Where do we use Automata
Without understanding the reason behind the concept and its importance, we always find it tough to learn. As ‘Automata Theory’ is one of the core subjects in the Computer Science domain, it is very important to keep the concepts clear. That will happen when we understand its importance and usefulness.
Automata Theory makes a significant impact in different fields of computer science and engineering as follows:
- The main role of the automata theory is in Compiler Design. The first phase of the compiler is called lexical analyzer which is based on finite automata. In the syntax analysis part, a common error called syntax error is checked by the rules of context-free grammar.
- An important application of context-free grammar occurs in the specification and compilation of programming languages. Grammar for a programming language often appears as a reference for people trying to learn the language syntax. Designers of compilers and interpreters for programming languages often start by obtaining a grammar for the language. Most compilers and interpreters contain a component called a parser that extracts the meaning of a program prior to generating the compiled code or performing the interpreted execution. A number of methodologies facilitate the construction of a parser once context-free grammar is available. Some tools even automatically generate the parser from the grammar.
- Cryptography is another important practical application of automata. Digital cellular telephones, direct satellite television broadcasts, and electronic commerce over the Internet all depend on cryptographic measures to protect information. Such systems will soon play a role in most people’s lives. Indeed, cryptography has stimulated much research in complexity theory, mathematical fields, and the theory of automata.
- The software for natural language processing (NLP) takes the help of the automata theory.
- Automata is useful for designing software for counting the occurrence of a particular word, pattern, etc., in a large text.
- The working principle of the software used for checking the behavior of digital circuits is based on the automata theory.
- The heart of the TCP/IP protocol is a finite state machine
- Sequence and vending machines
- Video games
- Text parsing
- Regular expression matching
- Speech recognition
