← Finite State Automata (Treasure Hunt)
Flashcards
Finite State Automata (Treasure Hunt)
Generated from the original open resource by CS Unplugged. Built only from the resource — nothing invented. Free, no login.
Finite State Automata (Treasure Hunt) – Flashcards
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| What does FSA stand for? | Finite-State Automaton |
| What is a finite-state automaton (FSA)? | A set of instructions a computer follows to check whether it recognises a word or string of symbols. |
| What real-world objects are used to represent an FSA in this activity? | Treasure maps (island cards with instructions). |
| In the Treasure Island activity, how many departing ships does each island have? | Two ships, labelled A and B. |
| At each island, how many ships can you choose to travel on? | Only one (either A or B, not both). |
| What happens if you land on "Dead Man's Island"? | No ships sail from it — you are stuck. |
| How are islands represented in the diagram version of the map? | As numbered circles. |
| How is the final (treasure) island shown in the circle diagrams? | As a double circle. |
| What condition finishes Map (a) at the double circle? | The sequence must have an odd number of As (e.g., AB, BABAA, AAABABA). |
| What condition finishes Map (b) at the double circle? | The sequence must alternate As and Bs (e.g., AB, ABAB, ABABAB). |
| What condition finishes Map (c) at the double circle? | The sequence must contain at least one B. |
| What is a "loop" in an FSA route? | A repeated path that returns to a previous state, allowing multiple different sequences to reach the same destination. |
| Give an example of two different routes reaching the same treasure island due to a loop. | BBBABAB and BBBABBABAB. |
| What everyday example of an FSA involves phone menus? | Pressing 1, 2, or 3 on a telephone menu system — each key press is an input moving you to another state. |
| What everyday example of an FSA involves banking? | A cash machine (ATM) program that leads you through steps like entering a PIN, dispensing cash, or ejecting the card. |
| What was "Eliza"? | A famous 1960s computer program that used FSA-like methods to simulate conversation as a psychotherapist. |
| Why are FSAs useful for programming languages? | Computers use FSAs to read in programs and translate them into elementary instructions for execution. |
| In the Mysterious Coin Game, how many "islands" are needed to describe the coin toss pattern? | Just 4 islands. |
| What pattern was found in the Mysterious Coin Game solution? | The first two coin tosses in each group of three have the same outcome. |
Original licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. This teaching material is provided free by OER.ai.