|
Animating Finite State Automata
a component of
Animating the Theory of Computing
a primary thrust of the
Webworks Laboratory
Animating the Theory of Computing
Developing the tools necessary for animating the theory of computing is perhaps the
most ambitious project of the Webworks Laboratory. It is our goal to provide the
tools necessary for a "hypertextbook" on the theory of computing that allows
students to explore computing theory through interactive animations. The eventual
objective is to provide an environment in which students can learn even the deeper aspects
of the theory, such as NP-completeness.
The Craftsman
Webworks team member Michael Grinder
is the lead person on this project. His PhD thesis is on animating the theory of
computing. His first module is a finite state automaton animator, upon which he will
be able to build all of the other necessary models of computation. The FSA animator
has been used very successfully in sophomore level courses, the freshman theory course,
the senior compiler course, and the graduate theory course. It has also been
featured an a number of educational conferences, including SIGCSE.
Features
There are a number of features in the animator.
 | Instructions. Directions on how to use the animator are available in
the animatrion window.
|
| A library of finite state automata ready for animation. There are only
a few examples in the library at present, but the number can be exteneded arbitrariy far
by an instructor.
|
| String submission. The user can type in arbitrary strings for
processing by the chosen finite state automaton.
|
| Stepping control. The user can cause execution of the fsa on an input
string to proceed a step at a time by simple mouse clicks.
|
| Continuous execution. Stepping control can be turned off.
|
| Editing. A user can modify a finite state automaton, or indeed, build
an entirely new one by selecting the edit button and following the directions on building
and moving states, arrows, and labels.
|
| Sound. If you turn your volume up, you can hear our exploratory
attempts at adding sound to animation.
|
While the finite state automaton animator is very flexible, this version does not
allow a student to save examples constructed from with in the animator. Saving from
an applet was simply not allowed (for security reasons) until the most recent versions of
the Java Virtual Machine. The capability to save constructed finite state automata
is just now being added as a new feature.
The FSA Animator
Click here
to try it for yourself! Remember to do the following:
| Be PATIENT as the animator applet loads.
Once it is loaded, you can run the animations without delay.
|
| For best results, maximize your browser window so that
you can see the entire animator.
|
| Be sure to select the edit button before you
enter strings, select an FSA to animate, modify an fsa, or construct a new fsa.
|
| Be sure to select the run button to run the fsa on an
entered string.
|
| And turn your sound up.
|
|
