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This is an example oI a machine that will be created in this
module
COS2601
Fom WikiSden
Yo ae hee: Main Page ~ Unisa Modules ~ Computer Science ~
COS2601
Conen
1 Theoretical computer science 2
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Unisa syllabus
2 The COS2601 textbook
2.1 Prescribed textbook
2.2 Quotes Irom the textbook
2.3 Recommended reading
3 The COS2601 exam
3.1 Past exam papers
4 How to pass COS2601
4.1 Study tips
4.2 UseIul links
5 Study notes
5.1 Download notes
5.2 Create notes online
6 Student opinions
6.1 Student survey
6.2 Pros oI COS2601
6.3 Cons oI COS2601
Theoeical compe cience 2
Inodcion
Theoretical Computer Science 2 is a module that allows you to study a class oI theoretical machines known as
Finite Automata (FA). These FA's can be used to recognize symbol patterns like binary sequences eg.
'10101011100111' or character strings eg. 'abcdeIgh'. These sequences or strings are called languages which are
Ied to these machines and either accepted or rejected.
There are various applications Ior such theoretical machines in Computer Science. Typical applications are the
development oI Communications protocols and Cryptography.
The prerequisites Ior this module are either COS1501 or MAT2612.
COS101S provides a natural introduction to the topics presented here. There are also similarities with MAT2612
in a Iew signiIicant areas.
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The Unisa sllabus
1. Backgond
2. Langage
3. Recie Definiion
4. Regla Epeion
5. Finie Aomaa
6. Taniion Gaph
7. Kleene' Theoem
8. Finie Aomaa ih Op
9. Regla Langage
10. Nonegla Langage
11. Decidabili
The COS2601 tetbook
Prescribed tetbook
ISBN 9780471137726
Title: Inodcion o Compe Theo (hp://.loo.co.a/efe.hml?
efee=8113849355&/hop/main.jp?page=deail&id=978-0-471-13772-6)
Author: Daniel I. A. Cohen
Edition: 2nd
Publisher: John Wile and Son
Year published: 1996
Year prescribed: 2010
Quotes from the tetbook
"...b ha i fa le clea i eacl ha * hold mean.
We hall aoid hi philoophical cii b nee ing hi mbolim and aoiding hoe ho do."
-- Cohen p. 37, Chape 4 (Regla epeion)
Recommended reading
The COS2601 eam
Past eam papers
The Eam in Ma 2011
Question 1
Fail Simple, Se heo. If o en oe o MCQ of Toial lee 101, o old'e been fine.
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Question 2:
Given the alphabet
a) Give the universal set,
b) the generator(s),
c) a Iunction on the universal set,
d) write the deIinition oI the language EVENAB where the words are oI even length and which do not
contain the substring ab.
Question 3:
a) Give the recursive deIinition oI oI all positive integers greater than 2,
b) Iormulate the induction principle,
c) apply the induction principle to prove a given equation.
Question 4:
You had to decide whether two regular expressions are similar or equivalent, iI not you had to supply a
counter example.
Question 5:
Build an FA that meets certain criteria.
Question 6:
Use Kleene's theorem to convert a Transition Graph into a regular expression.
Question 7:
Build an FA which is the concaenaion oI and ( )
Question 8:
SimpliIy a given FA with a largish number oI states so that it only has 4 states.
Question 9:
Use the Pumping Lemma ith length to prove that the language is not
regular.
Question 10:
I've noticed in these questions, they ask you to explain an algorithm or method oI prooI and then apply it. In
this question, it was to decide whether an accepted language was Iinite or inIinite. They are getting clever
now, students are just memorising without understanding, thats why they are asking to explain your answer.
The questions closely resembled the supplied example paper Irom the 2011 and 2009 exam tutorial letters. No
Mealy's or Moore's!
The Eam in Ma 2010
This exam was relatively straightIorward. The questions closely resembled the supplied example paper.
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Qeion 1:
Ue he Pig Lea ih egh e ha he agage i ega.
Qeion 2:
Gie he ahabe
a) Gie he iea e,
b) he geea(),
c) a fci he iea e,
d) ie he defiii f he agage EVENAB hee he d ae f ee egh ad hich d
cai he big ab.
Qeion 3:
a) Gie he ecie defiii f f a iie iege geae ha 3,
b) fae he idci icie,
c) a he idci icie e a gie eai.
Qeion 4:
Y had deie ega eei accdig ceai cieia.
Qeion 5:
Bid a FA ha ee ceai cieia.
Qeion 6:
Ue Keee' hee ce a Taii Gah i a ega eei.
Qeion 7:
Bid a FA hich i he concatenation f ad ( )
Qeion 8:
Siif a gie FA ih a agih be f ae ha i ha 4 ae.
