Finite Automata With

Output
Chapter 8

Background
Computers not only process data but also
present the results of processing
Expansion of abstract machines to support this
feature
Models of FAs with output
Moore Machines
Mealy Machines

Designed Primarily as a mathematical model for

sequential circuits

Moore Machines
Created by E.F. Moore in 1956
Collection of five elements
A finite set of states q0,q1,q2,qn where q0 is
designated as the start state.
An alphabet of letters for forming the input string
= {a b c }
An alphabet of possible output characters = {x y z} or
numbers {0 1 }
A transition table that shows for each state and each
input letter what state is reached
An output table that shows what character from is
printed by each state as it is entered.

Moore Machine
Prints an automatic output letter of start state for
every input string
It doesnt define the language of accepted words
as there are no final states
Outputs a letter for every input character
Processing is controlled solely by the input
Can be turned into language definers as well

Moore Machine
Example
Old state

b
q0/1

q1/0
b

a
a

q2/0

Output by
old state

q3/1

New State
After Input
a

After input
b

q0

q1

q3

q1

q3

q1

q2

q0

q3

q3

q3

q2

Moore Machine
Application: Pattern count, counting no. of times
the pattern aab occurs
a

a
a

q0/0

q2/0

q3/0

q4/1

Moore Machine
Given a language L and an FA that accepts it, if
printing instruction 0 is added to any nonfinal
state and 1 to each final state, the 1s in any output
sequence mark the end position of all substrings
of the input string starting from the first letter that
are words in L
Moore machine defines the language of all input
strings whose output ends in a 1.

Mealy Machine
Another variation of FA
Output associated with edges
Edges from the same state may
have

different

output

letters

associated with each of them

Mealy Machine
Collection of four things
A finite set of states q0,q1,q2,qn where q0 is
designated as the start state.
An alphabet of letters for forming the input string =
{a b c ...}
An alphabet of possible output characters = {x y z}
or numbers {0 1 }
A pictorial representation with states represented by
small circles and directed edges indicating transitions
b/w states. Labels of the edges are compound
symbols of the form i/o where i represents the input
letter while o is the output character associated with
the edge

Mealy Machine
Example, aaabb (01110, same output characters as input
letters)
q1
a/0

b/1

a/1

q0

q2

b/0

a/0

b/1

q3
a/1

b/1

Mealy Machine
Applications: Increment Machine
0/0 1/1

0/1

0/1,1/0
q0

No
carry

0/1
start
1/0
1/0

Owe
carry

Moore Machine
Language Recognition
a/1

Language recognition through

specialized patterns in output
strings

a/0

Recognize the Occurrence of

b/0

start

a/0

a double letter
The output letter following the
end of a double letter is a 1

b/0
b/1

Output for ababbabaab

Moore vs. Mealy

Moore

Mealy

Variation of FA

--

Primary focus on output instead of

language recognition

--

No final states

--

Output character associated with

states

Output character associated with

transitions

Output string is one character

longer than the input

Output string equal in length to the

input string

Both are Equivalent !

Equivalence of Moore and

Mealy
Metric for equivalence so far based on the
language accepted by the machines
Language cant be a suitable foundation for
comparison of Moore and Mealy
Output

strings

give

sensible

aspect

of

comparison
Problem in output string comparison due to
difference in lengths

Equivalence of Moore and

Mealy
Given a Mealy Machine Me and the Moore
Machine Mo, which prints the automatic
start state character x, These machines
are equivalent if for every input string the
output

string from Mo is

exactly x

concatenated with the output from Me

Moore To Mealy
If Mo is a Moore machine, then there is a
Mealy machine Me that is equivalent to it.
Constructive algorithm
a/t

a
b
c

b/t
q/t
c/t

Moore to Mealy
For any state q of the Mo that has the output character
t associated with it, relabel all the incoming edges as
x/t where x is the input character previously written on
the transition. Change the label of state as it is in
Mealy Machine
Repeat the procedure for all the states in Moore
Machine

The outgoing edges of the state will get replaced in the relabeling
process of other states

The resultant Machine is a Mealy Machine that

produces output strings which when concatenated
with the start state symbol is exactly the one produced
by the original Mo for every input string.

Moore to Mealy
a

q0/0

q1

q1/1
a

a/1

a/1

q2/1

b/0

q0
b/0

b
q3/0
a

a/1, b/1

a,b

q2

b/1
q3
a/0

Mealy to Moore
For every Mealy machine Me, there is a
Moore machine Mo, that is equivalent to
it
Constructive Proof
Reverse of
possible

Previous

proof

is

not

Different characters associated with

each edge

Mealy to Moore
b

a
b/0

a/1
q/0
b/1

a/1
a/0

q
a/1

b/1
b/1
b

qc/1
b/1

Mealy to Moore
Conversion of loops
a

q6
a/0

q3/0

a/0

a/0

b/1

b
q3

q6
a/0

q3c/1

Mealy to Moore
Example
b/1
q1
a/0

a/1
b/0
a/1

q0

q2

b/0
a/0
b/1

q3

Mealy to Moore
b

a
q1/0

q0(1)/0

b
q2(1)/0

a
b

a
q0(2)/1

q2(2)/1

b
a
b

q3/0