State Machines
# Finite State Machines
An FSM shows the states in which a system can exist, what causes the system to move from one state to another, and what outputs or changes the transition causes.
The system must have a known (finite) number of states.
FSMs can be converted into a circuit, meaning that they can be used to control things such as traffic lights without the need for actual code.
States are connected by transitions (arrows). Transitions should be labelled with the trigger for the transition.
They can be useful for debugging an algorithm or representing it in a way that people who don’t work with code will be able to understand more easily. Start can be indicated with an -> coming from nothing.
# Mealy vs Moore Machine
# Mealy Machine
The output is determined by its current state and current inputs.
# Moore Machine
The output is determined solely by the current state.
# State Transition Table
A state transition table shows the current state, the input that is received, the state to move to (next state) and any output produced in the process.
Eg
| Current State | Input | Next State |
|---|---|---|
| Se | 0 | Se |
| Se | 1 | So |
| So | 0 | So |
| Se | 1 | Se |
# Producing a table
| Current State | Input | Next State |
|---|---|---|
| S0 | a | S1 |
| S1 | b | S2 |
| S2 | c | S1 |
| S1 | b | S2 |
| S2 | a,b | S3 |
| S3 | - | - |
| S0 | c | S0 |
| S0 | b | S3 |
# State Transition Practice
| Current State | Input | Next State |
|---|---|---|
| S1 | I | S2 |
| S2 | P | S3 |
| S3 | 1|2|3|4 | S4 |
| S4 | Numeric Digit | S6 |
| S6 | Numeric Digit | S7 |
| S7 | Letter | S9 |
| S9 | Letter | S11 |
| S11 | - | - |
| S1 | I | S2 |
| S2 | Letter (except P) | S13 |
| S13 | Numeric Digit | S16 |
| S16 | Numeric Digit | S17 |
| S17 | Letter | S19 |
| S19 | Letter | S21 |
| S21 | - | - |
| S1 | Letter (except I) | S14 |
| S14 | Numeric Digit | S16 |
| S16 | Letter | S22 |
| S22 | Numeric Digit | S23 |
| S23 | Letter | S19 |
| S19 | Letter | S21 |
| S21 | Any character | S12 |
| S12 | Any character | S12 |
- Not all possible routes are listed in the above table
# Flowchart, Pseudo Code of Finite State Machine?
- Flowcharts are a great way to present information to non-specialists
- Pseudo code is great if your audience are programmers
- Finite State Machines are best suited to control systems
# Natural Languages vs Formal Languages
A natural language is your typical-spoken language - English or Spanish are good examples. They are ambiguous and can be interpreted in multiple ways.
Whereas a formal language is like a formula in maths or science and programming languages. It can only be interpreted in a single way and is very rigid.
# Algorithms
Typically, an algorithm will use a formal language (or will be much closer to formal than natural). A recipe is an example of an algorithm that can be represented using natural languages, with a more formal structure. A recipe can be misinterpreted, a program cannot.