Formal Languages Questions
The main difference between a regular language and a context-sensitive grammar lies in their expressive power and the rules that govern them.
A regular language is a language that can be recognized by a finite-state automaton or described by a regular expression. It is characterized by its simplicity and limited expressive power. Regular languages can be generated by regular grammars, which consist of production rules of the form A -> α, where A is a non-terminal symbol and α is a string of terminals and non-terminals.
On the other hand, a context-sensitive grammar is a more powerful formalism that can generate context-sensitive languages. These languages are more expressive and can describe more complex patterns and structures. Context-sensitive grammars have production rules of the form αAβ -> αγβ, where A is a non-terminal symbol, α and β are strings of terminals and non-terminals, and γ is a non-empty string.
In summary, the key difference between a regular language and a context-sensitive grammar is the level of complexity and expressive power they possess. Regular languages are simpler and can be described by regular grammars, while context-sensitive grammars are more powerful and can generate context-sensitive languages.