What is a non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA)?

Formal Languages Questions



80 Short 63 Medium 57 Long Answer Questions Question Index

What is a non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA)?

A non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA) is a theoretical model of computation used in computer science and formal language theory. It is a type of finite automaton that can be in multiple states simultaneously and has the ability to transition to multiple states based on a given input symbol. Unlike a deterministic finite automaton (DFA), an NFA does not have a unique next state for each input symbol. Instead, it can have multiple possible next states or even the option to transition to no state at all. This non-determinism allows NFAs to recognize a broader class of languages compared to DFAs.