Snapshots

of

the Theory of Computation

Glossary Table of Contents Index

Notice: What you see here is a work in progress. It isn't complete. In fact, it's just getting started and is being used as a stage for trying things. Still, we invite you to explore Snapshots. And come back again...it will only get better!

Welcome to Snapshots!

What is Snapshots? Snapshots is a work in progress intended to illuminate the theory of computation on the Web through hypertext, animation, sound, and any other gimmick that helps you learn. The reason for the title is simple: we do not present here a complete work on the theory of computation, but rather just a series of snapshots of this theory.

Why just snapshots? We'll be honest: building a hypertextbook for the Web is hard work. We can't do it all at once. So, we have chosen instead to construct modules that focus on individual components of the theory, such as finite state automata, context free grammars, and so on. As a module becomes ready for prime time, it will be incorporated into this evolving work as a new snapshot. As more and more snapshots are completed, our hypertextbook will evolve into a complete introduction to the theory of computation.

If this is your first encounter with Snapshots, be sure you read all of the parts of the Introduction before proceeding. It explains how to use Snapshots.

This is fun stuff! Unfasten your mindbelts and enjoy the ride!