(definition)
Definition: A finite state machine with at most one transition for each symbol and state.
Also known as DFA, deterministic finite automaton.
See also nondeterministic finite state machine.
Note: Some fields, like model checking, require (and assume) that there is exactly one transition for each symbol and state. A machine that has at least one transition for each symbol and state is sometimes called "complete".
Author: PEB
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul Black.
Entry modified 12 December 2005.
HTML page formatted Mon Feb 2 13:10:39 2015.
Cite this as:
Paul E. Black, "deterministic finite state machine", in
Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures [online], Vreda Pieterse and Paul E. Black, eds. 12 December 2005. (accessed TODAY)
Available from: http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/determFinitStateMach.html