models of Computation class last semester. It's okay but can be hard to follow. It is often hard to learn from the examples. The formalism and proof gets in the way of intuition. It would make a better 2nd book or reference than a first book on the subject. I supplemented the book with Sipser and found that a much better book for learning from. Hopcroft (this book) is more mathematical in nature but the explanation is harder to follow. If you have a choice, go with Sipser.

As near as I can tell, the big improvement in the 3rd edition over the 2nd is the inclusion of some online practice problems. If your class isn't going to be using these, can you save money by going with the older copy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The best theoretical computer science book out there. June 25, 2008

By Renato Perini

Format:Hardcover

This book is a one stop solution to your theoretical computer science needs (at least, as an introduction). If you're interested in language theory, deterministic / non deterministic finite state automata design, grammars and regular languages, computational complexity (temporal and spatial complexity), this the book for you. The formal notation used in the book is not the heaviest ever seen for this kind of subject, so it remains comprehensible (assumed it's not your first exposition to this discipline). I found it particularly interesting starting from chapter 8, when it covers turing machines, indecidibility in chapter 9 and intractability in chapter 10.
All in all, it's a good introduction to these concepts. I give it 4 stars because some proofs could have been easier, but this is not a big problem. The P and NP classes of problems are wonderfully explained. We are speaking about a book every computer scientist out there should have on his/her shelf. Those who consider this book extremely hard and difficult is because of their lack of fundamental knowledge in computer science. Of course, this is not the first book you should read on the subject. But be assured, this book will give you what it promises: a good knowledge about languages theory, indecidibility and intractability of problems.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice book May 14, 2008

By Denis Pankratov

Format:Hardcover

I read this book from cover to cover, not because it was required by the Formal Languages course that I took, but because it is a very good read. This book gives all the necessary details in every theorem that it proves, which can be considered both a good and a bad thing, depending on your level of knowledge of the subject. I personally believe it is a good thing, because after reading any proof in this book you do not feel skeptical if it works or not, like it can be after reading a proof that skips lots of steps.

I haven't used their online resources, and I didn't do many problems from this book, because the professor teaching the course came up with problems of his own. However, from what I've seen, they have a very reasonable collection of problems suited for self-study. Every well established field has a list of standard problem, and Language Theory is no exception. The problems in this book certainly cover most of the standard ones. Please, also be aware that although this book is a good read, it is not necessary an easy read - be prepared to invest considerable amount of time into this book.

I cannot give this book 5 stars simply because I do not think it is much better than previous editions. As a matter of fact, I think it is worse. I did not have a very close look at previous editions, but I know for a fact that they were more rigorous and formal and covered more topics. As a result of that, they were less suited for teaching an introductory course, but some of the topics they studied there are really nice. From what I've heard about previous editions though, it seems that they described several open problems, that are no longer open. So I'd suggest getting this new edition, simply because it has more contemporary information.

Some people write in their review that this book requires solid background in the area it covers. I respectfully disagree - I had little to none background in Language Theory and Complexity Theory prior to taking this course and (consequently) starting to read this book; however, I did very well in the course and enjoyed it very much. Of course, I was lucky to have an excellent professor teaching that course. If good books came with good professors that would be a killer package, but unfortunately they don't.

I have not read any other books in this field, so I have nothing to compare with, but all in all, for me it worked great and if you have a good professor and are passionate about the subject, I'm sure this book won't be a miss.