It's much easier to understand this via Finite State Machines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite-state_machine
Here's the idea: 1 - There are several nodes in a graph. 2 - One is the "start" node, another is the "end" node. 3 - An input string (set of symbols) is given the start node. 4 - Each node has a set of rules as to how it transitions to other nodes on a given symbol. 5 - If at the end of the string, if the FSM is at the end node, then the string is accepted by the FSM. The most usual example is a 2 state FSM used for opening/closing doors at super markets. -- Owen On Sat, Jul 2, 2016 at 1:06 PM, Nick Thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks, David; thanks, everybody. > > > > I smell a tautology, here. > > > > An accept state is a state that is acceptable. > > > > NIck > > > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology > > Clark University > > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ > > > > *From:* Friam [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Prof > David West > *Sent:* Saturday, July 02, 2016 12:51 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Understanding you-folks > > > > > > An accept state is merely a final or end state. A Turing machine is a > generalization (has greater capabilities) than a standard state machine. A > state machine has states and transitions from one state to another, with > the "accept state" as the end of the chain. > > > > name derives from "acceptable" / "accepting" > > > > Petzold's book, The Annotated Turing, does a better (more accessible to > lay audiences) job of explaining Turing's 36 page paper than Bernard's. > > > > davew > > > > > > On Sat, Jul 2, 2016, at 09:30 AM, Nick Thompson wrote: > > Dear Friammers, > > > > When I came to Santa Fe a decade ago, a recently retired psychology > professor and writer, it was with a great interest in complexity and a > faith that, with enough patience, and diligence I could come to understand > what you were all about. This has proved much more difficult than I had > imagined. So it was, with renewed optimism, that I picked up Chris > Bernard’s TURING’S VISION: THE BIRTH OF COMPUTER SCIENCE. It looked like > the kind of book that I *ought to be* able to understand. (Note the use > of modal language.) But, as so often happens with such deceptively simple, > books-for-the-ordinary-citizen-like-me, its first few pages contained a few > assumptions that seemed so bone-headedly counter-intuitive that everything > I read thereafter was poisoned. So, I have four questions: > > > > 1. Has anybody read this book? > > 2. Do you understand it? > > 3. WTF is an Accept State? > > 4. And why is it called an “Accept State?” > > > > Hope the members of the Friam Mother Church are having good summer. You > should know that you have had more rain in Santa Fe than we have had here > in Massachusetts since I got back. My neighbors have started tearing up > their lawns and laying down pebbles. > > > > Take care, > > > > Nick > > > > > > > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology > > Clark University > > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >
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