Qeion 9:
Se ei ( he) ab decidabilit.
Qeion 10:
Gie a d ad e agage e he ahabe , a hehe hi i i
ibe f he d be i e f he agage.
The eam in Oc/No 2009
The 2009 ea a defiie eaie ha he 2008 ea. The fig 10 ei ee aed:
Qeion 1:
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a) Gie he e e he ahabe ha d ed .
b) Gie he e ad hee
Qeion 2:
Ve iia he aige ei ad i a eac he ae a he e i he ae ae ha a
gie.
Gie he ahabe
a) Gie he iea e,
b) he geea(),
c) a fci he iea e,
d) ie he defiii f he agage ODDAB hee he d ae f dd egh hich d cai he
big ab.
Qeion 3:
Ve iia he aige ei ad i a eac he ae a he e i he ae ae ha a
gie.
a) Gie he ecie defiii f f a iie iege geae ha ea 5,
b) fae he idci icie,
c) a he idci icie e ha
Qeion 4:
a) Gie a ega eei hich defie he agage hich geeae a d ih he a a f
diiibe b 3.
b) Gie a ega eei hich defie he agage hich geeae a d edig .
Qeion 5:
Bid a FA ha de acce he big ahee i i.
Qeion 6:
Ue Keee' hee fid a ega eei. Had ce a TG a ega eei.
Qeion 7:
ad had be ed fid he i f hee FA'.
Qeion 8:
The i ad a Me achie a gie ad he Me achie a be da ig
hee ae.
Qeion 9:
Had e he Pig Lea ih egh e ha i ega.
Qeion 10:
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Explain brieIly the method oI Iinding iI a language is accepted by two FA's, and .
The eam in Oc/No 2008
The exam was very similar to those oI previous years. The inductive prooI required you to show that is a
divisor oI Ior all positive integers .
The eam in Oc/No 2007
The exam this year covered most oI the syllabus, and the Iormat has not changed over the years. There were
enough simpler questions to push 40 and above.
The eam in Oc/No 2003
The exam was very nice - and predictable. (The questions were nowhere near as diIIicult as some oI the textbook
ones). It seems they keep the Iormat the same every year, and this exam was incredibly similar to the one Irom 2
years back. At least 25 oI the questions came straight Irom that past paper.
Ho o pa COS2601
Sd ip
There are 20 exercises at the end oI each chapter oI the prescribed textbook by Cohen - unIortunately all
without solutions. But it doesn't hurt to try them all out anyway. We could buy a (very handy) disk Irom
Unisa with interactive exercises on the pumping lemma. It's well worth buying, even iI you don't have any
problems. The exercises were well chosen and written to catch you out!
Uefl link
JIlap soItware (http://jIlap.org/jIlaptmp/) - This is a link to excellent soItware Ior helping you studying the
module and expecially useIul Ior drawing the diagrams. Just double click on the jar Iile to run the program.
With it you can do machines, grammars, lemmas and more (and it's Iree).
An outline oI outcomes oI the subject (http://geekswithblogs.net/MarkPearl/archive/2011/05/18/unisa-
theoretical-computer-sciencendashoutline-oI-things-you-should-know.aspx) - Things you should know Ior
the exam.
Sd noe
Donload noe
Aho
Donload
link
Yea
ceaed
Decipion
Bronwen
Solutions to
chapter 4
2003
A student's (correct) worked-out solutions to the Iirst 11 problems in
chapter 4 oI the textbook by Cohen.
Bronwen
Solutions to
chapter 2
2003
A student's (correct) worked-out solutions to all 20 problems in chapter 2
oI the textbook by Cohen.

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Student opinions
Student surve
Ho challenging did ou
find COS2601?
Ho useful is COS2601 in
our field of ork?
What did ou get for the
COS2601 eam?
Pros of COS2601
If you work very hard at this module you'll find COS3701 a breeze. The extra hours spent in second year
will definitely pay off in final year as the concepts are exactly the same.
Cons of COS2601
This is a very abstract module which will require a lot of dedicated studying.
The textbook is almost like a very long piece of cryptic notes the author made while he was busy with his
PhD or something. It is difficult to follow and the Unisa study guide is in some instances necessary to decrypt
the textbook, but it doesn't succeed in doing that every time.
Retrieved from "http://wikistudent.ws/Unisa/COS2601"
Categories: Unisa Modules Completed Modules Computer Science
This page was last modified 10:04, 26 May 2011 by Bronwen. Based on work by Ahmed Vahed , Zelna
Ellis, Andreas Pauley and Gert Yes.
Content is available under Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported.
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Fail :(