article

Using theoretical computer simulators for formal languages and automata theory

Authors:

Carlos I. Chesñevar,

María L. Cobo,

William YurcikAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, Volume 35, Issue 2

Pages 33 - 37

https://doi.org/10.1145/782941.782975

Published: 01 June 2003 Publication History

Abstract

Both formal languages and automata theory (FLAT) are core to the CS curricula but are difficult to teach and to learn. This situation has motivated the development of a number of theoretical computer simulators as educational tools to allow students to "bring to life" many topics that traditionally were presented only mathematically. This paper discusses the main features of software tools currently freely available via the Internet for teaching FLAT. Based on our practical experience, the tradeoffs between different FLAT software tools is analyzed and discussed. We conclude with general recommendations for integrating FLAT software tools into an established curriculum.

References

[1]

Augusto, J.C. Fundamentos de Ciencias de la Computación -- Notas de Curso. Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina, (1995).

[2]

Bilska, A.O. et al. A Collection of Tools for Making Automata Theory and Formal Languages Come Alive. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 29, 1 (1997), 15--19.

Digital Library

[3]

Estrebou, F. et al. Minerva: Una Herramienta Para un Curso de Lenguajes Formales y Autómatas. Latinamerican Conference in Informatics (CLEI), Montevideo, Uruguay, (2002).

[4]

Gramond, E. and S.H. Rodger. Using JFLAP to Interact with Theorems in Automata Theory. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 31, 1 (1999), 336--340.

Digital Library

[5]

Grinder, M.T. Animating Automata: A Cross-Platform Program for Teaching Finite Automata. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 34, 1 (2002), 63--67.

Digital Library

[6]

Grinder, M.T. et al. Loving to Learn Theory: Active Learning Modules for the Theory of Computing. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 34, 1 (2002), 371--375.

Digital Library

[7]

Hung, T. and Roger, S. H. Increasing Visualization and Interaction in the Automata Theory Course. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 32, 1 (2000), 6--10.

Digital Library

[8]

Hopcroft, J. and Ullman, J. Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation. Addison-Wesley, (1979).

Digital Library

[9]

Lewis, H. and Papadimitriou, C. Elements of the Theory of Computation 2nd Edition. Prentice-Hall, (1998).

Digital Library

[10]

LoSacco, M. and S.H. Rodger. FLAP: A Tool for Drawing and Simulating Automata. ED-MEDIA (1993).

[11]

McDonald, J. Interactive Pushdown Automata Animation. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 34, 1 (2002), 376--380.

Digital Library

[12]

Procopiuc, M., O. Procopiuc, and S.H. Rodger. Visualization and Interaction in the Computer Science Formal Languages Course with JFLAP. ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference, (1996).

Digital Library

[13]

Robinson, M.B. et al. A Java-based Tool for Reasoning About Models of Computation Through Simulating Finite Automata and Turing Machines. ACM SIGCSE Conference, (1999), 105--109.

Digital Library

[14]

Rodger, S.H. Integrating Hands-On Work into the Formal Languages Course via Tools and Programming. Workshop on Implementing Automata/Lecture Notes in C. S. (LNCS) 1260, Springer-Verlag, (1996), 132--148.

Digital Library

[15]

Taylor, G. Models of Computation and Formal Languages. Oxford University Press, (1998).

Digital Library

[16]

Wolffe, G.S., W. Yurcik, H. Osborne, and M.A. Holliday. Teaching Computer Organization/Architecture With Limited Resources Using Simulators. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 34, 1 (2002), 176--180.

Digital Library

Cited By

Vásquez-Capacho J(2025)Advancing fault diagnosis in industrial systems: The power of V-nets for managing complex event sequencesEngineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence10.1016/j.engappai.2024.109781142(109781)Online publication date: Feb-2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2024.109781
Mohammed MA. Shaffer CStephenson BStone JBattestilli LRebelsky SShoop L(2024)Teaching Formal Languages through Programmed InstructionProceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3626252.3630940(867-873)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3626252.3630940
Stamenković SJovanović N(2024)A Web-Based Educational System for Teaching CompilersIEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies10.1109/TLT.2023.329762617(143-156)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/TLT.2023.3297626
Show More Cited By

