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- 2069 Bhadra · 2 marks
- 2070 Bhadra · 2 marks
Differentiate DFA and NFA
Short answer
In a DFA, each state has exactly one transition per input symbol. In an NFA, a state may have zero, one, or multiple transitions, including ε-moves. A DFA can need up to 2^n states to simulate an n-state NFA, but both accept the same regular languages.
Differentiate between Deterministic Finite State Automata and Non-Deterministic Finite State Automata.
| Point | DFA | NFA |
|---|---|---|
| Next state | Exactly one for each (state, symbol) | Zero, one or many for each (state, symbol) |
| Transition function | δ : Q × Σ → Q | δ : Q × Σ → 2^Q (set of states) |
| ε-moves | Not allowed | Allowed in the ε-NFA variant |
| Dead state | Needed to make δ total | Missing transitions simply mean rejection |
| Execution | Follows a single path | Many paths possible; accepts if any path ends in a final state |
| Size | The DFA equivalent to an n-state NFA may need up to 2ⁿ states | Usually fewer states, easier to design |
| Power | Accepts regular languages | Accepts the same regular languages |
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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