[syllabus] | [lecture notes] | [HW1-6,Q1] | [HW7-10,Q2,F] | [project]

[simulators/parsers] | [language definitions] | [automata definitions] | [computable definitions]

CMSC 451 Automata Theory and Formal Languages Project

Updated for Spring 2001

Contents

  • Project Goal
  • Project Description
  • Submit Project
  • Amount of Effort
  • Grading Policy
  • Other Links

    • Project Goal

     
  The goal of the semester project is to be sure you 
  understand some part of this course in detail.

    Project Description

     
  Pick one of the following, do two for extra credit:

  1) Write a program in a language of your choice to convert
  a DFA machine description into a regular grammar.
  Use the formats defined on Simulators/Parsers

  2) Write a program in a language of your choice to convert
  a regular grammar into a DFA.
  Use the formats defined on Simulators/Parsers

  3) Write a Turing Machine program to do one of the following:
    3a) Given an input tape with two numbers in monadic form,
        produce an output that is the product.
        Typical input format  111*11=
        Tape at finish        111*11=111111     e.g.  3*2=6
    3b) Given an input tape with two binary numbers, twos complement,
        do a subtract operation.
        Typical input format  0111-0101=
        Tape at finish        0111-0101=0010    e.g.  7-5=2
        Handle positive and negative input and output.
        






  Remember the definitions and correspondences between machines
  and grammars:

        +--------------------+
        |  +----------------------+
        |  |                 |    |
  G = ( V, T, P, S)    M = ( Q, Sigma, delta, q0, F)
              |  |                       |    |
              |  +----------------------------+
              +--------------------------+

  T and Sigma are single characters (or one character long strings)
  V and Q are case sensitive strings. (can be used interchangeably)
  keywords are case sensitive. Basically, everything is case sensitive.

    Submit Project 

    
  From a gl machine, e.g.  irix.gl.umbc.edu, linux.gl.umbc.edu, ...
  Submit your source code file(s). NO Binary, NO executable.
  Submit your input data file(s).
  Submit you output file(s) that your source code produced
  doing the conversion. (Be sure to label which input files
  went to which source code if you did the extra credit of
  doing both conversions.)

  The command to do the submit is:

  submit cs451 proj 

  The 'submit' command takes multiple, space separated, files.
  Multiple 'submit' commands can be used to each send one or more files.

  Send only plain text files because I am just going to print them
  on a dumb printer and grade the printed output.

  If for some reason 'submit' will not work for you,
  print out what is supposed to be submitted, add a table of
  contents and say what part(s) you completed, turn in a
  project folder, or EMail to squire@umbc.edu .

    Amount of effort 

    DO NOT LEAVE THIS TO THE LAST DAY!
Expect to spend 8 hours of very careful programming on this project.
(It will take 40 hours if you are sloppy or careless.)
Comment your code as much for yourself as for grading.

Use indentation to match the structure of your code.
You can leave debug print in your code, under control of something
to turn it off when generating the output that is turned in.

    Grading policy 

     Grading: 50% for a reasonable try that reads and prints the data
          75% for some correct output
         100% for correct output
         110% for converting one way, then converting back
              (or in general, extra credit)

 Points can be lost by: 
   Partially incorrect results,
   Lack of comments to follow what code is doing at a coarse level.
   Really bad programming practice.


 Partial credit will be given for partially working code.
 Get some amount of output.

    
 Last updated 4/4/01

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