Single Final State for NFAs

Costas Busch - RPI 1

Any NFA can be converted

to an equivalent NFA

with a single final state

Costas Busch - RPI 2

 Example
a
NFA
a b

a Equivalent NFA

a b

b 

Costas Busch - RPI 3
 In General
NFA

Equivalent NFA

 Single
 final state
Costas Busch - RPI 4
 Extreme Case

NFA without final state

Add a final state

Without transitions

Costas Busch - RPI 5

 Properties of
Regular Languages

Costas Busch - RPI 6

For regular languages L1 and L2
we will prove that:

Union: L1  L2
Concatenation: L1L2
Star: L1 * Are regular
Languages
Reversal: R
L1
Complement: L1
Intersection: L1  L2
Costas Busch - RPI 7
We say: Regular languages are closed under

Union: L1  L2
Concatenation: L1L2
Star: L1 *
Reversal: R
L1
Complement: L1
Intersection: L1  L2
Costas Busch - RPI 8
Regular language L1 Regular language L2

L M1   L1 L M 2   L2

NFA M1 NFA M2

Single final state Single final state

Costas Busch - RPI 9
 Example
M1
n0
a
n
L1  {a b} b

M2
a
L2   ba b

Costas Busch - RPI 10

 Union
NFA for L1  L2
M1

 

 M2 

Costas Busch - RPI 11

 Example
n
NFA for L1  L2  {a b}  {ba}
n
L1  {a b}
a
b
 

 L2  {ba} 
b a
Costas Busch - RPI 12
 Concatenation

NFA for L1L2

M1 M2
 

Costas Busch - RPI 13

 Example

n n
NFA for L1L2  {a b}{ba}  {a bba}

n
L1  {a b}
a L2  {ba}
b  b a 

Costas Busch - RPI 14

 Star Operation
NFA for L1 *

  L1 *
M1
 


Costas Busch - RPI 15
 Example

n w  w1w2  wk
NFA for L1*  {a b} * wi  L1

n
L1  {a b}
a
 b 


Costas Busch - RPI 16
 Reverse
R
NFA for L1
L1 M1 M1

1. Reverse all transitions

2. Make initial state final state

and vice versa
Costas Busch - RPI 17
 Example
M1
a
n
L1  {a b} b

M1
a
R n
L1  {ba } b

Costas Busch - RPI 18

 Complement

L1 M1 L1 M1

1. Take the DFA that accepts L1

2. Make final states non-final,

and vice-versa
Costas Busch - RPI 19
 Example
M1
a a, b
n b a, b
L1  {a b}

M1
n a a, b
L1  {a, b} * {a b}
b a, b

Costas Busch - RPI 20

 Intersection
DeMorgan’s Law: L1  L2  L1  L2
L1 , L2 regular
L1 , L2 regular
L1  L2 regular
L1  L2 regular
L1  L2 regular
Costas Busch - RPI 21
 Example

n
L1  {a b} regular
L1  L2  {ab}
L2  {ab, ba} regular regular

Costas Busch - RPI 22

Regular Expressions

Costas Busch - RPI 23

 Regular Expressions
Regular expressions
describe regular languages

Example: (a  b  c) *

describes the language

 a, bc *    , a, bc, aa, abc, bca,...

Costas Busch - RPI 24

 Recursive Definition
Primitive regular expressions: ,  , 

Given regular expressions r1 and r2

r1  r2
r1  r2
Are regular expressions
r1 *
 r1 
Costas Busch - RPI 25
 Examples

A regular expression:  a  b  c  * (c  )

Not a regular expression:  a  b 

Costas Busch - RPI 26

 Languages of Regular Expressions

L r  : language of regular expression r

Example
L (a  b  c) *    , a, bc, aa, abc, bca,...

Costas Busch - RPI 27

 Definition

For primitive regular expressions:

L    

L      

L a    a
Costas Busch - RPI 28
 Definition (continued)

For regular expressions r1 and r2

L r1  r2   L r1   L r2 

L r1  r2   L r1  L r2 

L r1 *   L r1   *

L  r1    L r1 
Costas Busch - RPI 29
 Example
Regular expression:  a  b  a *
L  a  b   a *  L  a  b   L a *
 L a  b  L a *
  L a   L b    L a   *
   a   b    a  *
  a, b   , a, aa, aaa,...
  a, aa, aaa,..., b, ba, baa,...
Costas Busch - RPI 30
 Example

Regular expression r   a  b  *  a  bb 

L r    a, bb, aa, abb, ba, bbb,...

