An Introduction to Formal Language and Automata

Fully revised, the new Fourth Edition of An Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata provides an accessible, student-friendly presentation of all material essential to an introductory Theory of Computation course. The text was designed to familiarize students with the foundations and principles of computer science and to strengthen the students' ability to carry out formal and rigorous mathematical arguments. In the new Fourth Edition, author Peter Linz has offered a straightforward, uncomplicated treatment of formal languages and automata and avoids excessive mathematical detail so that students may focus on and understand the underlying principles. In an effort to further the accessibility and comprehension of the text, the author has added new illustrative examples throughout.

Customer Reviews:

A good book/reference for experts

By Mitch "K7" - July 27, 2009

Right off, the main problem with this book is its formal nature. Compared to lots of other Computer Science books that often act as a sort of 'friendly guide', this book does not. It can be very difficult and tedious to read, especially for 1st-2nd year students. The proofs provided can be hard to follow, the concepts made overly complex and the end of chapter questions are not well answered and leave the reader asking more questions than they originally had.

However, all that being said, some chapters are easier to understand than others and with the help of lecturers and other college/university staff everything can eventually be understood.

If you're reading this because this book is required reading, good luck to you. You will need it.

Clear and Detailed, Excellent Textbook

By M. Goadrich - November 17, 2009

I am using this textbook for my Introduction to the Theory of Computation course this fall, and am very impressed with organization of the material and clarity of the explanations. Where other textbooks such as Sipser might spend one chapter, Linz expands the narrative to three or four, with clear steps of how all the pieces of automata theory and formal languages mesh. If you're interested in complexity theory, this text briefly covers P vs NP, but it is not the main focus. If you are interested in a text to prepare students for a course in the theory of programming languages, this is an excellent choice.

Required book for a computer science class

By Timothy R. Jones Jr. - September 12, 2009

This book is not to bad. The only problem I had is that the answers to question are not in your typical textbook fashion. The answers aren't based on odd problems but are haphazardly appear to be selected.