Languages and Machines: An Introduction to the Theory of Computer Science

By Ralph Davis

The third edition of Languages and Machines: An Introduction to the Theory of Computer Science provides readers with a mathematically sound presentation of the theory of computer science. The theoretical concepts and associated mathematics are made accessible by a "learn as you go" approach that develops an intuitive understanding of the concepts through numerous examples and illustrations. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201821362
• ISBN13: 9780201821369
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
• Length: 500 Pages
• Weight: 2.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Good Book for a Tough Subject

Abstract language theory is hard, but Languages and Machines does a very good job of explaining the subject step by step. The topics are covered extremely thoroughly and with just the right amount of rigor. As for those who claim it's not exciting enough, you can't get blood out of a stone. Only the most dedicated computer scientist and mathematicians will find this topic interesting. Even so, this book does a superb job...

Taught by the author!

Hey, I was fortunate enough to learn this course from the author of the book. The book by itself might seem tough. The fault lies in the fact that subject matter is not altogether too simple to understand without someone teaching it to you! With the help of the instructor, we did learn a lot about formal languages, finite automaton, regular grammer, etc. The key to understanding this material (and using this book effectively)...

Excellent Book, A Must have.

This is one of the better books that I read on languages and machines. This book is great for someone who is interested in parsing, compilers or pattern matching. The book covers a lot of theory on computation and is not for a beginner. I would recommend that one be well grounded in set theory, recursion and mathematical induction before attempting to read this book. I did not read all the chapters; I only read those...

A good introduction, bent towards formal languages

I have a mathematical background and wished to acquaint myself with the basics of theoretical computer science. This book didn't disappoint me.The book stresses formal languages and parsing, and is therefore best suited for persons interested in creating languages, compiler technology and parsing. However, it covers also Turing machines, computability and complexity issues, among others, and is therefore reasonably comprehensive.Exercises...

A good readable survey of CS theory

Although I'm not a maven of CS theory, Sudkamp's book makes the subject comprehensible and approachable. It spans the range of the subject and does a good job of preparing the reader for further readings in automata, computability, and decidability.