Using theoretical computer simulators for formal languages and automata theory
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
      1. Computing education programs
2. Theory of computation

Recommendations

Limited Automata and Context-Free Languages
Non-Classical Models of Automata and Applications V

Limited automata are one-tape Turing machines which are allowed to rewrite each tape cell only in the first d visits, for a given constant d. For each d ≥ 2, these devices characterize the class of context-free languages. We investigate the equivalence ...
Deterministic Pushdown Automata and Unary Languages
CIAA '08: Proceedings of the 13th international conference on Implementation and Applications of Automata

The simulation of deterministic pushdown automata defined over a one letter alphabet by finite state automata is investigated from a descriptional complexity point of view. We show that each unary deterministic pushdown automaton of size s can be ...
Alternating automata and a temporal fixpoint calculus for visibly pushdown languages
CONCUR'07: Proceedings of the 18th international conference on Concurrency Theory

We investigate various classes of alternating automata for visibly pushdown languages (VPL) over infinite words. First, we show that alternating visibly pushdown automata (AVPA) are exactly as expressive as their nondeterministic counterpart (NVPA) but ...

Comments

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin Volume 35, Issue 2

June 2003

202 pages

ISSN:0097-8418

DOI:10.1145/782941

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 2003 Authors.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 June 2003

Published in SIGCSE Volume 35, Issue 2

Check for updates

Qualifiers

Article

Contributors

Other Metrics

View Article Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

35
Total Citations
View Citations
770
Total Downloads

Downloads (Last 12 months)7
Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0

Reflects downloads up to 01 Jan 2025

Other Metrics

View Author Metrics

Citations

Cited By

Vásquez-Capacho J(2025)Advancing fault diagnosis in industrial systems: The power of V-nets for managing complex event sequencesEngineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence10.1016/j.engappai.2024.109781142(109781)Online publication date: Feb-2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2024.109781
Mohammed MA. Shaffer CStephenson BStone JBattestilli LRebelsky SShoop L(2024)Teaching Formal Languages through Programmed InstructionProceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3626252.3630940(867-873)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3626252.3630940
Stamenković SJovanović N(2024)A Web-Based Educational System for Teaching CompilersIEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies10.1109/TLT.2023.329762617(143-156)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/TLT.2023.3297626
Vásquez-Capacho JPérez-Zuñiga GRodriguez-Urrego L(2024)V-netsIFAC-PapersOnLine10.1016/j.ifacol.2024.07.29358:4(652-657)Online publication date: 2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2024.07.293
Brunelle NEvans DMerkle LDoyle MSheard JSoh LDorn B(2022)Comfortable Cohorts and Tractable TeamsProceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - Volume 110.1145/3478431.3499353(717-723)Online publication date: 22-Feb-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3478431.3499353
Mohammed MShaffer CRodger SSherriff MMerkle LCutter PMonge ASheard J(2021)Teaching Formal Languages with Visualizations and Auto-Graded ExercisesProceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3408877.3432398(569-575)Online publication date: 3-Mar-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3408877.3432398
Tccson CRodrigo M(2021)A Self-paced Tutoring System, ILSA: Which System Utilization aligned with Learners' Goal Orientations?2021 9th International Conference on Information and Education Technology (ICIET)10.1109/ICIET51873.2021.9419633(14-20)Online publication date: 27-Mar-2021
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIET51873.2021.9419633
Jovanović NMiljković DStamenković SJovanović ZChakraborty P(2020)Teaching concepts related to finite automata using ComVisComputer Applications in Engineering Education10.1002/cae.2235329:5(994-1006)Online publication date: 19-Oct-2020
https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22353
Stamenković SJovanović N(2019)Comparative analysis of simulation system for teaching compilersBizinfo Blace10.5937/bizinfo1902001S10:2(1-23)Online publication date: 2019
https://doi.org/10.5937/bizinfo1902001S
MacCormick JBarnes TGarcia DHawthorne EPérez-Quiñones M(2018)Strategies for Basing the CS Theory Course on Non-decision ProblemsProceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3159450.3159557(521-526)Online publication date: 21-Feb-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3159450.3159557
Show More Cited By

View Options

Login options

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Full Access

Get this Publication

View options

PDF

View or Download as a PDF file.

eReader

View online with eReader.

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

View Issue’s Table of Contents