Abstract
Subset construction is the method of converting a nondeterministic finite-state machine into a deterministic one. The process of determinization is important in any implementation of finite-state machines. The reasons are that nondeterministic machines are often easier to describe than their deterministic equivalents and the conversion of regular expressions to finite-state machines usually produces nondeterministic machines.
We discuss one aspect of subset construction; namely, the computation of the instructions of the equivalent deterministic machine. Although the discussion is to a large extent independent of any specific assumptions, we draw some conclusions within the context of INR and Grail, both of which are packages for the manipulation of finite-state machines. Related work is described by Aho [1] and by Crochemore and Rytter [4] in the context of pattern matching, and by Perrin [10] in the context the conversion of regular expressions into finite-state machines.
The aim of the discussion is to present the problem and suggest some possible solutions.
This work was supported under grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, from the Information Technology Research Centre of Ontario, and from the Research Grants Committee of Hong Kong.
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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Johnson, J.H., Wood, D. (1997). Instruction computation in subset construction. In: Raymond, D., Wood, D., Yu, S. (eds) Automata Implementation. WIA 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1260. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-63174-7_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-63174-7_6
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