Costas Busch - RPI 31

 Example

Regular expression r   aa  *  bb  * b

L r   {a b
2n 2m
b : n, m  0}

Costas Busch - RPI 32

 Example

Regular expression r  (0  1) * 00 (0  1) *

L(r ) = { all strings with at least

two consecutive 0 }

Costas Busch - RPI 33

 Example

Regular expression r  (1  01) * (0   )

L(r ) = { all strings without

two consecutive 0 }

Costas Busch - RPI 34

 Equivalent Regular Expressions

Definition:

Regular expressions r1 and r2

are equivalent if L(r1 )  L(r2 )

Costas Busch - RPI 35

 Example
L = { all strings without
two consecutive 0 }

r1  (1  01) * (0   )
r2  (1* 011*) * (0   )  1* (0   )

r1 and r2
L(r1 )  L(r2 )  L
are equivalent
regular expr.
Costas Busch - RPI 36
Regular Expressions
and
Regular Languages

Costas Busch - RPI 37

 Theorem

Languages
Generated by
Regular Expressions
 Regular
Languages

Costas Busch - RPI 38

 Theorem - Part 1

Languages
Generated by  Regular
Languages
Regular Expressions

1. For any regular expression r

the language L(r ) is regular

Costas Busch - RPI 39

 Theorem - Part 2

Languages
Generated by  Regular
Languages
Regular Expressions

2. For any regular language L there is

a regular expression r with L( r )  L

Costas Busch - RPI 40

 Proof - Part 1

1. For any regular expression r

the language L(r ) is regular

Proof by induction on the size of r

Costas Busch - RPI 41

 Induction Basis
Primitive Regular Expressions: ,  , 
NFAs

L( M1 )    L()

regular
L( M 2 )  {}  L( )
languages
a
L( M 3 )  {a}  L(a )

Costas Busch - RPI 42

 Inductive Hypothesis

Assume
for regular expressions r1 and r2
that
L(r1 ) and L(r2 ) are regular languages

Costas Busch - RPI 43

 Inductive Step
We will prove:
L r1  r2 

L r1  r2 
Are regular
Languages
L r1 *

L  r1  
Costas Busch - RPI 44
By definition of regular expressions:

L r1  r2   L r1   L r2 

L r1  r2   L r1  L r2 

L r1 *   L r1   *

L  r1    L r1 
Costas Busch - RPI 45
By inductive hypothesis we know:
L(r1 ) and L(r2 ) are regular languages

We also know:
Regular languages are closed under:
Union L r1   L r2 
Concatenation L r1  L r2 
Star  L r1   *
Costas Busch - RPI 46
Therefore:

L r1  r2   L r1   L r2 

Are regular
L r1  r2   L r1  L r2 
languages

L r1 *   L r1   *

Costas Busch - RPI 47

And trivially:

L((r1 )) is a regular language

Costas Busch - RPI 48

 Proof – Part 2

2. For any regular language L there is

a regular expression r with L( r )  L

Proof by construction of regular expression

Costas Busch - RPI 49

Since L is regular take the
NFA M that accepts it

L( M )  L

Single final state

Costas Busch - RPI 50
From M construct the equivalent
Generalized Transition Graph
in which transition labels are regular expressions

Example:
M
a c a c
a, b ab
Costas Busch - RPI 51
 b b
Another Example:
a
q0 q1 a, b q2
b

b b
a
q0 q1 a  b q2
b
Costas Busch - RPI 52
 b b
Reducing the states:
a
q0 q1 a  b q2
b

bb * a b

q0 bb * (a  b) q2
Costas Busch - RPI 53
Resulting Regular Expression:

bb * a b

q0 bb * (a  b) q2

r  (bb * a ) * bb * (a  b)b *

L(r )  L( M )  L
Costas Busch - RPI 54
 In General
Removing states: e
d c
qi q qj
a b

ae * d ce * b
ce * d
qi qj
ae * b
Costas Busch - RPI 55
The final transition graph:
r1 r4
r3
q0 qf
r2

The resulting regular expression:

r  r1 * r2 (r4  r3r1 * r2 ) *

L(r )  L( M )  L
Costas Busch - RPI 56