Formal Languages Questions
The main difference between a context-free language and a context-sensitive language lies in the rules that govern the formation of their respective languages.
A context-free language is a type of formal language that can be generated by a context-free grammar. In a context-free grammar, the left-hand side of production rules consists of a single non-terminal symbol, and the right-hand side can be any combination of terminal and non-terminal symbols. The rules are applied in a context-free manner, meaning that the replacement of a non-terminal symbol with its corresponding right-hand side can occur regardless of the context in which it appears.
On the other hand, a context-sensitive language is a type of formal language that can be generated by a context-sensitive grammar. In a context-sensitive grammar, the left-hand side of production rules can consist of any combination of terminal and non-terminal symbols, as long as the length of the left-hand side is less than or equal to the length of the right-hand side. The rules are applied in a context-sensitive manner, meaning that the replacement of a symbol with its corresponding right-hand side depends on the context in which it appears.
In summary, the key difference between a context-free language and a context-sensitive language is the level of context in which the rules are applied. Context-free languages have rules that can be applied without considering the context, while context-sensitive languages have rules that depend on the context in which they are applied.