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Lecture 7

Converting Finite Automata into

Regular Expressions
CSE2303 Formal Methods I

Kleenes Theorem
Regular Expression

GTG

TG

NFA-

NFA

Finite Automaton

First Three Proofs

Every Finite Automaton is a NFA
Every NFA is a Transition Graph.
Every Transition Graph is a Generalised
Transition Graph.

How to convert a
Generalised Transition Graph
into a
Regular Expression

Make a unique
Start State
with no input
transitions

Are
YES
there any Final States
?
NO

Write

Eliminate
multiple loops

NO
Is the GTG
connected?
YES
Write the
label

Make a unique
Final State with no
output transitions

NO

Is
the number of states
> 2?
YES

Eliminate
multiple edges

Eliminate a
state which is
NOT
the Start state
or the
Final state

Make a unique Start State

...
-

...

...

Make a unique Start State

...

...

...

Make a unique Start State

...

...

...

Make a unique Final State

...
+

...
...

Make a unique Final State

...
+

...
...

Make a unique Final State

...

...
...

Eliminate multiple loops

R2

...
R1

...
R3

R1 + R2 + R3

...

...

Eliminate multiple edges

...

R1
R2

...

R3

...

R1 + R2 + R3

...

State Elimination
Cases
1
2
3
4
5
6

Incoming edges
Outgoing edges
Loops
from a different state to a different state
1
1
NO
1
1
YES
1
More than 1
NO/YES
More than 1
More than 1
NO/YES
0
0, 1, or more
NO/YES
0, 1, or more

NO/YES

...

R1

...

R2

R1 R2

...

...

...

R1

...

R2

R1 (S)* R2

...

...

...

R2

R1

R3

...

...

...

R4
R1 (S )* R2

...

R1 (S )* R3

...

...

...

R1 (S )* R4

S
R1

...

R2
R3

...

...

R4
R1 (S )* R2

...

R1 (S )* R3

R1 (S )* R4

...

...

...

R1

R2
R3

...

R5

...

...

...

R4
R1 (S )* R2

...

...

R1 (S )* R3

R5 (S )* R3
R5 (S )* R4

...

R5 (S )* R2
3

...

...

R1 (S )* R4

...

R1

R2
R3

...

R5

...

...

...

...

...

R4

...

...

...

...

R1

R2
R3

...

R5

...

...

...

...

...

R4

...

...

...

EVEN-EVEN
aa

ab + ba

aa

bb

ab + ba

bb

Revision
Know Kleenes Theorem
Be able to convert FAs into Regular Expressions

Preparation
Read
Text Book Chapter 8